Favorite lines by people who "just don't get it"

[Elspeth]

Apparently, I can't be a woman if I disagree with most of what American feminists say. 

Which American feminists? Because for every contemporary statement from someone claiming to be a feminist, and living in America, I think I could probably find a counter-statement from someone else claiming the same labels, apart from maybe a few very general statements that almost no one disagrees with?

[Beth Andrea]

Which American feminists? Because for every contemporary statement from someone claiming to be a feminist, and living in America, I think I could probably find a counter-statement from someone else claiming the same labels, apart from maybe a few very general statements that almost no one disagrees with?

Are you asking for names of specific feminists? If so, that's disingenuous...generally "American feminists" are presented as being very liberal, very leftist, and are generally the ones with talk shows on TV.

We know that many people--male and female--get their opinions from what they see on TV, or read in the paper, "news magazines", etc.  yet there are very few (if any) "conservative" feminists out there...except for Sarah Palin, I can't think of a single one...and we know how much the media establishment loves her.

There are general social trends...and going tit-for-tat in a game of "oh yeah well I've got more names and examples than you" does not prove or disprove a statement.

[anya921]

"If we knew this when you were little we could have fixed you. But now its too late and all we can do is accept you". This is what my mother tells, even now.  I know she doesn't want to  hurt me, but some times its too much to take in, to know that only reason she accept me was she couldn't fixed me when I was little.

[Kevin Peña]

Which American feminists?

Umm, all of them? Go to the Dominican Republic or Saudi Arabia and look at US Census Bureau data on the "pay gap" you'll see that American women actually have little to nothing to complain about.

Yet, somehow, identifying as female means that you have to agree with everything a feminist says. I tell my mom that I don't agree with masculists either, and she tells me I'm still a guy. Double standard, much? 

[AlexD]

Umm, all of them? Go to the Dominican Republic or Saudi Arabia and look at US Census Bureau data on the "pay gap" you'll see that American women actually have little to nothing to complain about.

Yet, somehow, identifying as female means that you have to agree with everything a feminist says. I tell my mom that I don't agree with masculists either, and she tells me I'm still a guy. Double standard, much? 

Just because American women have it better than women in other parts of the world doesn't mean they don't deserve to be treated better than they currently are. All women deserve to be treated as equals to men, no matter where they live.

And you don't have to agree with "everything" "a feminist" says. Feminism is a pretty broad subject and there's a lot of differing opinions on what it means to be feminist -- sometimes to the detriment of the movement. Some feminists are deeply transphobic, for example, but that doesn't mean all feminists are. Not by a long shot.

[Kevin Peña]

Just because American women have it better than women in other parts of the world doesn't mean they don't deserve to be treated better than they currently are. All women deserve to be treated as equals to men, no matter where they live.

I'm not saying that women don't deserve equality. All I'm saying is that American women, from a legal standpoint, have it already. Of course, there's still the US culture and individual sexists that need to be addressed. However, the government can't do anything about people's opinions, so I don't know why everyone looks to the government for a miraculous cultural cleansing that it frankly can't perform.

Anywho, does the fact that I like to do impersonations of male characters like Kermit the Frog make me a guy? Apparently, it does, according to some people. I also do an impersonation of Janice from "Friends," so I don't understand their point. 

[AlexD]

I'm not saying that women don't deserve equality. All I'm saying is that American women, from a legal standpoint, have it already. Of course, there's still the US culture and individual sexists that need to be addressed. However, the government can't do anything about people's opinions, so I don't know why everyone looks to the government for a miraculous cultural cleansing that it frankly can't perform.

Anywho, does the fact that I like to do impersonations of male characters like Kermit the Frog make me a guy? Apparently, it does, according to some people. I also do an impersonation of Janice from "Friends," so I don't understand their point. 

Sexist culture is one of the hardest things to change, and no individual could ever possibly do it by themselves. Given that, you can't blame some people for hoping the government might be able to do something. But like I said before, different feminists have different views, so it's an exaggeration to say that "everyone" looks to the government for a "miraculous cultural cleansing".

And I don't think the fact you do male impressions makes you a guy. If some people say it does, then I'm guessing it's because they don't really understand what they're talking about -- just like those who insist transwomen aren't "real" women because they've got a Y chromosome, or because they're attracted to women, or because they enjoy cars too much. It's nonsense. I've heard your impressions, by the way: you're talented!

[Kevin Peña]

I've heard your impressions, by the way: you're talented!

Oh, you must have heard Shawn's impressions. I never posted anything online. 

[Elspeth]

Are you asking for names of specific feminists? If so, that's disingenuous...generally "American feminists" are presented as being very liberal, very leftist, and are generally the ones with talk shows on TV.

I was asking about specific positions on specific issues. I'm allergic to generalizations, so I think I'll just avoid the rest of this thread. Suffice it to say, for as long as I've been following feminist theory and debate, there have been many factions within the movement, and in many cases one faction contradicts the other, at least to some degree. So talking about feminists as a group is, to me fairly pointless.  Sorry... my college advisor was a cofounder of my colllege's women's studies program. I don't see these contradictions as a weakness, only as part of what's inevitable in any non-totalitarian social movement.

[AlexD]

Oh, you must have heard Shawn's impressions. I never posted anything online. 

Oh, whoops. Sorry! Not sure how I managed to mix you two up.

[Beth Andrea]

I have a really nasty habit of killing threads by either posting something off-topic, or replying to an off-topic post...feminism, in any form, is not relevant to this thread, which is about goofy stuff people say to trans-people...

Please continue posting on-topic...for my sake and the sake of puppies and kittens everywhere...

*hugs*

[MadelineB]

It would be good if qe coukd start a separate thread in the Politics forum to discuss or conplain about feminism or feminists. The topic is "Favorite Lines from people who just don't get it". Lets hear some more of those lines please. It really helps to hear them and know we arent alone in dealing with this stuff.

I will add one. I was told:
"You are a good man. You will always be a good man. But I liked you better when you weren't doing this stupid girl thing."

[V M]

I often wonder if anyone 'Gets it' really

[milktea]

no someone only really gets it if they don't get it.
if they are not IS or trans they'll never know how it feels like, so the first thing to do is to stop being a smart### and acknowledge that you don't get it and never will. once you admit to your inability to understand can you make any criticism about the whole thing...validnquestions will be like won't it hurt your career, how will your love ones feel about it, etc. these are questions you can consider on a logical and practical level, and makes for a constructive dialog

. i tend to think the most ignorant questions are those built on one's own ethics, which by asking they are presuming you have the same set of beliefs as them (and if you are not, then you are in the wrong and should burn in hell).

[V M]

When you say 'you', who are you talking to dear?

[milktea]

sorry i'm referring to the cis gendered person asking the questions. i assumed it would be clear from the context.

[big kim]

The people who don't get it don't want to!

[Simon]

My favorite line:

"God doesn't make mistakes."

[AlexD]

"You just need to get a job and meet real men and real women and you'll see that your ideas about gender roles are all imagined."

The worst part is, I can see her point.

[MadelineB]

My favorite line:

"God doesn't make mistakes."

And God answered, saying "I made people who think like you, didn't I? Do I have to spell it out? F A I L"

One of my favorites:

"If people think you are a girl, it doesn't make you a girl" to which I responded "exactly!".