http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/gonz/index.htm
Rebuttal comments by the 'Gonzman'.

Hugo Schwyzer defines Male Privilege!
Hugo Schwyzer: Male privilege, and my inbox is getting full [
http://hugoboy.typepad.com/hugo_schwyzer/2005/01/when_i_first_st.html ]

Trouble is, Hugoboy uses a long discredited list to do so. *sigh* I'd really
hoped for better.

Okay, one more time:

1. My odds of being hired for a job, when competing against female
applicants, are probably skewed in my favor. The more prestigious the job,
the larger the odds are skewed.

2. I can be confident that my co-workers won't think I got my job because of
my sex - even though that might be true.

3. If I am never promoted, it's not because of my sex.

Uhhhhhh....

No.

I wasn't aware that there were any "Diversity Initiatives" or
"Affirmative
Action Quotas" for men - but there are indeed those for women. Doesn't even
wash.

4. If I fail in my job or career, I can feel sure this won't be seen as a
black mark against my entire sex's capabilities.

Wanna bet? When Bobby Riggs lost his tennis match years ago, it was hailed
as a great victory for women; when Anniki Sorenson lost miserably a couple
years ago in a Men's round of golf, it was still "You go Girl!"

5. The odds of my encountering sexual harassment on the job are so low as to
be negligible.

As a man, if I do encounter sexual harassment and complain about, I'll have
my sexuality questioned. As a woman I can make a claim and be guaranteed to
be taken seriously, and even if PROVEN to be false and not only will I not
be punished, odds are not insignificant that he will still have his career
ruined anyway.

6. If I do the same task as a woman, and if the measurement is at all
subjective, chances are people will think I did a better job.

And the proof would be, like in where? If a woman does even a half assed
job, any questions about her performance may be met with tears and
suggestions of "sexism!" and the subject will be dropped.

7. If I'm a teen or adult, and if I can stay out of prison, my odds of being
raped are so low as to be negligible.

But I can be falsely accused of rape, and will have to prove my innocence.

8. I am not taught to fear walking alone after dark in average public
spaces.

Taught is the operative word, and that teaching of fear to women would be
by...

....other women. Kind of disingenuous to blame men, eh?

9. If I choose not to have children, my masculinity will not be called into
question.

No, my virility will be. And If I don't wish children, I can still be
trapped into it by a "Whoops!" episode. My only recourse (at this
time) is a
fight and tears when I put on a condom, an intrusive operation I must get my
spouse's consent for, or a celibate life - for which, if married, I will be
a sonofabitch.

10. If I have children but do not provide primary care for them, my
masculinity will not be called into question.

But If I do provide primary care for them it will be, and i will be a
"loser" in the eyes of women, probably including my partner. And if she
divorces me over it, chances are she will be labeled the "primary
caregiver"
by virtue of her gender and granted custody.

11. If I have children and provide primary care for them, I'll be praised
for extraordinary parenting if I'm even marginally competent.

But it will be praise in the most condescending of terms, and I will have
verything I do criticized and second guessed no matter how accomplished I am
at it.

12. If I have children and pursue a career, no one will think I'm selfish
for not staying at home.
But if I have children and don't pursue a career, I'll be a shiftless skunk
and loser who won't support his family. Well, that will happen whether I
have children or not.


13. If I seek political office, my relationship with my children, or who I
hire to take care of them, will probably not be scrutinized by the press.

Uh, huh. And no man ever gets quizzed about his "illegal nannies?"

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure.....

14. Chances are my elected representatives are mostly people of my own sex.
The more prestigious and powerful the elected position, the more likely this
is to be true.

And even though the electorate is 52% women, it will somehow be my fault
they vote for men.

15. I can be somewhat sure that if I ask to see "the person in charge," I
will face a person of my own sex. The higher-up in the organization the
person is, the surer I can be.

And even though he probably risked it all, or sacrificed his personal life
to achieve that position, it will be regarded as sinister that he is there.

16. As a child, chances are I was encouraged to be more active and outgoing
than my sisters.

And when times were tough often told to suck it up, while they were coddled
and comforted.

17. As a child, I could choose from an almost infinite variety of children's
media featuring positive, active, non-stereotyped heroes of my own sex. I
never had to look for it; male heroes were the default.

And I was also left alone to devise my own entertainment, whereas my sisters
got structured play and many more, and more expensive toys.

18. As a child, chances are I got more teacher attention than girls who
raised their hands just as often.

Most of it negative...

19. If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative
episode or situation whether or not it has sexist overtones.

Because I'm not trained - by other women - to search for ways to play the
victim.

20. I can turn on the television or glance at the front page of the
newspaper and see people of my own sex widely represented, every day,
without exception.

Usually as objects of criticism or butts of the joke, but what the heck.

21. If I'm careless with my financial affairs it won't be attributed to my
sex.

But I won't be bailed out or have a government program to "aid" me.

22. If I'm careless with my driving it won't be attributed to my sex.

Which is ridicuous as I will pay a higher premium regardless of how well I
drive.

23. I can speak in public to a large group without putting my sex on trial.

Because I do so without making my sex an issue...

24. If I have sex with a lot of people, it won't make me an object of
contempt or derision.

I'll just be called a "dog" or a "playa" or something.
Yeahsureyabetcha.

25. There are value-neutral clothing choices available to me; it is possible
for me to choose clothing that doesn't send any particular message to the
world.

But very few varieties. I hold in my hands the policy of a company I do work
for on acceptabe dress for meetings. For men it is dress slacks, dress
shoes, a collared shirt or turtleneck, and with a tie (no Bolo or Bow ties)
mandatory if the former, and a jacket. For women it is anything but jeans
and sneakers - or anything "revealing." Since women don't want to be
"objectified" or "ogled" I'd assume the latter is no problem.

How is this again?

26. My wardrobe and grooming are relatively cheap and consume little time.

So because women choose to take forever to put on makeup it's men's fault?

27. If I buy a new car, chances are I'll be offered a better price than a
woman buying the same car.

And If I buy a new car, chances are I will do my homework, comparison shop,
and negotiate with the full intent to walk out and go to the next dealer
down the road.

28. If I'm not conventionally attractive, the disadvantages are relatively
small and easy to ignore.

Wheras if women merely don't get grossly overweight or let themselves go to
hell, the advantages are enormous.

29. I can be loud with no fear of being called a shrew. I can be aggressive
with no fear of being called a bitch.

But I will be in fear of being arrested because someone feels "threatened."

30. I can ask for legal protection from violence that happens mostly to men
without being seen as a selfish special interest, since that kind of
violence is called "crime" and is a general social concern. (Violence that
happens mostly to women is usually called "domestic violence" or
"acquaintance rape," and is seen as a special interest issue.)

This makes no sense - according to the feminists "Domestic Violence" and
"Date Rape" so rarely and never (respectively) happen to men, and yet when
it does happen to women, special heinousness is attached to this crime. So -
how's this again?

31. I can be confident that the ordinary language of day-to-day existence
will always include my sex. "All men are created equal," mailman, chairman,
freshman, he.

And I can always count on the fact that if I actually use such language I
will be imperiously corrected and berated, and will have to take it and
apologize no matter how rudely I am treated.

32. My ability to make important decisions and my capability in general will
never be questioned depending on what time of the month it is.

But as a woman, I will be able to behave in an atrocious fashion, and excuse
myself with that same excuse, and expect everything I did or said to be
overlooked; and I will be able to use that to mitigate criminal behavior.
And of course, I will want it both ways - to be an excuse when I want, and
an insult as I want.

33. I will never be expected to change my name upon marriage or questioned
if i don't change my name.

But If I do change my name I will have to jump through extra hoops and get
funny looks, even if I have always wanted to get rid of the surname
"Zuckenfreuderheingren."

34. The decision to hire me will never be based on assumptions about whether
or not I might choose to have a family sometime soon.

Because I will be expected to work regardless, and suggestions that I need
to bond or take care of my children will be met with "Doesn't that baby have
a mother?"

This will usually be said to me by women.

35. Every major religion in the world is led primarily by people of my own
sex. Even God, in most major religions, is usually pictured as being male.

....because matriarchal religions are usually so bizarre thet even women
won't join them.

36. Most major religions argue that I should be the head of my household,
while my wife and children should be subservient to me.

And those selfsame religions will also contend that I am answerable for
their misbehavior before the deity of that religion

37. If I have a wife or live-in girlfriend, chances are we'll divide up
household chores so that she does most of the labor, and in particular the
most repetitive and unrewarding tasks.

Meanwhile, I will be stuck with the strenuous, filthy, and dangerous ones.
And it will be her dividing up the labor, but her choices will be my fault.

38. If I have children with a wife or girlfriend, chances are she'll do most
of the childrearing, and in particular the most dirty, repetitive and
unrewarding parts of childrearing.

And chances are I will not be permitted, or will be watched like a hawk when
I try to help, and no matter how good a job I do have it nitpicked to death
because my competence in parenting threatens her.

39. If I have children with a wife or girlfriend, and it turns out that one
of us needs to make career sacrifices to raise the kids, chances are we'll
both assume the career sacrificed should be hers.

Again, she will make this decision, but it will be my fault.

40. Magazines, billboards, television, movies, pornography, and virtually
all of media is filled with images of scantily-clad women intended to appeal
to me sexually. Such images of men exist, but are much rarer.

Instead, appeals to women's sexuality appeal to things that studies show
they find arousing.

41. I am not expected to spend my entire life 20-40 pounds underweight.

But I will be expected to not complain about health issues until they knock
me flat, and then I will still be accused of "whining." This will
contribute
to me dying a decade earlier than women.

42. If I am heterosexual, it's incredibly unlikely that I'll ever be beaten
up by a spouse or lover.

But chances are I will be hit, and either way if I object to being
assaulted, I'll be a wimp - even police will laugh at me unless my injuries
are so evident to a layman. It's still even money I'll be arrested, or
removed from my home, no matter what.

Of course, as a woman, I can claim "I'm afraid" and no question or
investigation will be made as to whether any real threats were made or
implied.

43. I have the privilege of being unaware of my male privilege.

Ah, the squelcher! "Any Questioning of this list is hereby pooh-poohed in
advance!"

Lawzamercy. How often is this weary old thing going to be trotted out?




PERMALINK | posted by The Gonzman {at} 1:41 PM 0 comments




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