Agreed on 'mansplaining'; I was trying to think of how to voice my reservations about that interpretation of its meaning. It's all about the sheer set of patronising assumptions.
I think of it as a bit like the way ISP tech support insist on explaining to you in painful detail how to get your router's IP address, and tell you you're confused and just need to listen when you try to hurry them onto the business of what settings they actually want to know about. Only worse, because at least you've normally asked tech support for help. Mansplainers would cold-call you to say 'Now, in the bottom left of your screen can you see a button that says 'Start'?'
Though, let us be fair, I have seen women do it too. And it gets right up my nose whatever gender does it :)
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Date: 2012-05-16 10:13 pm (UTC)I think of it as a bit like the way ISP tech support insist on explaining to you in painful detail how to get your router's IP address, and tell you you're confused and just need to listen when you try to hurry them onto the business of what settings they actually want to know about. Only worse, because at least you've normally asked tech support for help. Mansplainers would cold-call you to say 'Now, in the bottom left of your screen can you see a button that says 'Start'?'
Though, let us be fair, I have seen women do it too. And it gets right up my nose whatever gender does it :)