Recent posts

#1

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by Razgovory - Today at 04:57:33 PM

The only people trying to make the West a caliphate are right-wingers trying to enforce "traditional values".

Well, yeah.  Islamists are right-wingers.

#2

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Razgovory - Today at 04:54:10 PM

So women who go hiking and pass maybe 20 men during the day go are just in a state of extreme terror?

"She jogged down the path and stopped.  Coming towards her was a man, ambling down the trail.  He smiled briefly and nodded his head as he passed her.  She stopped, too afraid to move.  Afraid of provoking him.  'God, why couldn't it have been a grizzly'

#3

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Tamas - Today at 04:46:32 PM

Not having read the theoretical problem presented in detail, nor the discussion here, as I understand the proposition is a choice for women whether to be left alone in a wilderness with either a random man, or a bear, for a period of time.

Well, they would be stupid to choose the random man.

EDIT: disclaimer, if I was given the choice I am not sure I'd choose a random human of either sex for my "companion". A bear seems far more predictable - stay out of its way, not startle it and you are likely to be fine. A human might be up for all kinds of weird unpredictable stuff.

#4

Off the Record / Re: Being a boy in 2024

Last post by Razgovory - Today at 04:41:35 PM

If you run into a bear in the woods it won't accuse you have sexual assault.

This is the sort is bullshit post that makes women rightfully distrust men.

Give the men who actually interact with women a break and shut the fuck up.  This goes doubly for the men here who have to pay for it.

  I don't know what you mean.

#5

Off the Record / Re: Dead Pool 2024

Last post by grumbler - Today at 04:19:50 PM

He goes now to his fathers, and even in their mighty company he shall not now be ashamed.

#6

Off the Record / Re: Being a boy in 2024

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 03:50:40 PM

If you run into a bear in the woods it won't accuse you have sexual assault.

This is the sort is bullshit post that makes women rightfully distrust men.

Give the men who actually interact with women a break and shut the fuck up.  This goes doubly for the men here who have to pay for it.

#7

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 03:46:46 PM

And you have to make a choice to either make an effort to assure people that no, you are a fluffy harmless bunny of a man or try to use this newfound power to your advantage. Or do one or the other depending on the situation.

This exactly.  Now imagine you have been well over 6 feet tall and north of 220 since your early teens.


The funny thing I have observed is most of the males whi play the power card are small and are compensating.

#8

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 03:42:23 PM

Hmmm... well... I live in a place where bears are fairly frequent. I can tell you that more women are killed by men every year than are killed by bears. I'd wager that the number of incidents of women having had encounters where they felt threatened or scared by a man's behaviour is orders of magnitude greater than those who've had scary encounters with bears. I think most women have felt endangered by a man at some point in there lives; and if they haven't, they know a women who has. I doubt the same is true when it comes to bears.

Perhaps if you calculated the rate of scary encounters and the rate of murders per encounter, men would be statistically safer than bears due to the large number of encounters. But in terms of absolute numbers men have a much higher impact on women's safety than bears.

It seems only natural that this would impact women's threat perception. And it seems pretty silly to be offended by that, IMO.

Yes. Of women I've spoken to about it I think more or less all have experienced male violence or the threat/risk of violence. Also waited with female friends at the bus stop that I don't need at a discreet request because there's a man who is concerning them in some way.

I think it's mad to be offended by that or think it's about you.

It's made me conscious of how I behave - I mean I'm an incredibly weak, fairly herbiverous gay man but that's not clear at night when I'm walking down the street. So if I'm walking somewhere for example and I'm behind a woman on her own, chances are I'll cross the road - no extra time/impact for me, but hopefully remove something that could concern her.

Who thinks it's about them?

If a woman has been a victim of assault then it's obvious they would have this irrational fear of all men and make dangerous decisions rather than risk an encounter with their phobia.
Logically this is clearly wrong. But phobias don't follow logic so nobody can be blamed there.

But when someone hasn't been a victim of such a thing, has no such phobia, and is still pushing this idea that almost certain death, possibly being eaten alive, is better than being alone with a random man....
 That a majority of men couldn't be trusted in this situation of being alone with a random woman.... That is just sexist and dumb.

I am not sure where to start, but I will pick a women's fear of men is rationale.

#9

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by Valmy - Today at 03:01:41 PM

I am not saying the majority of Muslims in Europe want caliphate I am sure they do not. What I am unsure about is how many of them are opposed to the thought enough to work against it, but that part shan't become an issue for many decades.

Support the rights of apostates and ex-Muslims. Don't let their "community" handle them.

#10

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Valmy - Today at 02:43:39 PM

Well the whole bear-man thing didn't surprise me at all. Once you become a teenager as a guy you notice that people are suddenly low key afraid of you. Most concerningly: the police 

And you have to make a choice to either make an effort to assure people that no, you are a fluffy harmless bunny of a man or try to use this newfound power to your advantage. Or do one or the other depending on the situation.

Because we live in a patriarchal society where violence by men is both the cause and solution to all problems. And the assumption also is that we have no control over our sexual urges and without the iron grip of civilization will rape everything slightly resembling a human being. Those are just assumptions built into our culture. And what came first? The assumptions or the behaviors? I don't know. That is up to anthropologists to figure out I guess.

And this has a double edged sword if you are a man. Yes it makes you more respected and feared and sometimes seen heroically. However, it also is kind of dehumanizing and justifies locking us all up in prisons. I also think it is why men struggle socially and often feel alone and alienated.

But it also sucks for women because they are told to be paranoid about their physical safety and if they get sexually assaulted sometimes take the blame because hey men are subhuman monsters who can't be expected to control themselves so it is obviously the woman's fault. And the expectation that is somehow the job of a woman to civilize men (while also somehow being overly emotional and irrational...I don't know none of this makes any logical sense).

So yeah we all grew up in a society where men's violence and sexual predatory nature are an assumption. Of course women would choose a bear. I mean most people haven't experienced a bear and it is all very theoretical whereas having a violent or scary interaction with a man might be very visceral indeed. Now granted women who have had close encounters with bears might feel differently? I don't know. Most people live in cities today.

But I guess my main concern about this whole man-bear discourse is that it is mainly going to be used to attack transwomen, because that is the main purpose these days of bringing up the fear people have for men. These transwomen are just trying to get into a woman's bathroom to rape women. Because otherwise there some kind of invisible force field around women's bathrooms keeping rapists out otherwise. There is no other way to rape a woman than become a transwoman. But more seriously the notion that being violent and sexually predatory is so ingrained in being born a male that no hormone treatment or identity can wash it away, they still should be feared as a predator.

Also the online toxicity between men and women is kind of sad to see in general, as somebody who wants us all to be a community and team that makes me sad. Not surprised or anything, just sad.