Are Men Allowed To Be Offended?

[KissingSunlight]

I saw this report in the news, female CEO of Archie Comics is being sued by her male employees for repeatedly calling them "Penis". The CEO dismissed the seriousness of the lawsuit by saying, "White men are not a protected class."

It got me to thinking. It seems like everytime someone brings up a complaint regarding gender. He get shouted down. The best example that occurs on this website is when men bring up that male videogame characters who match the same description as the female videogame character that some people are complaining about as sexist. They get womansplained that those characters are a male power fantasy. (By the way, I am just being cheeky with the obnoxious term "mansplaining". No need to get upset by that.)

I can't think of one thing that men can complain about. (Without being about race, religion, sexuality, etc.) That people will side with men and say, "Hey! That is a serious problem we should address."

Are men allowed to be offended?

 

[username sucks]

This seems like a topic that would go better on the R&P section of forums.

Anyways, I'm assuming that by your question you are asking if discrimination effects men, and if society is ignoring that discrimination.

While men are in no way not discriminated against, neither are women. Issues like the example of Archie Comics you gave can show this quite well (I would like a link to this story, if possible). Such a small issue as a workplace comment is nothing when you look at how women are actually held down in society. Over 80% of congress is men. Most news reporters on TV are men. And of course, there are the gender roles forced upon children, although this effects both genders.

So maybe men aren't allowed to be offended about discrimination in public as easily. Women have discrimination at least equal to that of men, and even that's a stretch. That doesn't make it right, obviously, but it is not a one-sided issue as many men and women make it out to be.

 

[Grach]

Yes, as long as you're not straight or white.

 

[Silvanus]

The best example that occurs on this website is when men bring up that male videogame characters who match the same description as the female videogame character that some people are complaining about as sexist. They get womansplained that those characters are a male power fantasy.

There's a genuine and important difference between sexualisation and power fantasy, though. When examples of supposedly sexualised men are brought up, they usually consist of men who are mountains of muscle (hypermasculine, often to an impossible degree).

Men in video games are very rarely intended to titillate.

 

[DementedSheep]

I saw this report in the news, female CEO of Archie Comics is being sued by her male employees for repeatedly calling them "Penis". The CEO dismissed the seriousness of the lawsuit by saying, "White men are not a protected class."

Thats bullshity and and he has a right to be offended.

It got me to thinking. It seems like everytime someone brings up a complaint regarding gender. He get shouted down. The best example that occurs on this website is when men bring up that male videogame characters who match the same description as the female videogame character that some people are complaining about as sexist. They get womansplained that those characters are a male power fantasy. (By the way, I am just being cheeky with the obnoxious term "mansplaining". No need to get upset by that.)

This is because they are different (still might be an issue but its not the same issue), one character is not the same as it being the norm and it barely ever comes in up in any other context than people trying to shut down complaints about your over-sexed eye candy woman rather than an actual complaint.

 

[Caiphus]

Well the CEO would think that, wouldn't she? If she thought better of white men, she probably wouldn't run around calling them "Penis". One hopes that a judge might disagree.

Anyway, flame war incoming, probably. Sexy video game characters in the OP. Ruh roh Raggy.

 

[Bellvedere]

Yes, of course. Male discrimination does happen. Women are equally capable of being jerks. Everyone can and should be offended by the behaviour of the CEO mentioned in the OP (just like despite being a hetrosexual I can find homophobes offensive) because that is sexist behaviour. The fact that an individual from a particular gender can be sexist shouldn't be a huge revelation. I've seen women say offensive things about men and I think that popular male stereotypes can be very damaging to men.

You'd only be making a mistake if you were looking at this as males vs. females. We're not enemies. To use the video games example: The fact that there are negative male stereotypes in games doesn't justify the existence of negative female stereotypes (and vise versa). You can complain about negative male stereotypes, you can complain about negative female stereotypes, they just can't be used as argument against each other. Whether male characters in video games are male power fantasies or not is irrelevant (unless you're blaming an entire gender for their existence). If it's offensive to you, you can complain about them.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

Not to be rude, just legitimately curious here. But did you intend for the thread title to be inflammatory?

Yeah it's a double standard.

For anyone interested.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/archie-boss-calls-male-employees-penis-article-1.1534462

 

[Mossberg Shotty]

Of course, I'm a man and I get offended from time-to-time so it must be allowed. Still, this does strike me as a double standard.

If I ran around calling women "Vagina" I would be burned at the stake.

 

[JimB]

The best example that occurs on this website is when men bring up that male video game characters who match the same description as the female video game characters that some people are complaining about as sexist.

Without specific examples, this complaint is inflammatory and useless. If it's what you want to talk about, then I invite you to talk about it specifically, but just dropping this vague reference to god-knows-what isn't terribly good form.

I can't think of one thing that men can complain about (without being about race, religion, sexuality, etc.) that people will side with men and say, "Hey! That is a serious problem we should address."

Gas prices.

Foreign policy.

Health care.

Government in general, really.

Everything Jim Sterling talks about.

Apartheid.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

SNIP

Typically I'd say no, but with the example case, sure, she's being a "penis", ergo; dick. If you keep calling somebody a name they don't appreciate then it's not a right thing to do, they teach you that shit in first grade.

If anything lets go for equality here, she can call them penis, and they can call her **** or something.

 

[tangoprime]

This woman and her lawyer are out of their damn minds. If a male co-CEO had regularly called female subordinates including the company President "Vagina" in lieu of their name, he'd be out on his ass immediately and be a pariah that would be all over the news for at least a few cycles- but apparently this asshole gets the double standard in her favor and her and her lawyer don't quite understand what a "protected class" means- A protected class is merely a group characteristic that has been identified by the law as protected from discrimination. Gender is a protected class regardless of the gender. Race is a protected class regardless of the race. Disability is a protected class.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

Of course men are allowed to be offended. Everyone gets to be offended. Yeah, it's going to get more heat if someone offends a person in a lower social status than they are, but that's just how it is, I guess. 'z like the idea in comedy that you only punch upwards.

As far as the gender debates in games, people almost exclusively bring up how men are mistreated only when it's brought up that women are mistreated, and it's generally to try and end the conversation as one big "shut up!"
And they pretend it's equal to what women go through. It just isn't, IMO. As bad as it might get, males have variety to balance it out, bluntly. It's likely part of why people rarely complain about male representation.
That said, the complaints about male representation are generally aired on a pretty poor battleground.

If you have grievances to air, go for it, IMO. I see occassional complaints, and being offended, but not a whole lot. Society puts a lot of pressure on guys to not complain, too.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

Yeah, this constitutes sexual harassment. No two ways about that. She's gonna be in trouble if they've got any kinds of recordings of her saying that.

I fail to see how one person treating another as simply nothing more than genitalia is not offensive/worthy of being considered sexual harassment. That judge is going to have an easy time.

 

[lithiumvocals]

Wow, uh. That CEO is kinda immature. I'm just imagining kids on a playground. "Hahahaha you're a PENIS!"

 

[T3hSource]

Well, I guess she wouldn't mind being called a '****' then, by all her workers. Now that would be fair and indiscriminate, but since she's the boss in her own 'patriarchy', no one would because they have to make a living.

 

[username sucks]

There are just not as many women in politics. The reasoning behind this, at least as the psychologists and psychiatrists try to explain it, is that obtaining power, something politics tends to give people, is something men find more alluring. Some even speculate this is why the CEO and executive divide is so high. Men and women, gasp, just prefer different things. Women tend to value security more than power. Men are the reverse. Women are attracted to men in power due to being a safer investment in the eyes of females while men are attracted to women that are, well, hot. Because men are instinctually thinking about reproducing as much as possible, i.e. we're pigs. And certain female looks are indicative on a subconscious level as desirable in a mate.

Is it really that simple though? I understand that men and women are different, but when half of the potential voters are women, you would think the politicians would be composed similarly to the population, seeing as that is who they are representing. The lack of women in politics likely does play a large role in that outcome, but I doubt it the only factor. It's rare that a complex issue has a simple explanation.

Even when you look at what you said, that power is something men want and women want to be with men who have power. Maybe that is something left over from when humans used to be primitive. Again, I doubt it is the only reason. If humanity had never gone its instincts, what we call society would likely still be small, scattered tribes armed with sharpened sticks.

Likewise, society can shape what we perceive our instincts to be. For example, you said that men are attracted to women who are "hot". What is the common meaning of "hot" anyway? Big breasts? Makeup? Shaved? Slightly tan? Skinny? Regardless, it is almost completely different from even the past century when small breasts, a ghost white complexion and slightly fat was what men would chase after. And if society can shape our minds on what we find attractive, it can surely shape our minds on what we see our place as. Gender roles determine by society are almost impossible to ignore. From toys- Building things and toy guns for boys (possibly helping instill that desire for power), while girls get to play dress-up and care for fake baby dolls (be a good housewife and all that)- to entertainment. How often do you see male characters rescuing women compared to vise versa?

Again, all your points are completely valid, but life isn't a high school debate. There are always far more than to sides to an issue, near infinite as the magnitude of each factor of an issue can be measured differently. Life is complicated, but all too often on complex issues like this there are only two sides, each believing that compromise would be to completely submit to the other's point of view.

I am beginning to sound too much like my favorite professor for my own liking right now.