Hello Gender Conceit!
We have all heard the term “Men are from Mars, and Women are
from Venus.” I truly dislike this saying. We are both from that little planet
called Earth and we need to STOP deeming each other aliens. We are pushing each
other into the territory of ‘unknown’, yet we say we wish we could understand the
opposite sex.
We all feel obligated to defend our gender; it
is part of our self-esteem. Gender conceit is each gender thinking it is
basically right, while the opposite gender is basically wrong. Best expressed
as, "We're right; they're wrong." Gender
conceit often sees an attack on one's gender as equal to an attack on one's
self. Although, repeatedly, the one thing that can be said is that all men are
not alike and all women are not alike, people resort to gender bashings as a
way to make a point.
“Girl Power!”
“Bro Code!”
Etc…
We hear this every day. We have actually become accustomed
to it. We have formed teams and can be very loyal to them. Please do not get confused
that one is better than the other! Men and women are denying themselves the
opportunity to get to know and understand MOTOS (Members of the opposite sex)
by perceiving them as the lesser version of their species.
When trust is absent, relationships are characterized by ‘me vs. you’ or ‘us vs. them’. Have you ever heard a friend go through a nasty
break-up and use such extreme generalised statements such as:
“I hate men!”
“Women are nuts and only good for one thing!”
“All men are the same so I am staying away from them all”
“It’s women’s fault I want to stay single”
(My compassion is present and I understand the state of mind
in a break-up, this is purely example only)
What is needed is for men and women to bridge the
differences between them rather than men being "right" or women being
"right." We need to understand the opposite sex. If we approach our relationships from a
stand-point of always being "right," we lose harmony, while promoting
constant competition.
As I sit in this café
writing away I happen to hear the women next to me talking about the TV program
called “Two and a Half Men”. I actually never thought that women might be
offended by this show. However, it got me thinking… that show possesses a very
blatant gender specific script. Women are disposable to the highest bidder
(Charlie) and women walk over the underdog (Allan). Women are treated like sex
objects and that beauty and brains cannot co-exist. I can understand why these
women may not like the shows perception of women. However, may I dare to put
the shoe on the other foot? The men are made out to be clueless, reliant upon
alcohol and status, and have a thick fog of insecurity, no self-worth nor a beaming
respect for themselves… being single and unfulfilled against whatever they may
say. It is actually a perfect advertisement to my point of gender conceit and
the lack of knowledge (and application) of MOTOS.
The game cannot be played without teams; the teams have no
purpose without the game. Possess good sportsman ship and keep the game alive!
Samantha K
