| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] | Feminists attack Oxford Dictionary of English for 'reinforcing sexist stereotypes'
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| | Rachel Fell 
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
French to English
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I think we need a Daily Mail-style thumb up or thumb down thing here, with or without comment - and @neilmac: I quite like this one:
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 09:45
Spanish to English
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| Kay Denney
France
Local time: 09:45
French to English
| thank you Maxi! | Jan 27, 2016 |
Maxi Schwarz wrote: While the title of the article is "Feminists attack...." the article states: Michael Oman-Reagan, an anthropologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland ... As soon as a statement is attributed to a group, emotions are manipulated. "Feminist" is often a dirty word, associated with unreasonableness, exaggerated radical stances, hostility toward men, wishing to supplant male dominance with female dominance etc. So by choosing this title, immediately emotions are stirred up, and prejudice toward whatever Mr. Oman-Reagan may have to say. I looked up Mr. Oman-Reagan and could not find any information about him being a feminist or not being one. But it is clear that he is an anthropologist. 
so I suggest the OED comes up with examples along the lines of "shrill headlines that distort the truth" and "rabid journalists desperate to get people clicking to read their article". Because "rabid anthropologists" just doesn't sound convincing.
| | | | | Language reflects society | Jan 27, 2016 |
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote: While I feel and defend that women's struggle to make society aware of gender issues is a just and much needed endeavour, I dislike the fact that the fight is taken primarily to the domain of language. I disagree with unnaturally altering language into a politically correct, shapeless, tasteless set of words that gradually tend to mean nothing. If we continue along this path, it will only be a matter of time until someone somewhere is offended by new words and phrases that were created to stop offending ealier generations, and the language will thus continue to be altered again and again by the new generations until it no longer allows to identify any true reality and becomes some kind of noise. Some people will mumble meaningless utterances thinking they are communicating when in reality they are not, while others will prefer to remain silent most of the time. I might be exaggerating or getting apocalyptic... or may be I am getting old. I do admit that changing the language is the fastest way to alter people's way of thinking, but what worries me is that the card of artificial alteration of language for a purpose was always in the toolbox of the worse mass murderers in the 20th century. Not a good credential, if you ask me.
Language is not just a medium it reflects attitudes and normalises them. Gender inequality is still very much a problem, especially for women, that goes far beyond language, e.g. poverty in old age. However, language is a very powerful tool to change attitudes and if at first things seem unnatural then so be it.
If you read books about colonial Britain from the 1950s they sound extremely racist to our ears, but that kind of language was normal then and the issues were considered to be fact ... or in old films, women kept the house in order and that was their natural role in life ... although through history this was not at all the case.
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Hinara
United States
Local time: 00:45
Spanish to English
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| Where is the thumbs up or "Like"? | Jan 28, 2016 |
If I could, I would give neilmac, Samuel Murray and Alvaro a thumbs up. You're all correct.
[Edited at 2016-01-28 20:32 GMT]
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| they just want us to fight | Jan 28, 2016 |
Gabriele Demuth wrote:
Gender inequality is still very much a problem, especially for women, that goes far beyond language, e.g. poverty in old age.
They just want us to fight among ourselves. The problem is *economic inequality* and to overcome that we need to work together.
| | | | Markus Nystrom
United States
Local time: 02:45
Swedish to English
+ ...
| Feminists, rest on your laurels! | Jan 30, 2016 |
I submit they should feel very proud of having destroyed the traditional harmony between man and woman, having reduced the fertility rates of European peoples to below replacement level, having made matrimony the plaything of lawyers, having sold generations on falsehoods, and, in the realm of power politics, of successfully having concluded a tribute-collecting alliance with the State against the men who once loved them. Bravo.
[Edited at 2016-01-30 09:50 GMT]
| | | | | I am lost for words | Jan 30, 2016 |
Markus Nystrom wrote:
I submit they should feel very proud of having destroyed the traditional harmony between man and woman, having reduced the fertility rates of European peoples to below replacement level, having made matrimony the plaything of lawyers, having sold generations on falsehoods, and, in the realm of power politics, of successfully having concluded a tribute-collecting alliance with the State against the men who once loved them. Bravo.
[Edited at 2016-01-30 09:50 GMT]
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Kay Denney
France
Local time: 09:45
French to English
| "traditional harmony" | Jan 30, 2016 |
Markus Nystrom wrote:
I submit they should feel very proud of having destroyed the traditional harmony between man and woman, having reduced the fertility rates of European peoples to below replacement level, having made matrimony the plaything of lawyers, having sold generations on falsehoods, and, in the realm of power politics, of successfully having concluded a tribute-collecting alliance with the State against the men who once loved them. Bravo.
[Edited at 2016-01-30 09:50 GMT]
if patriarchal society didn't make it so hard for women to enjoy a well-rounded, useful and satisfying life while raising their offspring, perhaps more women would have babies
if patriarchal society didn't make life so very hard for married women perhaps fewer women would divorce
if patriarchal society didn't make life so very much harder for divorced women maybe they wouldn't push so hard for decent child support payments
if men don't love us any more why do they still chase us? The same creep tried it on again at the pool only yesterday. I suppose I must be damn hot in my racerback. Of course I haven't given the creep a chance to find out that I'm a rabid shrill feminist.
let's take a look at "traditional harmony"
in Saudi Arabia where women can't drive even to save their lives, or work to enjoy a modicum of independence,
in India where young brides routinely commit suicide to get away from their tyrannic in-laws and any female taking public transport has good reason to fear being gang-raped,
in certain African countries where genital mutilation is a firmly-rooted tradition,
in Yemen where most girls are married off before they even reach puberty
in the States where UN human rights observers were shocked at the lack of maternity leave and inaccessibility of contraception and abortion
in France where the law on sexual harassment was repealed for being too vague (like, what part of "no" does a man not understand?) and where a woman has recently been sentenced to ten years in jail for killing the man who raped and battered her and her daughters for 47 years
Need I go on?
[Edited at 2016-01-30 11:03 GMT]
| | | | Vera Schoen
Sweden
Local time: 09:45
Member (2008)
German to Swedish
+ ...
| With Gabriele | Feb 1, 2016 |
Markus Nystrom wrote:
I submit they should feel very proud of having destroyed the traditional harmony between man and woman, having reduced the fertility rates of European peoples to below replacement level, having made matrimony the plaything of lawyers, having sold generations on falsehoods, and, in the realm of power politics, of successfully having concluded a tribute-collecting alliance with the State against the men who once loved them. Bravo.
[Edited at 2016-01-30 09:50 GMT]
This comment actually made me sick...
| | | | | rabid: (adjective) ... | Feb 1, 2016 |
... 1 having or proceeding from an extreme or fanatical support of or belief in something [...]
Markus Nystrom wrote:
I submit they should feel very proud of having destroyed the traditional harmony between man and woman, having reduced the fertility rates of European peoples to below replacement level, having made matrimony the plaything of lawyers, having sold generations on falsehoods, and, in the realm of power politics, of successfully having concluded a tribute-collecting alliance with the State against the men who once loved them. Bravo.
[Edited at 2016-01-30 09:50 GMT]
Let's just hope Oxford is reading, because as the comments here and elsewhere and the Telegraph article itself clearly illustrate: "rabid feminism" is simply a very confusing example. On the other hand, I think that almost everyone could immediately and accurately grasp what is meant by "rabid anti-feminism".
| | | | | Well that was unexpected... | Feb 1, 2016 |
It's rather like those awkward pub conversations when people start talking about migrants and you start squirming as it gets borderline racist - and then someone comes right out and says we should send all the darkies and ragheads back and keep Britain British and you just don't know what to say.
I suppose there will always be extremists on both sides, so we should just be thankful that this is no longer the prevailing view.
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Actually, it is. | Feb 2, 2016 |
Chris S wrote:
It's rather like those awkward pub conversations when people start talking about migrants and you start squirming as it gets borderline racist - and then someone comes right out and says we should send all the darkies and ragheads back and keep Britain British and you just don't know what to say.
I suppose there will always be extremists on both sides, so we should just be thankful that this is no longer the prevailing view.
Actually Chris, the extremist attitude you describe seems recently to have become official government policy in all the countries of northern Europe (suitably wrapped in "appropriate" language). Shameful.
[Edited at 2016-02-02 16:46 GMT]
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Markus Nystrom wrote:
.....having made matrimony the plaything of lawyers....
Over the 9 years 2003-2012, there were 1,298,525 divorces in the UK, i.e. 2,598,050 men and women. Plus who knows how many children who were affected. That's an average of 144,280 divorces per year. 12,023 per month.
Enough to keep the divorce lawyers profitably occupied.
Marriage is *big business* and divorce is the other side. Another big business. This has to be kept going.
In the UK, 34% of marriages are expected to end in divorce by the 20th wedding anniversary.
At least another 15% end up on the rocks but not in divorce.
In other words, at least 50% of marriages in the UK are a terrible mistake that ends in suffering and bitterness for millions of men and women.
But the lawyers are laughing all the way to the bank.
It should be made extremely difficult to get married.
[Edited at 2016-02-02 17:07 GMT]
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