I write the title to this entry with tongue in cheek, but let it be said from the beginning, I do not “mansplain” anything. This term is patently offensive and does not belong in meaningful discussion. It is meant to take an entire group of people and dismiss them as meaningless – to say to a man in an argument, “you don’t matter because you’re a man.” It’s an attempt at shutting down an argument by moving away from the key points and attacking the individual. It’s no better than the popular “snowflake” term that is so commonly used to shut people down. It’s a logical fallacy, an ad hominem attack which avoids answering a discussion point by attacking the arguer’s gender rather than their statement, and has no place in a real debate.
It is an ugly phrase, which implies that men as a whole are bumbling, clueless idiots. I will grant that some of us are, in fact, bumbling clueless idiots, and I have been “mansplained” to on several occasions, by both men and women. I have a well-meaning friend, a liberal white man who loves to explain to people – including poor, black people – what it means to be black and poor, and I suppose his discussion points fit the definition. The phrase is meant to indicate when an individual explains something to another person in a condescending manner, often when the explainer is not well-versed in the subject. A “mansplainer” is a know-it-all, and it’s not gender-specific. My second wife was a “mansplainer.” There needs to be a different term to describe individuals who do this. I prefer “know-it-all.”
Despite the fact that the term is obviously offensive, it is still used by people who ought to know better, by people who are capable of making sound arguments, by liberals and academics, and even, on occasion, by people in conversation threads on this publication, under the mistaken belief that it is acceptable to use flawed logic and ad hominems in an argument if your counterpart enjoys privilege. I’m not arguing the point of privilege, but it’s not relevant to the issue. A poor argument is still a poor argument.
Is it offensive? Absolutely. Let’s take the term and use variations of it. “Womansplain?” We wouldn’t dare. Should we for example, coin the term “blondesplain” to cater to a stereotype of how certain women may make an argument? How about if we coin the term “blacksplain?” “Jewsplain?” In fact, know-it-alls are available in ever gender, race, and ethnic group. Of course, these usages would be immediately seen as offensive, and rightly so. None of those variations should ever be used in any circumstance. Why do we accept “mansplain?” Its usage is simply lazy debate. Call me a know-it-all if you must. Just don’t accuse me of “mansplaining.”
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