As a service to the list, I checked the archives and found that the initial protest to Michael Sylvester's use of "chick" was from Melissa Terlecki who said, "Can you please not refer to women as "chicks". It is insulting." This was followed by Catherine Wehlburg who said, "I have to agree -- there is no need for that." Bob Wildblood also objected before the thread died until being resurrected by Stephen Black.
Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 [email protected] ________________________________________ From: [email protected] [[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2009 7:21 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Men Explain Things to Chicks I have not weighed in on this topic. Generally I don't get too worked up about slang expressions for women or men as long as they are used in an insulting context. Recently I've been wondering why it's OK to call a man a "dick" or a "prick" (people don't get so upset about it) when the analogous expressions used for women (c**t & t**t) are viewed with extreme negativity. Seriously. I catch myself calling someone a "dick" even in the privacy of my own mind, and I feel a little guilty about it. See - I starred out the middle of the female words and not the male words. Go figure. I try to resist the language police thing. I think these judgments (about the offensiveness of words) can rarely be made outside the context in which the word is being used. Nancy Melucci Long Beach City College. njm Make a Small Loan, Make a Big Difference - Check out Kiva.org to Learn How! In a message dated 10/11/2009 4:59:27 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Whoops, at least one other woman responded in the negative about this topic as I recall. I believe Nancy Melucci also complained. I also complained, in what I thought was a semi-reasonable tone to the perpetrator of this thread and his non-response was my reason for blocking him. I have also been told off-list, that some of his recent posts have been more rational than most of his former posts. Bob ---- Original message ---- >Date: Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:26:10 -0700 (PDT) >From: Robin Abrahams <[email protected]> >Subject: [tips] Men Explain Things to Chicks >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> > > Ah, another day, another series of men explaining > women's experiences to them. "But wait!" you > mournfully cry. "I haven't silenced any women's > voices! My wife tells me what to do all the time! I > can't help it if Robin is the only woman who > bothered to comment on whether or not 'chick' is > offensive!" > > Men, Explaining Things: > > http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174918 > > This woman has better things to do. Enjoy > yourselves, boys. > > Robin Abrahams > www.robinabrahams.com > . Robert W. Wildblood, PhD Riverside Counseling Center and Adjunct at Germanna CC, Fredericksburg, VA [email protected] . The soundest argument will produce no more conviction in an empty head than the most superficial declamation; as a feather and a guinea fall with equal velocity in a vacuum. - Charles Caleb Colton, author and clergyman (1780-1832) . Not thinking critically, I assumed that the "successful" prayers were proof that God answers prayer while the failures were proof that there was something wrong with me. - Dan Barker, former preacher, musician (b. 1949) . We have an obligation and a responsibility to be investing in our students and our schools. We must make sure that people who have the grades, the desire and the will, but not the money, can still get the best education possible. - Barack Obama, President of the United States of America --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
