Condescension or Surety? It Isn’t Bragging if You’re Right
Shit storm.
Get a little fervent about a subject in this day and age, and suddenly they label you condescending when they figure out you’re a woman. Maybe I should read the Bible where woman are told to shut the Hel up? You know, the one with this little passage:
“Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (I Timothy 2:11-14)
A friend of mine posted one of my posts on a Facebook Odinism group, and true to form, the first thing called out was that it was condescending. Really? Might it be because it came from a woman? Even the Havamal has this nasty piece when talking about women:
Thanks, Odin. Thanks a lot. This is why Tyr is my god. But even if this were inspired by Odin, humans still had a hand in writing this down, and we can just imagine what kind of axe to grind when it was put to paper in the Codex Regius. This is actually a compilation of works that were written down around 1270 CE, more than 200 years after the age of the Vikings. We have no idea if the monks who wrote it down followed the true verse or whether it was highly influenced by Christianity. Or whether this is really what Odin thinks. I suspect not, even though he is a fickle god.
Critical Thinking and Confidence
I get a little emphatic when I discuss something that I know I’m in the right about and when I have documented evidence to back my assertions up. I sound confident when I provide that evidence so it is “as clear as is the summer sun…”, and when I read idiotic posts by others who seem to think they have the world figured out, but basically have never been taught critical thinking and can’t use it to save their lives. In these cases, yes, I get a bit fervent. Guess what? Our ancestors did too.
At one time it was actually accepted to hear someone be confident when they spoke. Our Northern ancestors actually relished hearing the deeds and opinions of others. Somebody got out of line? Well, there were plenty of people willing to take the person down a notch or two.
Calling Out Confidence
Our society is full of stupid, irrational behaviors brought about by none other than Christianity. If someone gets in your face about being wrong, she is called out for being condescending, even when the points are valid. Would it have the same effect if I didn’t sound so angry because people act stupid (yes, stupid) and refuse to believe scientific facts? Yes, I suspect so. Hel, someone was kind enough to go down the same road to mansplain me what a Theory is. Seriously?
When a woman actually calls out men for being idiots, she’s being told she’s being rude, she’s a Marxist (oh, that’s rich!), being condescending, and saying, implicitly, that she should have said it nicer. Really? When a man says it, we might say he’s being confident, or maybe arrogant. But again, the person doesn’t worry about the tone so much, but rather the message. Nobody says, “geez, you could be a little less condescending.”
Bullies–in the Internet Sense
How does Christianity play into this? Just look at all the freakin passages that tell you to listen to your elders, obey, and otherwise behave ourselves. Let me tell you a little secret: I grew up Catholic. You were never supposed to get angry, challenge authority, or do anything that might cause strife. I grew up in a fucking wolf pack of a school where I was singled out for being quiet, smart, and not the norm. Because of this, I had to deal with bullying. Yep, bullying. And I did so poorly because I was told to “turn the other cheek.”
When I post something on a blog, I expect a reaction. Good, bad, indifferent. I sure as shit am not going to let some whiny people change my behavior because my words make them feel uncomfortable. Don’t like it? That’s okay. But don’t think your words will make me change any of mine.
“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” ― Benjamin Franklin
Blaming the Messenger–Just Because You Don’t Want to Hear It
Yes, there were people who complained about the message, but didn’t bother to point out WHERE my sources were incorrect. (They weren’t, BTW.) I was very careful to use sources that were legitimate. Note using some piece on the Internet that my neighbor would call fact isn’t a valid source. He believes in the Illuminati and Chemtrails, which pretty much throws out any part of rational thought.
22. The miserable man and evil minded
makes of all things mockery,
and knows not that which he best should know,
that he is not free from faults.
Yep, that’s the Havamal again. I do agree with this passage when it comes to ignorant people mansplaining things to me. Look, I don’t know everything. I don’t claim to know everything. That’s why I read and look shit up. That’s why I can talk with some certainty. If you aren’t willing to have a rational discussion (with the Rational Heathen–get it? Get it?), then we really have nothing to talk about and you need to go to your little corner of the vast Internet and lick your wounds. Go play with the other uneducated idiots out there. The sandbox is plenty big for us both.
So, where do we go from here? Obviously, I don’t back down when it comes to a fight. That’s my nature. If you’re going to have a battle of wits with me, bring your A-Game. Otherwise, you just might have more than you bargained for.