Is There Sexism Here?

[slinkerwink]

[slinkerwink]

1. kick

[DarkPhenyx]

2. Yes.

and it's a damn good thing too. :roll:

[rumguy]

3. I voted no cuz

I know what your definition of sexism is.

[Rowdyboy]

4. Of course there is sexism here

As is there racism and homophobia. 95% of it is unintentional, however, and is not offensive to anyone but those who are easily offended. We are a mixed community of different ages, regions and outlook. What do you expect?

[Muddleoftheroad]

14. Well said

There is sexism everywhere.

[DemLikr]

32. Well said (2), Rowdy! n/t

[bobthedrummer]

36. I agree, plus we have a much higher percentage of members

that are activists against the prejudices that we all have been exposed to as human beings to varying degrees-hence more sensitivity and perceptions of offense.

I didn't vote in the poll because there is no category for my view, it is contained and perceived by individuals, not our site as a whole.

[tom_paine]

49. Well said #3, Rowdyboy

:toast:

[jpgray]

5. This poll is sexist (nt)

[Catch22Dem]

6. Hmmmmmm - Very poor wording.

You ask "Is DU sexist" yet the only options are "there is no sexism" or "there is sexism." See, some DUers could be sexist without making DU sexist. Ya know? So, I will say that there is sexism here, and NO DU is not sexist.

[Ohio Dem]

7. Exactly what I was thinking.

Thanks for articulating it.

[slinkerwink]

8. there, changed the wording

[BigDaddyLove]

10. ....

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. Your poll implies that an entire board can be judged based on the actions

of some of its members. DU is a community and SOME people in the community are indeed sexist and usually find themselves taken to task for it.

There are other message boards that claim to be for "freer speech " than DU until you disagree with them and then they put a label called TROLL on your name banner...so...I guess what I am saying is perfection is difficult to achieve, but it certainly isn't arrived at by generalizing for the behavior of some.

on edit: Now that you have changed your wording, yes sexism does occur here and when it does and is BLATANTLY obvious, it is dealt with...something NOT all boards do,,

[rucky]

11. You can't have a "community" of 40,000 without some sexism/racism, etc

even Democrats

deal with it - by which I mean GET IN THEIR FACE

[slinkerwink]

12. to many of my female friends who have visited DU

the sexism in here has gone way overboard...

[NMDemDist2]

21. As a woman of "indeterminate age"

who has admittedly only been reading (obsessively I might add) this site for 4 days, I have not seen any overtly sexist trends here. There are always a few who step over the line on any issue. I have seen a few things go over the top, but certainly not restricted to sexist or racism or homophobeism. I marched for the Equal rights amendment, burned my bra and at times in my life have brought harassment situations to management or union bosses attention to protect my female co-workers. I think perhaps we need to learn to practice a little "live and let live" rather than attempt to censor our fellow Democrats. A little gentle education and ribbing can go a lot further than strident demands for equality. IHMO and sorry if this post offends anyone. :grouphug:

[Liberal Christian]

50. Welcome to DU :)

[kitkatrose]

27. Okay, can you point me in the direction of the overboard sexism.

I read this site pretty regularly and have been here for a long time, but I've never noticed a whole lot of it. Yes, there are some topics that'll get it going (mostly abortion) but that doesn't happen all that often on the whole. So I'm putting in a genuine request for examples of the sexism (aside from the Condi thing) that clutters up the board. From one female college student to another...

And :hug: for whatever sexism you may have experienced in the past. :)

[Syrinx]

13. I suppose so

But there's a lot more complaining about sexism, than actual sexism.

[slinkerwink]

15. I think that there is actual sexism here

[skooooo]

16. Is Matcom's smiley-butt sexy?

...or sexist?

lol....

[Crunchy Frog]

19. I don't know, but

it sure is cute:9. Oops, did I just say something sexist?:evilfrown:

[CrownPrinceBandar]

17. there is sexism everywhere...

and it cuts both ways.

[The Magistrate]

18. Nonesense, Ma'am

You ought to have stuck by your original wording, rather than edit your real concern out of existence once called on your language.

The problem is this: people who want to be offended will find occassions for offense, and there is not a damned thing anyone else can do about it. It is better simply to ignore the caterwaulings of such people, the way one ignores any other minor irritant that cannot be remedied, like a trick knee, or the breathing of Republicans. Certainly, there is no need for anyone else to alter their behavior to accommodate such wailings of offended sensibility....

"It's quiet today in the old town of Tombstone."

"This world would be best improved by everyone tending their own garden."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[Skittles]

26. get it, Slink?

you WANT to be offended! You are just CATERWAULING! That's a new way to dismiss the issue huh!

[The Magistrate]

28. She Is Aware Of That, Ma'am

No one could possibly put so much effort into such a hobby without some degree of self-awareness about the activity....

For my part, use of terms like "bitch" and "balls" seems unnecessary, and so does a great deal of complaint over such usage seem unnecessary. It would seem inappropriate to me to use a racial slur against someone who was also my political or even personal opponent, and it seems to me that where the opponent is a woman, the same principle applies.

But that some people will have a view of relations among sexes and genders that does not fully jibe with the most elaborated developments of feminist theory would seem un-avoidable in any venue open in great measure to the public....

"It's quiet tonight in the old town of Tombstone."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[Skittles]

44. well

I think you try to understand, but you'd have to be female to really understand how the constant undercurrent of sexism feels. Slinkerwink just kinda wishes DU was a bit more progressive. A great deal of complaint? It sickens me that people still use the demeaning and outdated reference to BALLS as requirement for courage and I will call it as I see it. And I expect Slinkerwink to do no less.

[mmonk]

20. Everywhere

and probably will always be to some extent. Some can't be made to not be sexist. The majority here though, I don't think so but of course there are some that are (even if they don't admit it).

[PurityOfEssence]

22. Sexism is not just a male problem

You're self-aware enough to know that, aren't you?

[Used and Abused]

24. good point

Some women are more sexist against women than men are.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

29. What do you mean?

[corporatewhore]

41. when i talked about issues like feminism in class

some of my female classmates dismissed it as "just bitching" along with several male classmates.Some women also see other women as sluts or easy for having an active sex life (while guy are still not consider sluts) or wearing low cut blouses. We still have sexist attitudes engrained in us even though we are women because of the society we live in

[buddhamama]

47. correct.

we are our own worst enemies. i've seen it here at DU, women attacking other women in the manner you describe and for those reasons. it is very disturbing; often over-looked though,because it does not come from a man. women are not above sexist behavior exhibited by men, to think otherwise is delusional.

[Used and Abused]

23. Theres all sorts of "isms" here

Its not rampant though, and thats good.

DUers are only human and its almost impossible to live in this world without getting tainted somehow.

[Skittles]

25. the constant references to BALLS

as in a requirement for courage - is absolutely sickening.

[SarahB]

34. I prefer the terms Gonads

My ovaries are just as strong as anyone else's testes!

[Skittles]

45. excellent

:thumbsup:

[DrWeird]

30. Does it hit the nail a little too close to the head?

Is that the problem?

[Desertrose]

31. sexism is in the eye of the beholder

if you expect to find it- you will... if you aren't looking for it you probably won't find it.

I am looking for very different things on this board.....whether someone disses or dismisses me on the basis of my sex really doesn't bother me nearly as much as being dismissed for my ideas and thinking.

I think the important thing is to feel ok with who you are and then other's words or lack there of won't have the intended effect. JMO.

Peace
DR

[wickerwoman]

43. This doesn't compute for me.

You'd rather have people not listen to you in the first place than listen to you and decide you're wrong?

I feel fine with who I am. That doesn't preclude me from getting pissed off when someone ignores me simply because I have tits. Anything else, to me, suggests a lack of self-respect, not a surplus.

[mellowinman]

33. Of course there's sexism here.

There's sexism everywhere. It's not an easy thing to battle.

Is the point of the site to battle sexism? I don't think it is.

I think its more important that we defeat Bush.

Write your local media people. Harp on the lies about Clarke's alleged lies. Talk about the lies that led to the Iraq invasion.

For the first time since 2000 we have Bush on the run.

If we miss this narrow window, it may be too late.

I'll be happy to be involved in the battle against sexism, as I have my entire life, but I have priorities.

I am a male feminist. I love the women. Guess who doesn't?

Bush.

[SarahB]

35. I've seen some rather hypocritical sexism

From the hands of men who claim not to be unfortunately. Overall, it's pretty okay, but there are bits that creep up. Sometimes, what's good for the gander appears not to be for the goose with posts of some subject matter.

[slinkerwink]

37. exactly

[Feanorcurufinwe]

38. Is there hypocrisy here? Ignorance? Intolerance? Egoism?

Or are we all perfect?

[corporatewhore]

39. yes sad thing is it is engrained in our society we dont even realize it

most of the time

[slinkerwink]

40. and that's a part of the reason we have to *continue* challenging

sexism in our society.

[corporatewhore]

42. yeah i hate it when people try to hush up conversations on feminism

but maybe that is because i am such a feminazi who keeps bitching oh well thats just what we get for being uppity ;)

[slinkerwink]

48. man.......people say DU doesn't have any sexism, but it DOES

[buddhamama]

46. i voted yes,

i don't think DU itself is sexist. however some of its memebers are.

[rdfi-defi]

51. can i please get a list of all the sexy intelligent women here on du?

your interviews will start after i receive a full and complete list.

:grouphug: