[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by Saya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y86X8...feature=colike

Seriously, I know you're privileged and think only poor people are actually oppressed in this society. I know you'd rather ignore sexism and feel the only oppression you might feel in your life is the only oppression that exists. I know you don't want to know that there's some things you'll never know because you're a cisgender straight white man.

I've worked with and under men and women of varying ethnicities. I don't recall many times in which I have been subordinate to someone of a lower economic standing. My experience is anecdotal but I don't think it is unique.

But for those of us who were raised as girls, we have had it drilled in our heads since we were little that if a man decides to rrape us he will and the only thing we can do about it is not give him the chance, and that means no getting drunk, no going out by yourself, no being alone with men. There will be no justice for us if a man decides to rrape us, because, society tells us, rrape is like an act of God that can't be helped, just don't get in its way. If you do, your own fault.

That is awful and it has to change.

So no, we can't give men the benefit of the doubt. We need to survive. I put survival above giving a man the benefit of the doubt late at night when I'm trapped in an elevator with him. If I'm walking home alone at night and there's a man walking behind me, sure as shit I'm going to put my survival above his feelings and walk faster and run into a store until he's further ahead. Sure as shit I'm going to assume the worst about the guy who walked up to me without a word and tried to drag me off somewhere had the worst of intentions, and I haven't gone to a club since, because I don't feel safe. Unless when you hear the clicking of heels behind you at night, your first thought is "please, don't hurt me", you can't understand the fear we've been raised with and rely on.

As a priveleged CVP, I can never truly relate. I've walked around some nasty places and been acutely aware that there was someone else nearby without knowing their intentions. I might not have to worry about getting *****, but I don't want to get stabbed, shot or mugged either. Nobody should have to cross the street early, or duck into a shop, or anything else out of fear of bodily injury or unwelcome / uninvited contact. I do not go into a Deadman mindset of reaching for my gat when I realize someone is walking towards me, but I can understand that brief moment where you realize someone else is out there and you don't know what they might do. Not feeling safe sucks, and no amount of privilege or white crackeriness dismisses that.

The one time I thought someone was rushing me and I turned to face them was really scary until I realized he was going past me. Those were a few very intense seconds. I get being scared. I don't get trying to inflate my false-positive as something it wasn't.

As for why this particular instance got a -gate after it, seeing the lack of support from male atheists is very telling. Dawkins showing his true colours by saying western women can't complain when white men corner them to solicit them because at least white men don't chop off their genitals like those evil brown Muslims, for example, is -gate worthy. But not surprising in the least, because, after all, we're raised to know that men only love us when we bow our heads and take whatever shit they give us.

In some sense, I can view Dawkin's clumsy response as an attempt to play a variation of the "Privilege" card on Watson. It was a stupid remark making a stupid point in a stupid way. Has he been smart enough to keep his mouth shut since?