Anyone else bothered by the increased blurring of gender roles?

[ArtanisCreed]

omg..lol of all the stupid things... but anyway... ive known lots of "tough" girls and they always have a feeling of being protected when they are with their "man" ...what does this mean?

 

[Nimcha]

How are these boys going to group up to be leaders of men and protectors of women?

Well, not, obviously. And women don't need men to protect them.

I've notice that many want to be though

Obviously. But that's personal and everyone is free to choose whatever role they wish. If that is the traditional one, then there's absolutely no problem.

 

[robot slipper]

Even though machines and technology have changed a lot, it's extremely clear from this post you do not realize how much society still demands on rough, strong men to do necessary jobs most of us don't want to do. The infrastructure of this country that allows most of us to have comfy "smart" jobs totally relies on these people. Firefighters, cops, soldiers, oil rig workers, truckers, logging workers, construction workers, farmers, metal workers, movers, merchant marine, commercial fishermen, etc etc

Those jobs you listed there are all jobs that women can do. There might not be as many women in those jobs as men, but they still can an DO have those jobs. As far as I can tell, the only job that a woman physically can't do is be a king or a sperm donator.

 

[ultrachicken]

Yes actually, I am. Gender roles serve a purpose: they ensure that required tasks get accomplished in a partnership for both sides. This brings harmony into the relationship because less time arguing over who fills what roles means more time spent in further building love and a family. I see lack of defined gender roles contributing to the break-up of marriages and the rise of single-parent homes. It's not the SOLE reason, but it certainly is a cause.

I look at my family and I see prime examples: Great-Grandparents and Grandparents followed gender roles and they stayed married till death do they part. My Aunt Tina and her husband Dave are the same way with her being domestic and him working his ass off to monetarily provide. Now my uncle Tim married a 'career' woman and she felt that my uncle could work BOTH his job as a firefighter AND clean/cook/raise the kids. Suffice to say, ***** got his house, alimony and child support.

Most of you all will disagree with me, call me backwards and mysogynistic (I happent LOVE women btw). Doesn't necessarily make me wrong, just the holder of an unpopular (at this time) opinion.

Personal examples don't really hold weight in an argument that spans the entire planet. That's all I have to say about this.

 

[ToboTheHobo]

I do think that women and men should be treated equally but i see what your saying, i constantly hear people complaining about how tough their life is and its not tough at all, they are just spoiled brats.

 

[Konaerix]

I think its nice that they get more in touch with their feminine side, but not if they try to jump the barrier entirely (talking about straight guys).

That said, i still think a woman v. man fistfight is still unfair...

Your avatar made me laugh when thinking about the forum subject(Cough*Trap*Cough), but yeah...

Men and Women don't need "gender roles" in socity. Everyone sould be who the just are.
Ok, we might might meet a powerhouse of a girl or a wimp of a guy, but should that really affect who YOU are?

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

So....I'm guessing you didn't vote for Hillary Clinton when she ran for democratic candidate back yonder?

OT:No, all humans are equals and shouldn't have to be "manly" just because they "have a penis". They can be whatever they wanna be, as long as they don't hurt anybody else.

 

[Giest4life]

What do you mean "gender roles?" If by that you mean roles prescribed to us by a historically misogynistic society--roles that are not inherent to the human condition nor are they universally prevalent in the natural kingdom. If that's what you mean by "gender roles," then no, it doesn't bother me at all.

How are these boys going to grow up to be leaders of men and protectors of women?

lol wtf?! That's all I've to say regarding that statement.

 

[Woodsey]

Not really - men do the same stuff pretty much and women are now "allowed" (for want of a better word) to do that too.

And I don't think you're exactly getting a fair view of young guys if you're working as a counselor since, y'know, they obviously need counselling, whereas most don't.

I'm not exactly comfortable outside of grumpy, angry or happy on the emotional spectrum, but some guys, some PEOPLE, are. The men are men and women are women thing is the wrong way to look at it; you talk as if a man isn't a man if he suffers depression, or is naturally shy, or whatever.

Your whole "leaders of men, protectors of women" rather betrays your stance though - so can we now not have women who are leaders and protectors of the PEOPLE (I wonder how many times I'm going to have to say that like that)? And that's in spite of your edits, which at least seem more moderate.

 

[Alphavillain]

I think most men have pretty strong inclinations towards aggressive and insecure behaviour, with strong elements of exhibitionism and tribalism thrown in for good measure. So, your worries are ill-founded. Unfortunately.

 

[DuctTapeJedi]

How are these boys going to grow up to be leaders of men and protectors of women?

Yes, because women are incapable of this, and we need our big manly men to protect us from the wolves and bandits that lurk in the forests, as it's still 1640.

Blurring of gender roles benefits men, too. In the past, if a man wanted a job in nursing, he'd be laughed at. Now they're accepted.

 

[icame]

Sorry to insult you but you sound like my grandmother thats stuck in the past. Most of your points make little to no sense.

 

[Worgen]

As an example: Resident Evil 5 has you killing African Zombies in Africa! THATS SO RACIST, DISCRIMINATING AND EVIL!
...Yeah. And Resident Evil 4 had you killing Spanish Zombies in Spain, Resident Evil 3 had you killing American Zombies (mostly white) in America...
So, what makes that any more or less discriminating again? Oh right, someone wanted to stir the shit pot because it's "topical".

Don't forget the obvious misogynism of the female-male zombie ratio.
What, women can't be zombies?

But, to answer this thread, although I suspect it was created just to troll, no, I'm not bothered at all.

Because I address a viewpoint contrary to that held by the majority of Escapist users, I am automatically a troll? God forbid you have to be exposed to something outside of your carefully constructed social concepts on how the world works

you pretty much lost any ability to have a normal conversation when you said "Despite what lemon-scented crunchy-granola liberals like to scream about in their podcasts" since you made yourself sound like some kind of right wing mouth breather. Which is especially dumb on a site like this that has a pretty left leaning user base, we like women, we know they dont need protecting, sometimes they like it and that is cool but they dont NEED it.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Well when a feminist calls you an asshole for following the Southern Gentleman's Code of Chivalry of 1851...you should be a lil worried!

 

[geldonyetich]

I'm more worried about the differences of our wages. Not wholly out of female empowerment reasons, but rather because it's giving the ladies an unfair competitive edge in this tough labor market. The last few jobs I've had were pretty much staffed almost entirely by ladies who resented my uncouth male presence and socially engineered my removal.

 

[DarkRyter]

Oh what? You're getting upset that men are becoming a bunch of pansies.

Women have been a bunch of sensitive wussies for years, and no one ever complained about that.

Being overly emotional and excessively caring is inappropriate for ANYONE.

 

[Eldarion]

Many traditionally male roles and traits are no longer celebrated or instilled in today's youth.

Good, the whole point of early feminist movements was to prove that a male and a female are equally good at things and everyone should be given a chance to do whatever they want regardless of what genitalia they got born with.

In my opinion, pop culture has largely contributed to the feminizing of men and boys. For example, one thing that particularly bothers me is how popular it is on TV shows to portray husbands and fathers as bumbling idiots who are easily controlled by their wives and children.

I'm a pretty feminine boy, sitcoms didn't do that anime did lol, but seriously XD. Feminine traits of submissiveness, quietness, beauty, generally "soft" or "vulnerable" things aren't exclusive to men or women. Society instilled the notion that feminine=weak, but that isn't true its just a different kind of strength of character. The ability to be vulnerable and in touch with ones feelings takes a deeper understanding of ones self than most "macho" men care to think about. I'm getting on a tangent I think......

And let's not forget the hypersensitive nanny-state parents that don't let boys be boys. I worked as a camp counselor at my local YMCA with 12-14 year olds, and I have never seen such a group of sissies, hypochondriacs, and whiners. How are these boys going to grow up to be leaders of men and protectors of women?

From Post #19: Never once did I suggest or condone a return to a time of women being "barefoot and pregnant" in the kitchen while the manly men went out to hunt bears. I like that women work and men have shared responsibility with children. I don't think the father/husband should hold a dictatorship over his household and beat his wife and kids.

But I do think that men and women have certain innate traits that make them better suited for different things. When I'm feeling sad and I need a sympathetic ear, I call my mother or a female friend, because women are generally better at empathy. And every girlfriend I've ever had enjoyed feeling safe in my presence, even if pragmatically there isn't much danger a cop couldn't protect her from. But boys and male teens today are increasingly turning into overly sensitive delicate flowers

There isn't anything really wrong with being a delicate flower though is there? You said that feminine traits make a person easier to talk to, they are someone who can lend that sympathetic ear. Is it only not ok if a guy displays the same traits that make your female friends easy to confide in? You value feminine traits in your female friends, why are you not ok with a guy being easy to talk to, more apt to discuss your problems with you? Guys are finding that its ok for them to be softer in todays world, its a sign that gender traits are becoming more universal. I'm not 100% sure what your problem is. What exactly is the issue here?

 

[Flac00]

I think this is relevant.
This is pretty much my thoughts on the subject in their entirety.

Puts it pretty well. I just gotta say that it isn't time period specific. Being a man or growing up to be one is only really in your own eyes. Being successful might allow you to reach that point, or doing something important might be that point. From my position, I just keep myself in-line and strive to do what's right, everything else just works itself out.