- Lucy, When Worlds Collide: Fandom and Male Privilege.  (via subconciousevolution)

oh, i loved this so much.

(via methodistcoloringbook)

I first encountered this when I was researching an essay I wrote on gendered language. In the course of my research for that essay I read about an experiment conducted where a radio discussion forum was held, with the number of participants kept constant throughout. The organisers varied the numbers of men and women involved in discussions of topical, political issues throughout the day with the number of women speaking never exceeding the number of men. The organisers found that when the number of women speaking came near to equalling, but did not exceed the number of men, the radio station broadcasting the discussions received numerous complaints that the broadcast was ‘favouring women’, ‘biased’ and ‘silencing men’. 

Feminist scholar Dale Spender said that ‘the talkativeness of woman has been gauged not in comparison with men but with silence’, therefore women’s speech is an imposition, and women’s right to speak is measured unfairly against men.

Us men are used to having the upper hand. We’re used to our speech mattering, and having the final word. We’re used to the idea that wives take their husband’s name. Breaking habits is a tricky business, but one that is absolutely vital if social change is to be brought about. One of the main challenges for feminists is trying to effect a change when people all around us will resist (often purely out of habit and a desire to maintain the status quo), claiming that we are being extreme or sexist ourselves, when really we are equalising. I hope that the more widespread feminist beliefs become, the more people will take steps to equalise the relationships in their lives, and the less unusual or extreme those steps will seem.

(Source: seaofbadstories)