Posted: Jul 06, 2011 5:42 am
I read Richard Dawkins' response that PZ Myers linked to ( http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011 ... nt-4309418 ) ...
A few thoughts ...
A woman may feel trapped within the confines of an elevator simply because the man is bigger/stronger and physically capable of preventing her from pressing a button and getting off.
The assumption that the man may have ill intentions simply because he's male is perhaps an insult to men, particularly to an innocent man with only friendly intentions.
Some men do have ill intentions and do overpower women to carry their ill intentions out.
Many women are very aware of this, either through anecdote or personal experience, or both. Many women are wary because of this.
It's a pragmatic position to be defensive. Pragmatic. Not morally right or wrong, just a practical response to what one knows about reality.
I wonder if the man had looked like a middle eastern, possibly muslim, man, whether this woman's concerns would have been treated less dismissively by Richard Dawkins.
A few thoughts ...
A woman may feel trapped within the confines of an elevator simply because the man is bigger/stronger and physically capable of preventing her from pressing a button and getting off.
The assumption that the man may have ill intentions simply because he's male is perhaps an insult to men, particularly to an innocent man with only friendly intentions.
Some men do have ill intentions and do overpower women to carry their ill intentions out.
Many women are very aware of this, either through anecdote or personal experience, or both. Many women are wary because of this.
It's a pragmatic position to be defensive. Pragmatic. Not morally right or wrong, just a practical response to what one knows about reality.
I wonder if the man had looked like a middle eastern, possibly muslim, man, whether this woman's concerns would have been treated less dismissively by Richard Dawkins.