AMVGuide wrote:But if I can get a man to imagine --for 15 minutes-- what it would be like to live their life as a woman; and vice versa; and everything in between...
I didn't skip this observation, but I wasn't sure how to respond to it. That said, I suppose, I might be one of the most qualified to answer this. I think we're all aware of why I might have a just
wee bit of experience with this.
This is a lot more difficult than it sounds, and honestly, fifteen minutes of thought experiments doesn't do it justice. There are significant differences which have to be experienced to be understood. In fact, there are some differences which I feel need to be experienced simply to be believed. And I'm only talking about social differences. I'm not even talking about biological ones, although I very much have insight into some of those as well. Here's a list of my own personal observations in comparison to my lived experiences at various points:
- 1) My personal space is smaller as a woman.
2) Discussion of my body, including by strangers, is more common as a woman.
3) My ideas are taken less seriously as a woman than as a man.
4) I talk less and listen more as a woman. I still talk a lot, of course, but I'm quite capable of acting as a human emotional sink when necessary. This is, in some cases, actually expected of me.
5) Why do I keep apologising for everything?
6) I'm considerably more situationally aware of spaces in which I might be in danger;
7) And I often scan an area and identify escape routes even before consciously realising it.
8) Key. Between. The. Fingers.
9) Catcalling.
10) More hoops to jump through and greater cost for contraception, even if that contraception is being used for other reasons unrelated to sex.
11) Wage gap.
12) Comments about my biology which may not even apply to me (Two weeks ago, I had a headache and cramping and considered calling in sick, coworker says, "You should have just called and said you were on your period." I don't have a uterus, and no, it wasn't that funny).
...I could probably go on, but that's a lot, and many of these are regular occurrences. I haven't been catcalled in Japan, but I've been hit on several times in super creepy ways in areas without easy escape routes (like the frikken monorail). Guys, please don't do this. You will automatically get shunted into my "potential threat" inbox. And these are just social issues (although the contraception one meets up with the biological ones). I could do another list on biology, or even restrict it to my own biology, and that would still be a list with a number of entries.
Some of the more general ones absolutely apply as much to personal settings (like AMV communities, hint hint) as they do to professional settings.
AMVGuide wrote:@ngsilver: That's a very interesting point to bring up. I encourage you to start a new topic called something like: "Online Persona's" and basically just ask "Do you consider yourself to have an online persona? If so, how do you represent yourself online compared to real life and at conventions?"
Not when it comes to AMVs, no. I do not act any differently online than I do in person. I try very hard not to say anything online that I would not be willing to say to someone's face. I've had to spend a fair amount of time cleaning up lots of personal information on the forums because my lack of persona means I have been careless, and I am now concerned that some of that personal information is a danger to me.
Kionon: What you see (read?) is what you get. Period.
