Re: [Callers] When Did Gender Role Terms Become a "Problem"

Perhaps this very discussion/movement is a sign that there is a need for change. While I respect the value of the traditional terms, and how much easier they make things for everyone, I certainly understand how they can be constraining and frustrating for those of us who like a) switching roles and/or b) switching gender/gender presentation. Perhaps this is a minority forcing their views on others. But I see it as small potatoes compared to said majority constantly forcing their views on us. Sometimes it's a pain to be gender- or role-noncomformist in this society. The feeling of being a young woman at a dance, following the lead of a man who dances far too close for comfort, or being a man who dances follow and is constantly told that he's in the wrong place, or partnering with your same sex friend only to be told "there are two men dancing together over there, why don't you just split up and dance with each other!" as if no one would want a same-sex dance couple if there were any other option available, or being a transperson who is intrusively asked their sex when they ask someone to dance. And yes, I've made this point hyperbolically, but my point is: if a minority seems to be "forcing" its views on a majority, it is often just push-back for 99x that forcing-of-views from the past, that doesn't seem like view-forcing precisely *because* it comes from a majority. But in a certain sense, the use of gendered contra terms is just that, we've just ceased to notice it as such. A last thought: everything is social engineering, because social forces are at work in everything. On Thu, Jan 3, 2013 at 11:29 AM, <JohnFreem(a)aol.com> wrote: _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers