I suspect I’ll get downvoted for this, but… maybe we just shouldn’t make any sweeping generalizations about a whole group of people?
If someone says “Blacks are criminals” it’s perfectly valid to say “Not all black people are criminals.” If the first person comes back and says “I never said all black people,” they’re being intentionally obtuse and should be told they’re full of shit. That goes for any similar statement; women are bad drivers, men are rapists, etc. Being slightly more precise is ridiculously easy, there’s no reason to accept generalizations.
The issue isn’t that the statement is inaccurate. The issue is that it detracts from the real issues that are being discussed. Women know not all men are rapists. They also know that not all men hate women. However, all men benefit in some way from systemic misogyny regardless. And when women are discussing the the issues they are facing everyday, and someone, out of anger/frustration, makes a comment that generalizes men in some capacity, responding to that comment with “not all men” is problematic for multiple reasons. One, as I mentioned, it detracts from the conversation being had. Two, it serves no purpose because, as I’ve already said, women already know it’s not all men. Lastly, three, you read the post, you read the comments, you read multiple different accounts of women fighting an oppressive system and being dismissed, gaslit, ridiculed, etc and, instead of offering words of support or encouragement, you chose to say “not all men”, once again centering men’s issues over women’s.
If women already know it's not all men, then why say it? Why should anyone be expected to guess that someone might not mean all men when they don't clarify. If the reason is speaking out of frustration or anger, then don't bring it to a nuanced conversation.
It's all semantics, but semantics can matter a lot when trying to have a conversation that goes beyond emotional venting.
There are ways to say how one feels about rapists without flippantly including every other man who isn't one.
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u/baby_got_yak 6h ago
I suspect I’ll get downvoted for this, but… maybe we just shouldn’t make any sweeping generalizations about a whole group of people?
If someone says “Blacks are criminals” it’s perfectly valid to say “Not all black people are criminals.” If the first person comes back and says “I never said all black people,” they’re being intentionally obtuse and should be told they’re full of shit. That goes for any similar statement; women are bad drivers, men are rapists, etc. Being slightly more precise is ridiculously easy, there’s no reason to accept generalizations.