Is Sexism Bad?

Male & Female Hansi (Chinese Characters) side by side, with archaic Japanese meaning "Husband & Wife" or married couple. The female character (left) is a nurturer as the artistic aura of the image conveys, while the two characters that symbolize masculinity (right) are a hand holding a hoe and a rice field, the laborer. Courtesy of Wikimedia user AnonMoos.

No one asks this question, but many extremely successful men and women are sexist against the other gender. The reasons that, as far as I can tell, are given for Sexism being bad are mostly flawed. See, we assume that because it has some similarity to Racism (so does the tendency of airlines to charge seniors and kids different prices then adults, and for that matter patriotism) it therefore must be bad, but racism has no basis in the human character and no function in tight knit relationships.

To clarify, by "Sexism" I mean the tendency of people to hold the other gender, or its' perceived attributes, in contempt. I do not mean the tendency to discriminate in the workplace, sexually harass, or worse. These things are acts of Greed, Lust and Violence, are against human rights, law and public safety, and should always be illegal. The Sexism I mean is simply believing that the other (masculinity or feminity, or men or women) is inferior to your own. In other words, Sexism in your mind.

The reason I believe Sexism could be healthy is because it allows you to define yourself and have deep root in your own character, rather then a character imposed from outside. Assuming they practice sexism, masculine women and feminine men tend to look down on man and woman, while masculine men and feminine women tend to look down on the traits, femininity and masculinity, as masculine women and feminine men are criticized for not complying, and must hold their own against society and try to balance themselves, while feminine women and masculine men are defined within those traits and fight those who fight against them. I have no scientific studies on this, but my own personal experience seems to validate what my reason contrives.

It also creates a hierarchy of dominance within the family, preventing fights and working towards the happiness of all. You will have to be careful how you choose your mate, of course, but once you have selected one who is willing to be inferior, and wants to be taken care of, the rest should be easy. Further, as long as you are not trying to force this on someone who is not willing (which never works anyways) there really isn't a moral crime in it, as some people are genuinely weaker in character and want a big strong papa or mama bear who can take care of them. Avoid embarassing them in front of their friends, of course, but otherwise it seems mutually beneficial. I know a lot of strong families have stayed together this way.

Does this actually mean you have legitimate reason to look down on the other gender? No. But then again, can every country in the world really be the greatest?

What good are scientists anyways?

I know it is cliche these days to say such and such has been proved by science. But science doesn't actually prove anything. To prove, you have to avoid all fallacies, all holes in logic, but there is one very critical hole in logic that science cannot ever avoid, the fallacy of induction. If something works in one place and one time, it therefore works in every place and every time.

Now I'm not saying that scientists are actually worthless, but I am saying that we should ask ourselves, what are they for? What do they do? What are they responsible for? How do they know? And we should ask it because we ourselves are losing touch with reality.

Table Manners

Yet another break from my break:

At a dinner table, you are not supposed to let your elbows touch the table. At the bar, on the other hand, it is considered wise and appropriate. This may actually have to do with the now dying or dead custom of bringing your gun in to a saloon, and keeping your elbows on the table implies that you are not carrying such aggressively.

You are not supposed to open your mouth when chewing food, and are only supposed to use your hands when eating finger food. We Americans/Mainline Anglo-Europeans use forks and knives, although in some country's they will actually use tortilla like breads to grasp their food instead, especially Ethiopia. It was never much of a custom in Anglosphere nations to use a flattened bread, whereas fried foods that can be easily picked up (potato chips, chicken fingers...) filled the void of foods by hand, and cooking beef in larger pieces is also more common in English-speaking countries. Metalworking was also more common in these nations.

What conversation is allowable at the dinner table is regulated in the US to varying degrees dependent on region. This is unfortunate, as dinner is one of the main social gatherings of the day and restricted conversation lends easilly to superficiality. It softens people in mind, body, and soul. Makes them at ease as they dissolve in to the chair they are sitting in, slowly disappearing before their own decadence.

Of course, on the flip side, that only happens if you take it too far. Restriction in moderation makes for ease of relationship. And insisting on too much "real" may make new relationships more difficult to attain, crippling and restricting your life.

Maybe the best approach is to start easy and slowly remove the bounds. Build up. Give people their space at first and slowly approach. On the way, it's steady. Once you're there, it's fulfilling and enriching. Really, you can only make so many rules, relationships are an art. One basic rule though: It's about the other person.