The idea that men can be nervous around certain women for a multitude of reasons cannot be considered in the current orthodoxy because of a very narrow understanding of what constitutes power in normal daily interactions. https://twitter.com/FXKML/status/981531754128465920 …
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Every time I have been told by a man that he was wary of engaging with me, the reason has been verbal. I have strong opinions which I express assertively & this sometimes causes people to fear being shot down if they talk to me about their own. This makes me sad.
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I am usually told this when someone expresses a view in a tweet to me & I respond with a ten-tweet analysis of why it is wrong. This happens when it is something I feel strongly about and have also thought about a lot and is not a dismissal or condemnation of that individual.
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But it is not uncommon for them to respond by telling me they were just trying to raise a point & there was no need for me to nuke them. It is more often women who tell me they feel attacked by this but it is also sometimes men. I am also often told to slow down.
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I also get A LOT of messages which begin 'I am sorry to bother you and what I'm about to say is probably wrong but I really respect your opinion on X & just thought...' from men. This suggests a fear of being shot down. This is not men who feel they have an advantage cos male
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When I tell feminists this, they have told me that I am perceived as being aggressive coz I am a woman & perceived as a threat coz I am an intelligent woman (then they often tell me I'm stupid) & this demonstrates yet more male assumptions of superiority & entitlement to dominate
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In fact, I think this reaction to me is adequately explained by the reality that I get carried away sometimes and antagonise people unintentionally and should work on that.
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But I am now waffling. My point was that to think that men are always in a position of advantage is to ignore the many forms that power can take socially. Women can intimidate men just as men can intimidate women for a number of reasons.
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End of conversation
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