Ah, I was unclear. I meant "decreasing male politeness". I also realize that I'd been subtly glossing the word 'polite' when reading your use of it. I'm not sure what word you're using in your head before translating it into English, but "polite" doesn't really mean anything, anymore. Long ago it meant something cognate with 'polished', …
Ah, I was unclear. I meant "decreasing male politeness". I also realize that I'd been subtly glossing the word 'polite' when reading your use of it. I'm not sure what word you're using in your head before translating it into English, but "polite" doesn't really mean anything, anymore. Long ago it meant something cognate with 'polished', but shifted from skill/refinement to class to niceness to something else. When a woman who is afraid is 'polite' in my mind this is a different concept and perhaps a different word than when a man is 'polite' to a social inferior (an employee, child, or perhaps even a woman). A scared "i'm waiting for someone" (as a reason not to get in an elevator with a man) is not essentially similar to "you look great" (in response to the query 'does this dress make me look fat?'). What I was proposing is that men be less 'polite' as a way of making things plainer overall in society.
I think male politeness spares us a lot of duelling. That must be a good thing?
>>I'm not sure what word you're using in your head before translating it into English, but "polite" doesn't really mean anything, anymore.
Ha ha, unfortunately, things are looking no better inside my head. I tend to think in English when I think of abstract things. I can translate the word into Swedish, but it gets no better.
I think the definition of politeness is something like "every attempt to spare feelings and to allow people to save face". Both the man who avoids saying "you look fat" and the woman who avoids saying "you look scary" are doing that. They are both avoiding to reveal the negative perceptions they are holding.
Ah, I was unclear. I meant "decreasing male politeness". I also realize that I'd been subtly glossing the word 'polite' when reading your use of it. I'm not sure what word you're using in your head before translating it into English, but "polite" doesn't really mean anything, anymore. Long ago it meant something cognate with 'polished', but shifted from skill/refinement to class to niceness to something else. When a woman who is afraid is 'polite' in my mind this is a different concept and perhaps a different word than when a man is 'polite' to a social inferior (an employee, child, or perhaps even a woman). A scared "i'm waiting for someone" (as a reason not to get in an elevator with a man) is not essentially similar to "you look great" (in response to the query 'does this dress make me look fat?'). What I was proposing is that men be less 'polite' as a way of making things plainer overall in society.
I think male politeness spares us a lot of duelling. That must be a good thing?
>>I'm not sure what word you're using in your head before translating it into English, but "polite" doesn't really mean anything, anymore.
Ha ha, unfortunately, things are looking no better inside my head. I tend to think in English when I think of abstract things. I can translate the word into Swedish, but it gets no better.
I think the definition of politeness is something like "every attempt to spare feelings and to allow people to save face". Both the man who avoids saying "you look fat" and the woman who avoids saying "you look scary" are doing that. They are both avoiding to reveal the negative perceptions they are holding.