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- Newsgroups: alt.feminism
- Path: sparky!uunet!haven.umd.edu!wam.umd.edu!sfjr
- From: sfjr@wam.umd.edu (Steve Russell)
- Subject: Being "Sensitive"
- Message-ID: <1993Jan22.181512.13375@wam.umd.edu>
- Sender: usenet@wam.umd.edu (USENET News system)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: rac3.wam.umd.edu
- Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
- Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 18:15:12 GMT
- Lines: 68
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- > The term "being sensitive" is one that has several dictionary meanings
- > and several implied meanings, a few of them charged.
-
- > I would like to share some thoughts I had about "being sensitve"
- > recently.
-
- > 1. There are men ( and some women ) who consider being "sensitive"
- an effeminate quality. I interpet "sensitive" as meaning
- precipitous, sharp, very aware of what is around yourself and
- what is going on in peoples heads. I find this funny since
- many men associate these with being masculine when it is by
- another name, ie what guy wouldnt like to known as " a keenly-
- perceptive thinker, scientist etc etc", " a savy wheeler dealer",
- "an adroit statesman/fighter who 'knows' his opponet etc" etc?
-
- > 2. Somehow when being very aware of your surrondings and what is
- going on in other people's heads is labelled "sensitive"
- it becomes a feminin/ wimpy quality. Does feminine= wimpyness?
- Ever see a mother when her kid is being messed with? Is that
- kind of reaction "wimpy", unfeminine?
-
-
- > 3. Some men claim women dont want "sensitive" guys claiming that
- they arent masculine enough to interest women. This equates
- being a man with being somewhat of a jerk. These are usually
- the same guys who get OVERLY upset when feminists wrongfully
- equate maleness with being inherently bad. Hmmmmmm.
-
- > 4. There are women who react as #3 describes. Id say few, and the
- ones I've met tend to be unattractive people personality wise.
-
-
- > 5. Some men, being insecure about themselves socially ( not in all cases),
- hear women saying they want "sensitive" guys, contrive an act, get
- turned down/dumped, and conclude women are full of it when they
- say they want a "nice" guy.
-
-
- > 6. I think when women say they want a "sensitive" guy they want a guy
- who is "aware" of what is going on in the woman's reality, emotionally
- as well as otherwise and acts on it. I dont think they want an
- officious, obsequias, solicitous panting dog who jumps on their every
- word, always gives in, subverts himself/his intersts ALWAYS etc etc.
- I think guys who "try" to be "sensitve" interpret "sensitve" this
- way instead of just being themselves, aware of their women and being
- considerate.
-
-
-
- > Just some thoughts
-
- > Steve R
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