Gender issues on the Internet

[TheRealAussie]

Sorry wut, League of Legends has a younger and nicer community? o.o
I think I nearly broke out into a fit of laughter.

(jkjk, but League is not at all nice, especially in the lower tiers...)

^ I second this. ^

 

[BitoBain]

Very interesting read, Moo.

I have always been a believer that the two genders are equal. Though each has its strengths and weaknesses, I don't think the world can be peaceful if it elevates one over the other. This is why I'm glad to live in the 21st century; we are closer to gender equality than we ever have been.

Unfortunately, there are forces that are trying to turn women into something they are not. Women are often portrayed in popular culture as being excessively rude, blunt, or exploitive, which I do not think accurately portrays them. Meanwhile, on the internet, people are treating females as either dumb and simple-minded beings or some sort of rare specimen that needs to be worshiped.

People need to stop leaping out of their chairs every time they see a female in Minecraft and just accept that

• Yes, they play the game too.
• Yes, they can be good at the game too.
• No, they're not as special as you're making them out to be.

But like I mentioned earlier, each gender has its ups and downs. I tend to see men as more creative and women as more organized. Another way I see it is that men are the instigators of change in society and women are the catalysts. When it comes to PvP, I can see why people would say that girls aren't as good. From my past experience, I rarely run into a female with more than a 1/10 ratio. I have also only ever ran into three people in game with more than a 1/3 ratio who are legitimately female. It's not like chess, where the average female player is just as good as the average male; I think that men simply spend more time dedicated to video games and think about them more. The idea of getting thrown into an arena with 23 other people to slaughter them simply appeals more to males. Please don't take this as sexism, as it's simply a strength of one gender. Girls are far less likely to get into trouble or hack, yet a surprising portion of females become moderators I guess you could say they are better at being positive contributors to the community.

"Remember, there’s a reason why people used to (And in my opinion, still should) consider females the ‘finer’ gender of the two."

Mind elaborating, Mooclan?

I'm going to say something, even though Moo already did.

This is a very interesting point. As for why women used to be considered the finer gender, I think that women have often been thought of as the weaker, yet more virtuous and submissive gender. (I don't necessarily agree with all of that.) In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a common argument made against giving women the right to vote was the idea that women were too "pure", and that giving them the chance to get involved in politics would result in the moral degradation of society. Women have often been reserved as the gender with simpler roles involved with domestic work, not meant to get involved in large issues, with the duty of raising children who would become good people.

In the last century, the level of morality held by the average person has decreased. Whether or not this is because of women's involvement in politics and the shifting gender roles that have occurred, I don't know.

I agree with Moo that men are definitely the rougher gender. Men have often gotten overly riled up with seemingly small issues. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though. If we are always content with out lives the way they are, then we will not see any reason to progress socially. If it weren't for the want of having an uncorruptable government, the founding fathers of the US wouldn't have taken such extreme measures to write a balanced constitution. Later on, John Marshall, for example, chief justice of the Supreme Court for dozens of years, would grow disenchanted with the lack of power allocated to the judicial branch, and sway many court cases to equalize the power of the judicial branch with the other two branches. Figures like John Marshall feel a need to correct things that have small effects on their personal lives, which is a very male mindset in my opinion.

So basically, I think men have more insight on what may be best for the long term future, because of their pride and self-confidence. I also think men are more creative, and look for solutions to problems in more diverse places. I find that men are more commonly split between two extremes of morality. Women tend to be more organized and have a more natural but lesser vehemence towards morality. Women are more gentle and less often risk takers and are more reasonable in critical situations. I don't think either is better or more intelligent than the other. When we talk about equalizing genders, we need to talk more about equalization of opportunities than the equalization of outcomes.

 

[SixZoSeven]

As I said, this is my opinion.
I actually discussed this with my two sisters and mother, who are clearly feminists,

Males are generally viewed as the rougher gender. We're more violent, many men work out in order to become physically stronger, and we generally have less gracefulness. Boys are raised to be as tough as they can possibly be, both emotionally and physically, in order to fulfill their future role as a husband, father, and mentor.

Females, on the other hand, are raised to be more gentle. In the past, mothers were (and usually still are) the parent that takes care of the children and subtle issues. Nowadays, it still holds true that women are more emotionally sensitive, simply because they are raised that way, and men are not.

Modern society portrays females as needing protection and shielding, and shows off the "manly" side of men. This has influenced how each gender is brought up and instructed, which in turn starts the cycle all over again.

When I say "finer gender", I don't mean to say that they're weaker, even though it can be confused for that.
I was raised by two sisters and a mother. When I was the same size as my older sister, I had no doubts that we would be equal matches if it came to a fight - she was neither stronger nor weaker than me. It just so happens that I'm now larger than her, simply due to my natural growth pattern.


Allow me to use a current and personal example:
My family is currently being harassed by my biological father, and my mom's ex.
My dad, who is about as understanding and sympathetic as a rock, is pretending to be kind and benevolent towards me and my sisters, but he sent Skype messages to my mother saying that he would hire 5 lawyers in order to obtain essentially all of our possessions. (Little does he know, he's about as smart as a rock too. That isn't going to work, and we see all of his Skype messages and texts...)
While my father is being rough, obtrusive, and downright offensive, my mom is trying to work things out peacefully. She has given him his old clothes, shoes, dozens of boxes of his old products (he's a businessman), and is willing to give him even more in order to satisfy some of his demands, while also keeping my family safe and in good condition.


A slightly entertaining story that was brought up by my older sister:
A group of Democrats and Republicans were busy debating an issue, which dragged out for several hours. Eventually, they adjourned for a break, and to resume in the afternoon.
The wives of the politicians went into the bathroom to polish up and have some less heated conversation. One of the wives looked over to the other ladies, laughed, and said, "If this had been us debating, we would have been finished by lunchtime and able to go out to eat together."

(I feel like the above political example also represents me in some ways - I tend to write more than a little bit too much, like in this post.)


Sorry wut, League of Legends has a younger and nicer community? o.o
I think I nearly broke out into a fit of laughter.

(jkjk, but League is not at all nice, especially in the lower tiers...)

Rather than a political example, that story is, well, a story. Nothing more. If I wanted to argue that people living in California are more efficient at solving math problems than those in Washington, using the above 'method', I'd be able to contrive something like "A group of Californians and Washingtonians are having a competition to see who can solve math problems faster. The Californians solve it in 44 seconds, while the Washingtonians solve the same problem in 122 seconds."

There's no actual concreteness about the story...It's just...a story.

Anyhow, as for your personal example, it's just...an example. Another individual has the same situation, only with the Mother at fault.

You specifically state "Modern society portrays females as needing protection and shielding, and shows off the "manly" side of men."

Assuming that's true, this bolsters the idea that males generally view females as "lesser" or "unusual" in gaming society.
"Lol girls suck at games"

I have more to say, once I've gathered some thoughts.

 

[AlgerWaterlow]

Meh, well I tried LoL for about two hours and it seemed like a pretty tame, yawn-worthy game (which probably means I'm not doing it right).

 

[Mooclan]

Rather than a political example, that story is, well, a story. Nothing more. If I wanted to argue that people living in California are more efficient at solving math problems than those in Washington, using the above 'method', I'd be able to contrive something like "A group of Californians and Washingtonians are having a competition to see who can solve math problems faster. The Californians solve it in 44 seconds, while the Washingtonians solve the same problem in 122 seconds."

There's no actual concreteness about the story...It's just...a story.

The story was not intended as anything except a story.

You specifically state "Modern society portrays females as needing protection and shielding, and shows off the "manly" side of men."

Assuming that's true, this bolsters the idea that males generally view females as "lesser" or "unusual" in gaming society.
"Lol girls suck at games"

The thing is, I don't agree with that portrayal, but that's an unconscious view that has been spread.
Physically, females may be generally weaker. They simply don't condition their bodies as often and vigorously as men might.
Mentally and emotionally, however, they are so much different from males that it's difficult for a relatively uneducated teenager such as myself to even try and grasp the differences.

Meh, well I tried LoL for about two hours and it seemed like a pretty tame, yawn-worthy game (which probably means I'm not doing it right).

Once you get to the point where you're playing Ranked (Competitive) and your score actually matters, things get more serious.
This is a bit off-topic, but if you play a game in Bronze, the lowest tier, there are massive amounts of trolls and ragers. People who disconnect over a trivial matter like missing a few dozen gold, in a game where you earn 10k-15k gold on average per game.

 

[MyrkrBrandr]

I used to have a girl skin... never again metalclaw=me

 

[Blazerboy | Noah]

i treat everyone like crap no matter their gender

#equality2014

 

[SixZoSeven]

The story was not intended as anything except a story.


The thing is, I don't agree with that portrayal, but that's an unconscious view that has been spread.
Physically, females may be generally weaker. They simply don't condition their bodies as often and vigorously as men might.
Mentally and emotionally, however, they are so much different from males that it's difficult for a relatively uneducated teenager such as myself to even try and grasp the differences.

snip

I'm going to go on a limb here and say you are in a U.S. history class, judging by your examples of John Marshall. (He and his court cases are part of U.S. history high school curriculum)

 

[Mooclan]

I'm going to go on a limb here and say you are in a U.S. history class, judging by your examples of John Marshall. (He and his court cases are part of U.S. history high school curriculum)

At this point, I think there's just some miscommunication or misinterpretation going on. I'm thoroughly confused.

 

[BitoBain]

I'm going to go on a limb here and say you are in a U.S. history class, judging by your examples of John Marshall. (He and his court cases are part of U.S. history high school curriculum)

You are absolutely right. It was just the first thing that came to mind when thinking about how men are often the instigators of change throughout history, despite the small impacts their actions really have on the everyday life of people. I guess the tangent was a bit much, but that's how I forum, haha.

 

[TicklishCreeper]

It's mainly the 10 year olds who have never spoke to a girl expect there mum before who are the wankers, remember moo the community is young to most girls "still posses cooties"

 

[Mooclan]

It's mainly the 10 year olds who have never spoke to a girl expect there mum before who are the wankers, remember moo the community is young to most girls "still posses cooties"

The young boys who still hold that theory are the ones that are the most respectful... but also the most impressionable.
The players between 11-14 are the ones who participate the most in trash-talking.
And the people between 15-19 are the ones who are incredibly "thirsty". (I still feel like I'm using the term 'thirsty' incorrectly.)