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Feminism effects both sexes in a different way - opinions? [115]
This is actually a good example of what happens in the pack when one of its members expresses a dissenting point of view. Some of the pack members will mock, threaten, ostracize him for it. It takes courage to stand up to the pack.
I should try to explain what I meant. I don’t mean to be this longwinded but I’m afraid this is me.
Human societies organize themselves in various kinds of groups, both formal and informal such as countries, races, genders, rich, poors, cities, families, groups of friends, cyber-forums, etc. The ‘alpha male or female’ is the leader of such a group. This model of organization also exists in animals such as wolfes, chimpazees and possibly many others. When one of the members of such a group challenges the beliefs of the others, or the beliefs held by the group as a whole, and upheld by the ‘alpha’, the other members will try to protect the ‘alpha’ and themselves by discrediting the dissenting member. The more threatening the challenge, the more severe the reaction will be from the group. It can go from mockery, to insults, to threats, to duels, to isolation. For example, a threat to a ruling king would probably mean a death sentence to the challenger. A threat to a world view such as the one Galileo and Copernicus voiced had similar dire consequences for at least Galileo (I don’t know what happened to Copernicus).
Similarly, when a person adopts a position that goes against what the other members of that group think , that person will more than likely face a similar reaction, (mockery, insults, threats, duels, isolation).
Protecting, or siding, with women is often viewed as a challenge to men’s authority over women. Therefore, men will often react by mocking the man who sides with women. They might tease him by asking who wears the pants in his house, or by asking if he has been neutered, therefore attacking his masculinity, his virility and his ability to rule a woman. In certain groups, the ‘punishment’ might be much worst.
So, the ‘pack’ I referred to in this case = whoever believes that women are not equal to men as persons.
The dissenting member = Wolfie’s comment that women are equals.
The ‘punishment’ = the joke about him being neutered.
