Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!hao!hplabs!hpda!fortune!amdcad!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot
From: chabot@amber.DEC (l s chabot)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: "all" vs. "most"
Message-ID: <25@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Dec-84 16:53:35 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.25
Posted: Mon Dec 17 16:53:35 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Dec-84 06:27:54 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 52

To all who complain about the use of "most men" or "men" when somebody says 
something derogatory:  go soak your head (in a pig, if that's what you like).
Complain if you like, I don't care a bit, and Alan and others of his ilk, don't
go around bleating that so many of us women don't stand up to defend you.
Because consider the nonsense that we've all have had to put up with lately in
the area of derogatory generalities: 

  In net.singles, biannually: why are women attracted to jerks.  At best this
  is qualified as why do they seem to be attracted to jerks.  It's very rarely
  phrased even as a question such as: is it true that you're attracted to jerks?
  Even if "women" were qualified by "most", as Jeff W says, is this supposed
  to make me feel better?  You?

  In net.singles, currently: the breast size debate.  And the mention, perhaps
  humorously, that small-breasted women are unable to properly nourish babies.
  Are we assuming that breast-size is how we distinguish women from men: women
  have large breasts because it's better for nourishing babies, while men don't
  have large breasts because it's not necessary that they nourish babies?
  (And therefore women's breasts tend to grow larger, by natural selection.)
  And just what's small?  And is this "most" or "all"?  It really doesn't 
  matter: it's a completely preposterous hypothesis.

  In net.women: Women who think net.women.only could be properly used by 
  women are man-haters.  Hey, this even has some sort of basis--a private 
  letter received by someone from someone else claiming to be a man-hater.
  "Some women", therefore, is properly qualified.  Or rather, we should say
  "some woman." 

  Women buy according to what they see in ads, while men buy according to what
  is necessary.  

The above topics never generated as much useless heat about an explicit or
implicit "most" or "all" qualifier.  The reasonable people and the wild 
flamers (like me) of all sexes and species who chose to argue on either side
didn't waste time screaming they'd been wounded.  What's the difference between

	Women are stupid (or masochistic)(because they date jerks)

and	Men are assholes

Why does the latter attract so many complaints:  "Well, I'm not an asshole and
I resent that you say I am"?  Yes, it got some discussion too, but why don't 
the questions like the former get complaints: "Well, I'm not a stupid and I
resent you saying my boyfriend's a jerk"?  Come on, this is an equal
opportunity net: women can be whiners er winners too. 

Instead of complaining about not liking derogatory thing said, why don't you
propose a counter-argument.

L S Chabot
UUCP:	...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot
ARPA:	...chabot%amber.DEC@decwrl.ARPA