This Quiz Determines If You’re Sexist
In a Nutshell
Freya endorses "benevolent sexism" scale items like women deserving protection and men sacrificing for them, which the host labels as sexist toward men, introducing "mismeasurement of men" to critique flawed scales that pathologize natural sex differences and women's preferences for protective, formidable mates. Examples include Thai CCTV footage of women fighting off attackers while male companions hide, polls showing unwillingness to protect hurts attractiveness more than cheating, and trade-offs in male aggression control. Liberal women's unhappiness ties to unmet needs for belonging and stability, not true sexism, with modern "dangerous ecologies" like rough urban areas amplifying these evolved preferences.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Host questions Freya, described as the voice of Gen Z women, on sexism. Tanya's views are already known as they work together. Questions: Is it sexist towards men or women to believe:
- Women have a superior moral sensibility. >> Sexist toward men.
- Women have a quality of purity few men possess. >> Sexist toward men.
- Women have a more refined sense of culture and taste. >> Sexist toward men.
Next: Good or bad if men mostly agreed with:
- A good woman should be set on a pedestal. >> Good.
- Women should be cherished and protected by men. >> Good.
- Men should sacrifice to provide for women. >> Good.
- In a disaster, women need to be rescued first. >> Good.
- Every man ought to have a woman he adores. >> Good.
- Men are incomplete without women (despite accomplishments). >> Good.
- People are often happy without romance. >> Bad.
Host calls Freya a massive benevolent sexist. These are items from the benevolent sexism scale. Host polled followers; they agreed statements are sexist toward men or good.
Idea by Tanya, host, and colleagues: mismeasurement of men. References book The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould, critical of evolutionary psychology. They argue opposite: lack of evolutionary psychology insight creates problematic scales like toxic masculinity, benevolent sexism, male sexual entitlement.
Scales measure awareness of facts, e.g., "women are often attracted to muscularity and dominance" taken as toxic masculinity without attitude inference.
Scales like Kathy Newman: require extra inference, e.g., "you believe women deserve protection" implies "they should have autonomy limited for safety." This pathologizes women's preferences for protection/provisioning and men's desire to be attractive to women over avoiding sexism label.
Sorry to tell you if you're a man.
Freya asks if same as internalized misogyny. Not quite; benevolent sexism is one end of ambivalent sexism scale: hostile sexism (direct antipathy, "women are trash") vs. benevolent (subtle infantilizing). Concept could be real, but items absurd.
References New Statesman piece concluding liberal women unhappy; claimed first to address it. Freya notes she says same but attributes to unmet needs (belonging, protection, safety, stability) compassionately, yet called sexist. New Statesman draws different conclusions, not labeled sexist.
Your female privilege has been revoked... because you're white. Because you're right of center... You're an honorary man. Congratulations. It's three on one.
Literature confused why women attracted to benevolent sexism; items poorly written. Women attracted to men who believe women should be protected, not those limiting rights. Proper scale design would show no problematic attraction.
Viral Thailand CCTV: guy pulls knife to steal woman's bag; she fights him off, her male companion hides behind pillar. Reactions: "girl he's trash." Another man intervenes with helmet to head.
Women's preference for protection strong. Poll: women said stronger effect on attractiveness if man unwilling to protect than if he cheated in one-night stand.
Wonder if modern lack of war/hunting displays reduces visibility of male formidability. Students surprised by sex difference in upper body strength. TikTok trend: couples do handcuff challenge (man cuffs woman in 30 seconds); women aroused by strength difference.
Andrew Thomas ("do crav Maggar," martial arts): rare ability to turn aggression on/off. Most men can't; aggression bleeds. Women love aggressive protector (e.g., against knife attacker) but not toward them. MMA fighters often in domestic abuse situations; hard to turn off. Trade-off; smaller women in dangerous ecologies prefer strong/aggressive mates.
Modern equivalents: rough areas like in Birmingham.
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