The term "mansplaining" is often used to silence opposing opinions that come from men. Cambridge Dictionary defines "mansplaining" as "explain[ing] something to someone in a way that suggests that they are stupid; used especially when a man explains something to a woman that she already understands." According to this definition, some might argue that mansplaining only applies when a man is being condescending to a woman. In practice, however, the idea of mansplaining is often extended to silence men who might have different opinions regarding issues like feminism. A man might also be accused of "mansplaining" even if he is talking about something that has nothing to do with gender. The concept of mansplaining hinders productive discussion and is sexist to both women and men.
I know what some of you are thinking: "Men cannot experience sexism! Only those with institutional power have the ability to be sexist!" First of all, this supposed definition of sexism is extremely sexist towards women. You're telling me that women in the world have never held any power? While there are some countries in the world in which women are treated like second class citizens, there are many countries in which women are CEO's or hold political office. Men can in fact experience sexism. Are men oppressed in the west? Not necessarily. However, men do often face unfair treatment in the United States; courts are often biased towards women in custody battles, and male victims of rape and domestic abuse are hardly ever taken seriously, but I digress. The concept of "mansplaining" is sexist towards men because it completely disregards a person's opinions and ideas simply because they came from a man. Are there experiences that women face that might be difficult for men to relate to? Sure. The same can be said for women trying to relate to some experiences that men face. However, someone should not be dismissed simply because of their gender. I've often seen cases in which men are silenced during conversations about gender issues. This is counter-intuitive; we're fighting for equality here! If we're going to talk about gender, then both women and men should be a part of that conversation because the last time I checked, there are more genders than just female.
As a woman myself, I find the idea of "mansplaining" to be insulting. Mansplaining is often code for "Be quiet because you disagree with me!" We are not so fragile that we cannot handle opposing views. Women are stronger than that! We are smart enough to defend our views. We do not need censorship. The idea that women should not have to listen to those who disagree with them is incredibly infantilizing. The truth is, there are always going to be people with opinions that you do not like. People are going to disagree with you. Defend your position on issues instead of silencing the opposition. The concept of mansplaining is counter-intuitive to the feminist movement as well. Feminism was supposed to be about promoting equality for women. Feminists should be encouraging women to be brave and assertive and stand up for what they believe, not hide while accusing the other side of "mansplaining." We as women are better than that. If we truly want to be equal to men, then we should not be afraid to have open discussions in which both men and women are free to express their opinions.
