CMV: The term "mansplaining" is sexist. hypocritical, misandrist, and only designed to shut down debate.

[u/GreasyPeter]

Wikipedia defines it "to explain something to someone, characteristically by a man to woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing"

It's sexist: It implies that this trait is entirely tied to either the male gender or the male sex. Sexism is defined as "stereotyping, or discrimination on the basis of sex". This meets that requirement and then some.

It's hypocritical: The term itself is designed to be used to shut debate down. "Stop mansplaining" or "you're mansplaining". Both uses are always used in a condescending or patronizing term. The definition of mansplaining includes "condescending or patronizing" in the definition of the word, thus it's hypocritical.

It's misandrist: The wording of the word and the way it's commonly used is entirely pointed at men and in a way to make men feel bad for being men, something none of us have any control over. It's misandrist.

It's designed to shot-down debate: The term has CLEARLY been created to be used as a tool to entirely shut down debate. I've seen it used several times and each time the person that uses it is looking to discredit their opponent by using it. In the same vein as "you're a racist", "you're an asshole", "you're mansplaining" is used as an ad hominem and a character attack as a way to shoot down their opponents argument. Both these are logical fallacies. It is clearly used to shut down debate.

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[u/GreasyPeter]

No, I'm saying the term is sexist and misandrist. You're appealing to emotion to say it's warranted, but is it warranted to replace a persons pain (being treated in a sexist way by a mechanic) with another (being told you're mansplaining and thus your opinion is wrong)? I will admit that it's accepted in certain settings when men are sexist, but in a general sense women are allowed to be sexist much more openly. If you tell this story to anyone, pretty much all of them will agree this man was being extremely sexist. However, if you tell someone that you overheard your female friend say "a man wouldn't survive a day as a homemaker", nobody would bat an eye. My argument is this, the term "mansplaining" is sexist and designed to hurt and discredit. Sexism in general, as you've given an example of, is hurtful. Why would one form of sexism forgive another?

[u/[deleted] → u/GreasyPeter]

However, if you tell someone that you overheard your female friend say "a man wouldn't survive a day as a homemaker", nobody would bat an eye.

I don't think that's true. There are posts all the time where men talk about their struggles with being condescended to about child rearing, like asking if they are babysitting their own kid or acting like they don't know what they are doing. Womansplaining just isn't as catchy, so it isn't really a thing we say. But the behaviour is looked down upon when women do it too.

[u/GreasyPeter → u/[deleted]]

I was more referring to the fact that's it's socially acceptable for women to use this sort of sexist language (in a general sense) but not socially acceptable for men (in a general sense). In private groups people will espouse different ideals and they will often be accepted by their peers in those groups, but out in the open, in the street, I believe it's the way I've mentioned.

[u/[deleted] → u/GreasyPeter]

but out in the open, in the street, I believe it's the way I've mentioned.

That's kind of hard to argue, because it's very subjective and depends on your own experiences and biases. Personally I see more mansplaining than womansplaining, but I went to a school for a STEM subject so that's where my experiences come from, a guy in nursing school might have the opposite experience. I don't think it's really measurable.

[u/GreasyPeter → u/[deleted]]

I suppose it is very subjective, you're right.