If someone wrote a book where all the #Gender1′s were Stalins, each responsible for the deaths of tens of millions, and all the #Gender2′s were ordinary people who didn’t do much, I think that would be an anti-#Gender1 story, even though it’s the #Gender1′s who do big stuff.
It might be anti-both. If you insinuate that everyone of gender 1 is liable to become a genocidal dictator, that’s an insult to people of gender 1. If you insinuate that no one of gender 2 is liable to do anything substantial, that’s an insult to people of gender 2. Neither insult ceases to be insulting merely because you said something bad about the other people too.
It’s not about whether the story is pro-women or anti-women. It’s about whether the story reiterates common tropes that reinforce stereotyped roles for women and men that are harmful to one or both.
Some people do not prefer the role traditionally assigned to them. The existence of strong stereotyped roles makes it harder to do anything else. That seems sufficient to establish harm.
If someone wrote a book where all the #Gender1′s were Stalins, each responsible for the deaths of tens of millions, and all the #Gender2′s were ordinary people who didn’t do much, I think that would be an anti-#Gender1 story, even though it’s the #Gender1′s who do big stuff.
It might be anti-both. If you insinuate that everyone of gender 1 is liable to become a genocidal dictator, that’s an insult to people of gender 1. If you insinuate that no one of gender 2 is liable to do anything substantial, that’s an insult to people of gender 2. Neither insult ceases to be insulting merely because you said something bad about the other people too.
It’s not about whether the story is pro-women or anti-women. It’s about whether the story reiterates common tropes that reinforce stereotyped roles for women and men that are harmful to one or both.
The evidence that the traditional roles are harmful appears to be lacking.
Some people do not prefer the role traditionally assigned to them. The existence of strong stereotyped roles makes it harder to do anything else. That seems sufficient to establish harm.