Linguistic Misandry

Often, a language absorbs the prejudices of its speakers, like a sponge. New phrases, words, and entendres enter a tongue through the very people that, speak it. When they wish to refer the thing they hold in contempt, the colloquialisms they utter, are heard, repeated, and eventually standardized. Through this phenomena many bigoted sentiments can enter a culture subconsciously, often repeated by those who realize not what they say, as though they were only parrots. This can result in a severe bias against the people, who are being spoken of illy. More often than not, those, who are held in contempt by the language, do not realize it is they who are mocked, and repeat these sentiments, as though it were everyday speech. Imagine that.

The following is an assortment of misandric words and phrases, which are now standardized and cemented into our vocabularies. Included, will be their etymology, their definition, and why they impact the societal view of males negatively. Since it easier to see double standards and biased attitudes for what they are, when the same standards and attitudes are applied to a different group, female oriented versions of the following terms have been provided, so that it easier to see why they are insulting and demeaning. Hopefully this will allow a great deal of empathy to form.

1. -badguy- This is a phrase to describe a person, who is lacking moral character or one, who has committed some wrong. It implies, though, that all wrongdoers are male, since it is the title for females who lack moral character, or have committed a wrong, as well as the title for males of the same persuasion. The reverse would be to say “badgal”.
2. -girls are made up of sugar, spice, and everything nice, while boys are made up of snakes, and snails, and puppy dog tails- This is a saying said often to children, that denotes that everything about girls is good, while everything about boys is bad. The reverse would be to say “boys are made up of sugar, spice, and everything nice, while girls are made up of snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails.”
3. -ladies and germs- This is an old greeting in comic routines towards the audience. It is a pejorative phrase, which implies that men are neither mannered nor cleanly. The reverse would be to say “germs and gentlemen”.
4. -man-made disaster- This is a phrase which means that a catastrophe was started by humans, in some way, shape, or form. It implies, however, that only males are responsible for calamities. The reverse of this would be to say “woman-made disaster“.
5. -mansplaining- This is a neologism that is used to describe what is seen as a male habit of explaining things in a patronizing manner. It is often used to degrade and devalue the statements and beliefs of men in internet forums, by implying that the male speaker doesn’t really know what he is talking about, simply because he is male; and, it furthers and perpetuates stereotypes against men about just that. The reverse of this would be to say “femsplaining“
   
6. -the fairer sex- This is a title bestowed upon the female sex, which claims that they are more graceful, decent, and virtuous than males, simply because of their gender. The reverse of this would be to say that “males are the fairer sex.”
7. -women and children first- This is an ancient maxim and pseudo-law, which reinforces a mandate, in the minds of men, that they are of less value than their female counterparts; and, should sacrifice for them regardless of the situation and regardless of the cost incurred by them. The reverse would be to say “men and children first”.