View Single Post
Old 10-12-2008, 09:28 PM   #6 (permalink)
bluemonday
Thought Stylist
 
bluemonday's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Type: intp
Location: The deep end
Posts: 4,072
bluemonday is unique just like everyone else
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oleander View Post
I'm not sure how effective conclusions drawn from tests of this sort are. If you, for instance, do associate men with paid work and women with housework, does that show you are a male chauvinist who wants the world that way, does it show you are a feminist who sees the world trying to trap her in the home and hates it, does it show you feel forced to work and envy women free to stay at home, does it show you wish the modern world would go away so we could all live a simple village life clustered round the hearth? It may show what you feel to be true but it doesn't necessarily show why or whether you approve or not.
That's the whole point. Consciously, we may believe ourselves to be perfectly liberal and enlightened in these matters, but we are not immune to contamination by deep-ingrained cultural "norms".

It's not about judging people as chauvinist/feminist/racist/whatever. It's about revealing the way we process data at an unconscious level. It is useful because only by becoming aware of our unconscious prejudices, can we tackle the implications, both as individuals and as members of society.
bluemonday is offline   Reply With Quote