Cedar Wrights Faux Pas

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GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 28, 2017 - 07:37pm PT
This is a fair and objective take on some comments he said on a bonfire podcast... A year ago.

micronut

Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
Jun 28, 2017 - 08:30pm PT
There is so much fundamentally wrong with so many of the statements in this article that I'm not sure where to start. That sure was a whole lot of writing for some skewed logic and misguided angst. Cedar seems like a funny guy with a big heart and this kind of drivel seems pretty off base. I think the author should stick to climbing and go out and have a little bit of fun outside.
ms55401

Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
Jun 28, 2017 - 08:35pm PT
[Click to View YouTube Video]
Srbphoto

climber
Kennewick wa
Jun 28, 2017 - 08:39pm PT
far from objective, mildly racist and sexist but it's her opinion and she has a right to voice it.
WBraun

climber
Jun 28, 2017 - 08:44pm PT
LOL .... Cedar trolled Erin.

Too funny .....
ontheedgeandscaredtodeath

Social climber
SLO, Ca
Jun 28, 2017 - 09:07pm PT
I listened to the enormocast, they were talking about the age old dynamics of members of the opposite sex climbing together. Date or not a date? Etc. The article twisted the booty shorts comment to fit her view, which seems a bit extreme to me but whatevs.
looks easy from here

climber
Ben Lomond, CA
Jun 28, 2017 - 09:15pm PT
Conversely, if he had said he enjoyed watching women climb in bootie shorts she would have written 9000 words about microaggressions.
nah000

climber
now/here
Jun 28, 2017 - 09:22pm PT
i read the article and based only on that was guessing this was overwrought unnecessary handwringing over a joke that hadn't quite landed...

but it was a good excuse to listen to the enormocast so i did that...



and to be honest, now that i've actually listened, i think she has a point regarding cedar's comments.

i think she could have used a different tack if her intent was to educate... but that's her prerogative and contrary to my guess, cedar did seem to be giving an honest and seriously intended answer when he made the comment.

the question that he was answering was regarding a woman asking something to the effect of "how can i get potential climbing partners to view me as a climber rather than just a hook up?"

cedar's answer didn't seem, to at least me, to be tongue in cheek, as i had originally guessed it would be... he genuinely seemed to be saying that along with a list of other serious answers that he gave, that one way for a woman to be taken more seriously was for her to not wear booty shorts and to wear modest baggy clothing...

calling this slut shaming and a reinforcement of rape culture, is, as far as i could tell as a podcast listener, pretty much spot on.



but who knows, maybe i missed something... before you get defensive or outraged, you should go and take 90 seconds to listen for yourself. once you download the enormocast cedar's quote starts at about 25:30. [and no i am not chris kalous... hahahaha]
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 28, 2017 - 09:30pm PT
Just a So Cal / Nor Cal thing, I guess. We've always been clothing light around LA based crags.

I can't say I've ever cared much about women's clothing at the cliffs, but man the sh#t some people get away with wearing in the sierra drives me nuts. I'm going to go full sharia law on November ascents of 14'ers, head to toe in Gore or you get trundled.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 28, 2017 - 10:13pm PT
Not true if I popped up next to you in a thong you would give a sh#t. You would be inspired.
nah000

climber
now/here
Jun 28, 2017 - 10:14pm PT
JB: an apology?

nah... just wanted to point out that i found the write up initially off putting, even if i did end up agreeing with her main point, once i'd listened to the podcast itself.

there was just too much vitriol, for even my tastes... hahaha.

i think most everyone agrees with the rest of your point, which is why cedar's comments will prob seem a bit strange to many of those that go beyond the article and actually listen to what he said...

GD: that's some funny shIt...
klaus

Big Wall climber
Florence & Normandy
Jun 29, 2017 - 06:27am PT
Is Seed Eater even relevant in the climbing world? Last I saw he was gripping Hon's chalkbag trying to be on camera saying "I'm more famous than you". Now he's a misogynist, big surprise huh?
cleo

Social climber
wherever you go, there you are
Jun 29, 2017 - 08:03am PT
wasn't there a stupid photoshoot ad recently with a bunch of guys climbing and a bunch of girls sitting around cheering them on? were cedar and alex in that too?

there was a thread about it here somewhere.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 29, 2017 - 08:35am PT
You mean this?

My current boycott list:
Cedar Wright
Daniel Woods
Jimmy Chin
Andrew Bishirat
John Long

I will never click on one of their YouTube videos ever ever again and if I see them at film festivals I will NOT make eye contact. May even say something passive aggressive under my breath as they walk by to my friends, I don't know I haven't planned that far ahead yet.

I used to sell $6,000 tempur-pedic beds to little old ladies that didn't want them but I would never stoop so low as to get paid for a photo shoot. F*#k that.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 29, 2017 - 08:55am PT
"Totally irrelevent"

nathanael

climber
CA
Jun 29, 2017 - 08:59am PT
yea the real movers and shakers in today's climbing scene are here on supertopo arguing about whether or not alex honnold should be free soloing
ontheedgeandscaredtodeath

Social climber
SLO, Ca
Jun 29, 2017 - 09:02am PT
I enjoyed the Enormocast and will listen to more of them. The discussion on lowering v rappelling off of sport climbs was relevant to me--- I went out with some core sport climbers to a core sport area last weekend and didn't really know whether to rap or lower. I asked and they said everyone lowers at the crag. Important stuff!!
skcreidc

Social climber
SD, CA
Jun 29, 2017 - 09:06am PT
I'm just somewhat intrigued with the idea that GDavis could show up next to me at the crag wearing a thong
skcreidc

Social climber
SD, CA
Jun 29, 2017 - 09:20am PT
Dude. Your moniker is BJ.
skcreidc

Social climber
SD, CA
Jun 29, 2017 - 10:19am PT
LOL! I admit I stepped into that one, but that's all I'll admit.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jun 29, 2017 - 11:39am PT
I'll be soloing Lembert Dome next week to Save Darfur. Like me!

Now I gotta get back to my hoovering to save my azz!
Killer K

Boulder climber
Sacramento, CA
Jun 29, 2017 - 11:40am PT
Wait... So I'm not supposed to say I like seeing women climb in booty shorts and Verve tops?

And I shouldn't expect that they're showing off their bodies to be seen? That's just what they wear that's comfortable..

Along the line of GDs thong ascent should I expect that its ok to wear my sporty boxer breifs to the gym because they're comfy? Or would that make people feel weird? I definitely wouldn't want a girl to be staring at my junk. That would make me uncomfortable. She might expect that I want to go on a date or worse rape me.

But I have pretty hairy legs... not sure if that's a turn on. But man I bet I could high step without the restriction of shorts/pants.

Aren't we supposed to be sexually attracted to people that are almost naked?

I think that judgement lies in the eye of the beholder and his or her actions reflect upon the integrity of the person. There are bad people out there for sure. But where do you draw the line and who's choice is that?

YOURS
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
Jun 29, 2017 - 12:33pm PT
Will everyone PLEASE stop complaining about booty shorts? The best thing at the crags since the crags! I think there's little doubt they're designed to be sexy, and that's A-O-K with me. On a related note, a billion years ago when my wife and I were cragging at City of Rocks, a fabulously good looking Euro couple was coming down the route we were coming up to do. The woman was lowering in short, baggy, almost-not-there dolphin-style running shorts. Her buns were practically exploding out of her leg loops. Seemed a bit much to me, but that doesn't mean I was able to look away, which, maybe was the point. Oh well. Tempest, meet Teapot. Articles like this make me wanna gag. Yep, Cedar is full-on in support of rape culture. Good gawd. Go climbing and get over yourself.

BAd
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 29, 2017 - 01:52pm PT
Embrace the Boulder lifestyle and see how fast they will turn on you... Home boy should have stayed in the woods of NorCal where men are men and so are the women.
anita514

Gym climber
Great White North
Jun 29, 2017 - 04:25pm PT
yea the real movers and shakers in today's climbing scene are here on supertopo arguing about whether or not alex honnold should be free soloing
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 29, 2017 - 04:28pm PT
It's not whether or not he should be free soloing, it's what it has to do about me that I am interested in.
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jun 29, 2017 - 06:43pm PT
Well written, thoughtful article that got the predictable amount of disdain from the ST crowd.
Reeotch

climber
4 Corners Area
Jun 29, 2017 - 07:21pm PT
Ladies at the crag in booty shorts - not a problem.

Guys at the crag wearing booty shorts - big problem.

And, btw, if you're going to wear the booty shorts, make sure you can rock the booty shorts . . .
drF

Trad climber
usa
Jun 29, 2017 - 07:21pm PT
Thoughtful article??? LoL

ST distain or not....

Terrible write-up

Victum = Want

Donini fail
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jun 29, 2017 - 09:08pm PT
So often in these cases, "questions" asked are in fact not questions at all. An honest question is an inquiry to find out new information, not a baiting ritual or a "set up." Whenever a person asks a question with the "right" answer in their minds, and the person's answer does not square with his/hers, you get what often the questioner was fishing for in the first place: A rhubarb, and a change to bust out a persecution complex and another poor subject as rant bait. All too often this gets fobbed off as activism per sexism. The later is a serious issue that often gets subsumed by anger, which many feel is rightly earned. Seems like one of those loaded issues that few can approach with a clear head. Never seen blaming and rancor ever solve something so explosive.

The issue of booty shorts, seen in the larger context, involves anyone - male or female - who wants to look hot. Who wouldn't if you are toned, fit and 20 years old. Arguing that such threads sends the wrong message begs the question: The wrong message to who? And who is the arbiter of said dress code? The idea that booty shorts promote testosterone poisoning is questionable. Men have been on the prowl long before booty shots hit the market.

Wright's comment about females not being taken seriously if clad in booty shorts seems a bit off base. The larger question is "taken seriously" in what way?

I think the underlying issue is that some take girls in booty shorts very seriously, as potential hook-ups and nothing else. That is an issue for sure, but it's not an exclusive product of a hetero, male, western archetype. That's as ludicrous as feeling it is any man's right to hit on any girl at the other end of your rope, who likely just wanted to go climbing. That's chump behavior - we can easily see why.
Brian in SLC

Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
Jun 29, 2017 - 09:15pm PT
Shake those money makin' booty shorts!

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/439788/The-Classic-Pumping-Sandstone-by-John-Long-Climbing-1978
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 29, 2017 - 09:45pm PT
But would you wear North Face booty shorts?
I don't think I could support that.

Can't wear short shorts without a hillbilly beard...
nah000

climber
now/here
Jun 29, 2017 - 10:40pm PT
kudos to cedar for the standup response he posted to the article in question:

Hey! Everyone. Cedar Wright Here. I'm going to repost this here.... originally written on shared on Erin's facebook that linked to this blog post.

Upfront, I want to apologize. I was improvising during the podcast, trying to get a laugh. To be clear, I agree with the other posters that people should be judged on their actions and character and not on what they wear. While this podcast was a few years ago, I believe this comment was in response to someone asking how not to be viewed as a hookup, but as a climbing partner. I should not have said that women should not wear booty shorts. People should be able to wear whatever they want when they climb. I think that this is an important discussion to have and while it is uncomfortable for me to be in the crosshairs, I’m glad that it can promote discussion and bring more awareness to the ways we subconsciously subjugate women. But, I think that something we can all agree on is that the photoshop picture of me and the pope is pretty funny!
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 30, 2017 - 12:29am PT
Turns out his words were taken out of context


oh well


back to thongs...........
ß Î Ř T Ç H

Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
Jun 30, 2017 - 01:44am PT
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jun 30, 2017 - 06:26am PT
Good on Cedar for making himself clear.

One of the problems or challenges of addressing these issues is that someone can make inflamatory comments (it's all the "fault" of white, Gringo, hetero males, yada yada) and if you take issue with part of that rant, you are pillored as condoning rape. Glad to see this thread didn't go there.

If nothing else this brought more notice to a real issue - shitheels pestering women. I am associated with a outdoor brand athletic team and I've not only had to sack a few guys who were acting out of line but also have heard more than a few females relate traumatic run ins with people well known in the climbing world who deserve to be taken behind the shed and shot. This goes on much more often then most people are aware of - and I'm not talking about tasteless statements, but sexual terrorism.

Cedar in not remotely in that class - not even. He's always been a stand up, gracious guy and I'm relieved that he's cleared the air in this regards.

But outing predators at the crags should happen sooner than later. You see what shape it leaves people in and you're reach for a machete. Believe me.
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
Jun 30, 2017 - 07:12am PT
Exactly, Mr. Largo! As anyone who has followed Cedar knows, the comment was a drive-by joke in a flowing conversation, the kind of joke the women make about men ALL THE TIME. The problem with so many commentators these days is a total lack of a sense of humor. This is well documented on college campuses these days with some icons of standup humor refusing to perform at these venues--Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock to name two. Folks need to chill the eff out.

BAd
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 30, 2017 - 10:22am PT
It looks like you are creating a narrative. Long isn't a bad guy and is cut from a different kind of cloth than the kids are today and may be rough around the edges, and hey this might be the first time he has ever 'replied' to me (just posting in the thread).

Does Long only reply to Ed because he is a man or because he is Ed? I think Ed is a pretty special guy...

Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jun 30, 2017 - 11:05am PT
Largo is condescending to everyone in the "mind" thread, it has nothing to do with gender, it's part of his blowhard over the top schtick, the same "voice" you've read in his climbing writing for decades, but the humor doesn't really translate in the "mind" subject matter, it just comes across as a condescending poser.



How'd this become about me. Rough around the edges... Sort of unaware of how I'm coming off.

Mercy...

Thing about the mind thread is that there is an attitude that many bring to that thread that smugly assumes that so long as an idea is couched in mechanistic terms, it automatically is the shizzle, no matter how logically incoherent it is. ANY contrary position is, to this wood-brained fraternity - more of the "enormous amounts of bullshit" piled on by me and others. That is, the mechanistic angles are "serious," all others being so much bullsh#t. That's so absurd people believing so deserve to get roasted. I make no apologies for doing so.

I have approached that thread from another angle, intentionally couching my response with the same smugness offered by the other camp. This literally fries the circuits of some, who feel such an attitude is rightly earned through quantifications, but is "posing" when coming from another perspective, no matter the sources.

But this thread is about something more important.

That much said, "sexist" is a serious accusation, not to be confused with the fallout from people who have a certain model response in mind as what is "correct" per how people are supposed to talk about all issues female and male. Those are the posers in my book.

What's more, when you question a theme, idea or position from someone who is incidentally a woman, and the "reason" given for you to have taken issue in the first place is because you are a privileged white hetero male (NOT the issue), you deserve to get dissed as a troll, because that's what you are.

It is not axiomatic that when you take another angle than that offered by a female, you are sexist etc. Anyone taking this position fits Churchills definition of a fanatic: A person who can't change their mind and can't change topics.

And Kevin, my brother. Easy. As we speak, a bevy of snarling viragos are jabbing hatpins into a felt likeness of your person.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 30, 2017 - 12:02pm PT
Nothing wrong with being rough around the edges, dawg. Most of us here are. Or are you a big ol softy, quick to love and long to dismiss?
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Jun 30, 2017 - 12:15pm PT
Go stand next to donini, Kev.

HFS comment from you? Tsk tsk. :0)

I've loved lurking on this discussion.

Sh#t like this needs to be aired, for sure.
NutAgain!

Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
Jun 30, 2017 - 12:50pm PT
In my mind, a person's actions and demeanor matter much more than their clothing if they want to be taken seriously as a climber. As long as a person has the gear they need, doesn't whine on the approach or at uncomfortable belay stations or when the sun gets too hot or when it might or does rain or when you run our of food or water or when you lose some skin or blood... basically a person who rolls with the punches and catches you when you fall, what more can you ask for? What the heck does clothing have to do with it?

If my partner is an attractive lady in skimpy clothes, I can outwardly pretend for civility, but I won't deny my internal biological reaction. That said, it would not diminish me taking the person seriously as a climber at all. That is a totally separate thing. BUT... it might enter in the calculus how my wife would react to it and make me want to avoid jealousy issues. So a person who dresses in a sexually provocative way might consider how that impacts their ability to find experienced partners. If you want to climb while meeting active singles, sure be provocative. If you really want to find a solid climbing partner, consider what are the potential concerns for your partner who might be in a relationship that is not immune to jealousy, and act in a way to ameliorate those concerns if you really just want to climb without limiting your partner choices.


I have no issues at all with people expressing themselves in whatever way they want. We should all have the freedom to be who we want to be. While we choose what we are, we can't force how other people react to that. We can try publicly shaming people to act differently, to pretend that jealousy is not a potential factor in life, and maybe in the long term this is a necessary phase of creating real societal change. I don't know. But in the short term, this just creates a bigger gap between reactions that people publicly display versus what is really going on inside. Climbing relationships, by the nature of the activity, have a tendency to become intimate (in the sense of trust and closeness and sharing- not talking about sex here). My guess is that many marriages, even those characterized by happiness and security and trust, would be challenged by an attractive climbing partner of the opposite sex who develops that type of intimacy with their spouse. It's not impossible, just an extra challenge that many people will strive to avoid.

So the irony here is that by dressing in a way that can be construed as sexually suggestive, a female climber would potentially turn off many potentially good partners for them. Dudes who have been climbing for years and have their sh!t together, who are in relationships and not looking for another sexual partner but are wary of a spousal reaction. That leaves potential partners as females, gay dudes, or single guys who might be on the prowl for sexual signals as well as a climbing partner.

Does this way of thinking make me pragmatic or a caveman? Pragmatic caveman? I like to think I am enlightened about my own behavior, but I won't pretend that we all live on some elevated plane.

p.s. My argument passes the sniff test for me personally if I reverse the sexes... hot young dude climbing with a married lady should not be strutting around in speedos with oiled up shaved chest. Is taking the shirt off crossing the line? Depends on the weather and type of climbing and the personality of the married lady and her spouse. Just be considerate of those you want to associate with.
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jun 30, 2017 - 01:26pm PT
"While we choose what we are, we can't force how other people react to that. We can try publicly shaming people to act differently, to pretend that jealousy is not a potential factor in life, and maybe in the long term this is a necessary phase of creating real societal change. I don't know. But in the short term, this just creates a bigger gap between reactions that people publicly display versus what is really going on inside."

Keenly observed. Note that once a person comes from an activist stance, they often give themselves full liberty to rant about everyone "out there," while disclosing nothing about "what is going on inside." Why this is worth mentioning is that what's prowling inside often fuels the activism - and for damn good reason.

If activists would disclose the inside, their message would carry much more weight then the disembodied rant.
drF

Trad climber
usa
Jun 30, 2017 - 07:56pm PT
Wax-on Wax-off
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jun 30, 2017 - 08:45pm PT
^^^^ Hard to discount a gud colonic.
Andy KP

climber
Jul 1, 2017 - 10:49am PT
We once had to wait for the local secret Army testing base to f*#k up in order to find out who was crazy, who would follow them, but now all we need is the internet. Who's coming out into the mist with me?
WyoRockMan

climber
Grizzlyville, WY
Jul 1, 2017 - 11:35am PT
Wax-on Wax-off
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 3, 2017 - 09:46pm PT
People engage with Hartouni because he's willing to indulge the ridiculous amount of bullshit that gets tossed around here, and still write lengthy and serious replies. His input is valued because it is thoughtful, clear, measured, and intelligent.

I also can't believe I've been evoked in this thread, but I don't have any delusion that that makes the thread about me.

If I my posts here are indeed "thoughtful, clear, measured, and intelligent" it is because I try to read the conversation carefully and craft a response I think is appropriate. I would not usually post to this thread but it seems I've been invited to.

I know both sycorax and Largo in real life, and I would not mistake their writing here as a characterization of their more complex ideas on various issues, they both respond with styles intended to make their points, and I take them as a starting point for thinking. And while I might initially take their posts personally, I do move beyond that initial reaction and try to parse out the issues they are raising in their responses.

In this same way, I read Erin Monahan's blog post. Needless to say, I am not a woman, and I don't experience the world the way a woman does. So I take seriously the blog's argument, and perhaps one of the primary points is "just who decides what makes a serious climber?"

Warbler's been all over this on other threads, he makes the orthodox case that men and women are different and that the "innate" ability of men make them serious, while women, lacking that "innate" ability do not measure up and are not serious. It will be pointed out by Warbler that "innate" in this case has to do with some physical attribute, and one that correlates poorly with elite climbing ability, however, it is based on his considered opinion from personal experience garnered over years of climbing.

Warbler is down right upset when this opinion is questioned and will fight this battle whenever it comes up (as it has on this thread, again).

However, I would suggest to Warbler and others arguing from this same vantage point that women like Erin, sycorax and quite a number of others who post here were equally upset when their experience, over years, is dismissed as "not relevant" to the discussion because they obviously have a biased point of view, or they are not being "genuine," or have not confessed some inner conflict that actually drives them. Largo writes from his experience, which is biased, and I haven't asked him to disclose all of the skeletons he has in his closets.

While climbing accomplishment may be offered as an "objective" measure, it is quite clear that such a measure is far from "objective." Lynne Hill's free climb on The Nose did not receive nearly the attention that it should have, it stands as an amazing climbing feat, and closed the door on the "Golden Era" of climbing, which started with the first ascent of The Nose.

It was amazing to hear the stories of the women who attended the 2014 Oakdale's Climbers' Festival. And it was equally dispiriting that these stories had been largely untold in the larger climbing community.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2386489/Oakdale-Climbers-Festival-2014-A-Womans-Reach

Certainly this was as serious as anything I'd heard about climbing, Warbler's exploits included.

I don't have much to add to the "politics" of this thread, I like to go out climbing, and I hope that my partners, men and women, like to go out climbing with me, sometimes for fun, sometimes for serious adventures where I depend on them for their abilities, their skills, and their desire to climb. I don't much worry about what they will wear, it seems their personal choice to make, they are serious climbers and I trust their judgments.

But I would ask that you seriously consider these voices that have not been heard, and that you not discount their experiences. Instead try to see what the point is, one that is very different from your own (and I mean mostly to the white guys who are reading this) and make some space in this activity that we all are so passionate about for those different voices, and in that effort make it much better than it is now for all who would pursue it, and allow those amazing accomplishments that will come from that by the women and men who will perform them.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2017 - 10:56pm PT
There is such a thing in 2017 as clickbait titles that generate interest to drive website traffic.

That being said, this was an offhand comment at a campfire a year ago (LOCKER ROOM TALK LOL) with silly personal jabs based on some pretty far stretching assumptions about a real life person, and like another one or two, who otherwise seem pretty a'ight.

Despite all the legitimate points on either end, the emotional arguments on display and the inevitable descent into madness is a specticle to partake and enjoy for some of us on the internet.

And that's pretty neat.

Carry on.
perswig

climber
Jul 4, 2017 - 01:59am PT
Life's just a big Rorschach test...

Dale
c wilmot

climber
Jul 4, 2017 - 05:24am PT
This is third wave feminist rhetoric targeting a new demographic.
It's a played out argument

Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
Jul 4, 2017 - 06:50am PT
Another angle on this discussion-and I don't think it's been mentioned yet-is the pure animal behavior aspect of dress, actions, etc., which apply to both males and females, of course. If you haven't already done so, read Desmond Morris' The Naked Ape, which is a zoologist's take on human behavior. Dressing, especially something like "booty shorts," is a form of primate signaling. Men show off, flex, go for the big moves, try to help the "little ladies" on their proj's, etc., etc. It is impossible to argue from a utilitarian aspect that booty shorts are required to climb hard. So what are we left with? It's a style choice, and one that sends a signal. What men do with that signal is at the crux of the matter. We can chill the eff out, show women respect, and appreciate the view discreetly, or we can degenerate in our responses. On the other end of the spectrum are cultures that refuse to allow such displays. Welcome the Taliban, Saudi Arabia, et al. Now, cranking hard in a burka, that would be difficult!

BAd
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 4, 2017 - 06:56am PT
I've climbed a lot in Sweden and a bit in Norway. Admittedly, it was a while ago, but I distinctly recall a very harmonious atmosphere. It takes two to tango, but I also don't recall any 'booty shorts'. The prevailing insectivore population governed that.
wbw

Trad climber
'cross the great divide
Jul 4, 2017 - 08:21am PT
While climbing accomplishment may be offered as an "objective" measure, it is quite clear that such a measure is far from "objective." Lynne Hill's free climb on The Nose did not receive nearly the attention that it should have, it stands as an amazing climbing feat

I don't know about that Ed. Had Lynn's climb occurred today, the general public would know more about it due to the internet, but amongst climbers that I know, I think most would say Lynn's freeing of the Nose is one of the most significant accomplishments ever. Given the time, how much more attention do you think she should have received? (Not that I wouldn't want to see her get a multi-year million-dollar contract, but does any climber get that level of attention?)

Based on her blog, I would say that EM does not come across as a feminist. I had a similar conversation with a twenty-something woman recently, who tried to convince me how oppressed all women are by men (conveniently forgetting her own Ivy League education and the fact that she has been so privileged her entire life that making the case that she has been oppressed by anyone is a real stretch).

For some random reason I'm getting nightmare flashbacks of the Hildebeast campaign, and her failed claim that she somehow represented oppressed people. Now that is something really worth barfing about, EM.

Living and working in Boulder, it's pretty scary how many men-hating women there are that call themselves feminists. I've been told the latest Wonder Woman clearly shows the inmate strength of women in a positive way, while other films that have a female lead in short-shorts are just men turning women into sexualized objects. I'm still trying to figure out the difference, but my sense is it has more to do with the gender of the director of Wonder Woman than anything else.

I'll run a guess here that EM is more about some kind of unresolved issue she has with her father than about being a feminist.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 4, 2017 - 09:30am PT
Testosterone certainly bulks up muscle mass, and provides additional strength, but climbing isn't so one dimensional, and many many climbing programs focus on specific attributes like hand and forearm strength and endurance and strength-to-weight ratios, but also on building skills, including judgements made executing activities.

A recent NYTimes article pointed out that "Neuroscientists are uncovering evidence suggesting that when men take testosterone, they make more impulsive — and often faulty — decisions." So there's a bit more science to add into the mix.

Decision making is an important part of climbing, and here we have research indicating that testosterone might not help, in fact it might be detrimental. How do you weigh the pros and cons of testosterone to climbing ability and achievement? I don't think there is much science on that (and what science there is does not indicate that overall muscle mass is a positive for elite climbers).

As for "objective tests" it will be interesting to see how the Olympic competitions are set up, and particularly the composition of the committees that decide what events are fielded, and how those events are actually executed and how the performances are judged. Committees consisting of a cross section of the competing demographic (let's assume these events are combined men and women) would be the most effective, assuming that the committee decisions represent the consensus view.

The above comments:

Life's just a big Rorschach test...

This is third wave feminist rhetoric...

...pure animal behavior...

I've climbed a lot in Sweden and a bit in Norway. Admittedly, it was a while ago, but I distinctly recall a very harmonious atmosphere.

...conveniently forgetting her own Ivy League education and the fact that she has been so privileged her entire life that making the case that she has been oppressed by anyone is a real stretch...

For some random reason I'm getting nightmare flashbacks of the Hildebeast campaign...it's pretty scary how many men-hating women there are that call themselves feminists... I'll run a guess here that EM is more about some kind of unresolved issue she has with her father than about being a feminist.

regard the degree of seriousness with which we should take the arguments of Monahan's blog post, they do not attempt to discuss, in anyway, the points she is making.

Every comment above essentially dismisses Monahan's criticism, calling into question the validity of that criticism. These comments come from a very narrow slice of participants in climbing. There is every reason to believe that these comments present as biased a view as they claim is Monhan's.

Comments like Wright’s that admonish women for their choice of clothing, and films where women are framed as bimbos leave no question as to whether or not our slice of climbing life is untouched by sexism. When the same tired narratives are told, the same flippant voices are heard, the same (usually white male) bodies are in action, a great portion of our community is ignored and silenced. Pro-climbers or not, we are all responsible for shaping safe spaces for our community. Too often, the emotional labor of educating our community to the reality of racism and sexism falls on the shoulders of the most marginalized. This can be a very heavy burden. All of the rhetorical aversions and desperate rationalizations that people often throw at women for standing up for their autonomous space gets exhausting. The industry is stagnate and slow to real change because the poster boys of climbing take up the majority of the space. The question is, are they willing to correct themselves and be advocates for women and minorities taking up more space?


Many women have said, repeatedly, that they feel marginalized by men in climbing, and in some cases feel unsafe because of unwelcome advances not knowing what the outcome of those advances will be, I take that seriously.


Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 4, 2017 - 09:58am PT
That's one take, but not a complete picture.

Taking a risk using the faulty notion that you are going to "beat the odds" because you have false confidence in your ability doesn't lead to climbing accomplishment.

While we have many stories of people who have "beat the odds" we tend not to hear much about those that didn't, in spite of their confidence, except on the occasion that the outcome is tragic. Then we usually attribute the tragedy to being an "accident" rather than a failure of judgment brought on by over confidence.

The balancing of risk has at least two parts to it: the identification of the consequences, and the likelihood of success. In general, climbers try to stack the deck in their favor and engage in activities to greatly increase the likelihood of success especially when the consequences could be fatal, or grievously injurious.

I think the issue is tremendously more complex than your simple representation.
rick sumner

Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
Jul 4, 2017 - 10:10am PT
WTF?

Climbing is no longer the last refuge of white scoundrels?
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 4, 2017 - 10:18am PT
Good judgement and climbing - the gold standard of oxymorons.
aldude

climber
Monument Manor
Jul 4, 2017 - 10:51am PT
I would agree with your premise in regards to extreme mountaineering Kevin...rock climbing however is a different matter. Being relatively free from objective danger and altitude restraints rock climbing is as safe as you wish to make it.
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 4, 2017 - 10:56am PT
From lack of drive to lack of clothes.




Susan

SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 4, 2017 - 11:55am PT
Ask any feminist - men are disposable

Ah no. They can be trained as belay slaves. Even load humpers.


Susan
Alexey

climber
San Jose, CA
Jul 4, 2017 - 12:08pm PT
Hi Susan, what do you think about Erin Monahan's article?
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 4, 2017 - 12:34pm PT
...and males are more physiologically wired for it than women.

less talk, more evidence... you got any?
I think not.

Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 4, 2017 - 01:08pm PT
less talk, more evidence... you got any?

"Hold my beer, watch this."
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 4, 2017 - 01:09pm PT
Testosterone increases risk taking behavior

At the extreme ends of climbing, risk taking = higher standards


we know testosterone increases risk taking,

your following assertion, however, is two fold,:

a) extreme climbing equates with risk taking

b) extreme climbing equates with higher standards

I think both are debatable, and invite you to defend your assertions. I think both are highly questionable. Certainly b) has a recent example of the El Cap solo, which didn't push any technical standards, but could certainly be called "extreme" at least in the way I'd define the two words.

GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 4, 2017 - 01:51pm PT
I like to post controversial topics on forums like these because it usually gets posts from people who otherwise don't spend much time on the Internet. These people have the really fun ideas.


Meanwhile half the posts reinforce the stereotype Erin is referencing, so lol.

Great post Ed, unfortunately while I apply that logic to card games I can't seem to find the true value of risk in life...
perswig

climber
Jul 4, 2017 - 02:00pm PT
Dr. Hartouni, feel free to go hammer and tongs with Warbler, and I thank you for it, but my comment:

Life's just a big Rorschach test...

was agreeing with GDavis about this:

Despite all the legitimate points on either end, the emotional arguments on display and the inevitable descent into madness...

and an observation about all of our responses in this thread.
I'll cop to laughing at all of us, but to suggest I'm being in that moment dismissive or misogynistic seems a bit harsh.


Carry on.
Dale

nah000

climber
now/here
Jul 4, 2017 - 07:00pm PT
The Warbler writes: "I mean cmon lady, just accept that men and women are different"

"As I've suggested, Ed, you and other feminists confidently imply or outright state that female climbers can match male performance, but haven't yet because of the injustices of our patriarchal society. I disagree, from what I've seen, but I have an open mind. Women can be awesome, talk is cheap."



and from what i've seen, The Warbler, just surfs on the coattails of his male brethren... has he matched the performance of his male counterparts?

by his [her?] logic, that must mean he is a woman...

i too have an open mind, and agree that talk is cheap.

so far i have yet to be disproved in my theory...



in all seriousnes TW, you don't seem to understand that the definition of sexism is viewing an individual through the lens of a conceptualized collective.

if ines papert, climbs harder in the alpine than 99.9999% of climbers [male or female] how does your bull crappy about "men and women being different" [as categories] hold any water?

hint: it doesn't.



you confuse facts [the hardest red point free climber at this moment in history is generally assumed to be male] with dubious opinions: men and women, as categories, are "different"...

what you don't want to face is that individuals are way more different, than this category you walk around viewing the world through. there is more variance between random individuals than there are between "men" and "women", or "male" and "female", as categories.



which is kind of the whole point of this conversation.

people should be respected and accepted as the individuals that they are, rather than being viewed through the lens of for example "the best at x is currently white and female which means all white and female necessarily have more potential" or some variation of that type of thinking...

with the usual being, the vicee versa that you are espousing.

you do see how the first part of the statement is just stating a fact, whereas the second half is the definition of racism and sexism [defining an individual's potential based on their color or sex]?



but my favorite part of your purposely twisted logic [What I did say is that mens' physiology, particularly the presence of testosterone, gives them a basically insurmountable advantage over women at the extreme end of climbing, and almost every physical endeavor. I fully realize there are women who can kick ass in all realms on most men. - you do see how you yourself, have to immediately contradict your first statement ...] is your use of "heforshe"...

i'm sure you think it is clever.

a nice way of being politically incorrect, that has the added bonus of being plausibly deniable regarding its connotation.

nice work...

i like that guys like you have to use coded and double entendre language to hint at your true thoughts regarding things.

to me, it means thinking like you are espousing is going the way of the dinosaur...

while i'm sure it will hang on, just like there are those that are still arguing that black and white folks [as categories] are "different", i'm glad to know that it is your type of thinking that has to be coded and slightly in the closet rather than the reverse, as was the case for the thousands of years prior...
rick sumner

Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
Jul 4, 2017 - 07:08pm PT
^^^^^
So, So PC.

You sound just like the rest of the broken records out there.
nah000

climber
now/here
Jul 4, 2017 - 07:11pm PT
^^^^

no need for the whole two letter acronym... until you can show me otherwise, you're good to go with just the last letter...

but, let's hear your rebuttal...

and please be explicit regarding what exactly i said that is incorrect.
WBraun

climber
Jul 4, 2017 - 07:12pm PT
I bet anything Cedar is laughing his ass off at how even Supertopo got trolled by his jokes.

I remember when James trolled you fools with the midnight lightning boulder lightning bolt bullsh#t.

We were laughing our asses off at how you fools got trolled ......
High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber
Jul 4, 2017 - 09:04pm PT
Warbler, you are 100 per cent spot on on a number of counts.

A few opiners here would do themselves well it seems were they to read no study Roy Baumeister's Is There Anything Good about Men...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/019537410X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1499227011&sr=8-3&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=Roy+baumeister

Evo psych to the rescue. 😃

Imo, you've got excellent intuition in this area - no doubt developed from both education and experience - while it's clear many others here do not.
High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber
Jul 4, 2017 - 09:26pm PT
Re feminism...

I do identify w feminism though. And I'd call myself a feminist in its most basic definition. I just don't appreciate biological deniers who reject the claim out of ignorance or ideology that men and women are wired differently.

The term is messy though, this is unfortunate.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 4, 2017 - 09:26pm PT
I am still not convinced that climbing is as simple an athletic activity as swimming or running, and certainly as even those activities extend to longer distances, the gaps between women and men are smaller.

But particularly in open water swimming the differences are much smaller than your 10%.

In climbing, however, you have a climber like Pamela Pak doing hard off-width climbs, and FA'ing them also, as hard as or harder than everyone else. So that is something that suggests that the advantages of being a man in terms of strength do not translate directly into "elite climbing" ability.

Away from your definition of "elite climber" or "extreme climbing" are the rest of us, and that group is much more homogenous, with climbers, men and women, possessing a range of abilities (some quite extraordinary). In this group the differences are much less pronounced.

HFCS, do you climb? I forget what the answer to that is, and you don't actually remind me very often with comments to climbing threads.
F

climber
away from the ground
Jul 4, 2017 - 09:47pm PT
I think Kevin is trying to say that pink is heavy...?
ontheedgeandscaredtodeath

Social climber
SLO, Ca
Jul 4, 2017 - 10:31pm PT
One thing I've always loved about climbing is that many of my heroes are women. Lynn Hill's free nose (and everything that went into it) basically influenced all of my climbing. I'm not sure what Warbler is arguing...if he is saying women are less likely to be running backs in in the NFL then I agree. If he is saying males have an inherent edge on women in climbing I disagree. Even a casual observer of climbing sees women doing hard core sh#t. I think many of us might agree that the cutting and defining edge of our sport is alpininism. That discipline is dominated by Eastern Europeans raised in the crucible of the Cold War. Not many women in those cultures were provided an opportunity to participate. Also, An important spect of alpine climbing is not getting killed. Who knows what the future may hold??
wbw

Trad climber
'cross the great divide
Jul 5, 2017 - 07:43am PT
Look at Ed, all riding around on his high horse. Even though I agree with politically progressive people on nearly all policy issues, Ed's tone of liberal elitism is exactly what loses me with the progressive movement. Personally, that attitude of "I know what's best for everyone, and if they don't agree with me I'll just shame them with my outrage" is one of the scariest attitudes going on in our political "discourse" these days. Even though I was and am just as concerned about Trump as anyone paying attention, it was exactly the type of attitude that Ed is putting on display here that made me think I could not vote for Hillary. (And by the way Ed, before you shame me for that, we live in a country where a citizen has the right to vote for a third party candidate if they choose to.)

EM wonders if men will accept climbers that look different from themselves at the crag. Well, I do and have for all the years that I have climbed. My partners have included (and still include) women (who btw often climb a lot better than I), people of color, people of many different nationalities, ages and also some old white guys like me. I really don't think a single one of them would accuse me of having been disparaging or disrespectful or not-encouraging in any way as a climbing partner. Nonetheless, to folks like EM and Ed, I am personally responsible for all the transgressions that all men may have committed against any woman at any time, simply because of my race and gender. (Which is particularly ironic in Ed's case because he's an old white guy! Maybe his outrage massages his sense of guilt for being male and white, which seems to motivate many of the liberal elites here in Boulder.)

I have a daughter who I'm raising to be strong, intelligent, capable, and to believe in her ability to do whatever she wants with her life. I want her to be inspired by people who show what is possible in life in a positive way. Not by people whose identity is totally wrapped up in the sense of having been victimized somehow, and who are driven by their sense of entitlement and outrage. In this regard, I have a very strong interest in a world that presents opportunities equally to all. And btw, I also want those opportunities for my son, which I'm sure would outrage EM and Ed. Women and other "oppressed classes" don't own a monopoly on being victimized; (try being an old white guy working in the Boulder public school system. Discrimination is alive and well in some of the places you might least expect it.)

We all have our experiences of having been judged inaccurately by someone that doesn't really know us, and this is what every single one of us that is human should be trying not to do. EM's, Ed's, and Hillary's liberal, elite attitudes do not indicate the path forward, just more of the same.
Craig Fry

Trad climber
So Cal.
Jul 5, 2017 - 07:49am PT
I think women and men are different
but should be treated as equals

Is this PC or knott?
High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber
Jul 5, 2017 - 09:06am PT
Equality of opportunity, of course. For starters. It is the 21st century after all, for chrissakes.

Some of my best climbing partners (Ed) have been women. Indeed this summer, a woman is my rope gun, lol!

fyi, Ed, you get ZERO mileage with your 'Do you climb?' retort.

Food for thought: Ad ideam.


And, yes, I have learned over the years not to ever expect an apology or retraction or even clarification for any misreading, misunderstanding, unnecessary quibbling, whatever, on your part.

...

As progressive and "equal opportunity" and "equal humanistic" as I am, there's no doubt I treat a female partner different than a male partner in countless respects and instances in both climbing and living in general.

Example # 111... Were I out climbing with Ed, say, and after getting to the base of a climb after an hour approach (!) we discover we left the god damn rope back at the car, I imagine we might flip a coin to see who runs back to get it (esp if he's just pissed me off). Fair is fair, right (Ed)? But now were I climbing instead with Sasha Duiguilian and this happened, without a doubt, and even if she somehow had pissed me off, it wouldn't cross my mind to flip a coin to see who goes. "I'm on it!"

It's just how I'm wired and raised. I don't know? Progressive? Traditionalist? Feminist? Male? Stand-up guy? lol
High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber
Jul 5, 2017 - 09:28am PT
sycorax, the content of your posts, week after week, is outstanding!
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 5, 2017 - 09:31am PT
It's interesting to read these kinds of posts because of the voltage they can raise in most all commers.

The problem with Monahan's rant is that she doesn't (in my opinion) adopt the right approach for her ideas to find much traction, her conclusions don't necessarily follow her assumptions in the way she presents them, and while her tone is quite personal per the "offenders," it is entirely impersonal in regards to her own experience. That is, if she personalized her message by way of her own experience, her message would more likely strike home.

This is highly personal material because it hits at people's vulnerabilities. Self disclosure is the surefire way to make this stuff stick to a reader. So if Ms. Monhan showed some vulnerability and spoke of the issues from her own experience, we could "hear" her better. Not that females have to get vulnerable to be believed, rater when the message is personalized, it tends to have more power - in most any topic per both genders.

As is, you basically have someone yelling and blaming and shaming and the subject deserves a more serious, personalized rendering.

And when people go off on Ed for being "elitist," what does that mean? That he thought the issues through?
High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber
Jul 5, 2017 - 09:38am PT
It's not the "elitism" that is Ed's achilles, it's the cocky "my pov is the best or most valid pov" attitude. It is a quite distinctive attitude he presents.


Why wouldn't we have differences? Why wouldn't they show up here in these posts? We are "wired" differently. Not only across sexes (we are sexual beings for chrissakes) but across individuals (we are all individual beings possessing unique individuality).

Variety is the spice of life.


I've paid little attn to this thread, can hardly remember the details of Erin's piece, but I remember I identified with BP's commentary.

"When she wears shorts that stop just at her butt/thigh line, I still take her seriously as a climber but I am looking at her body while she climbs. Don't blame me. Don't blame men. It's biology. I'm civilized and respectful and I understand societal boundaries and I give women plenty of space, but I will look and that's just the way my mind works. You cannot try to alter the human attraction to the opposite sex... It goes both ways. Women check men out too..." -B.P.

Healthy attitude.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 5, 2017 - 10:18pm PT
it seems I am often accused of being "elitist"

I don't have a sense of liberal guilt, but I do examine my attitude and thoughts and sometimes that results in acknowledging that others may have a point of view different than mine, and just as valid, and in some cases I change.

I don't know who wbw is (nor do I know HFCS) but obviously, you are entitled to write what ever you want on the forum, and certainly to act however you want in your lives. I'm not telling you how to live, what to think or "shaming" you in any way.

Warbler had us off on the tangent that the elite climbers are men, and at least I took that to imply that these are the only serious climbers, we could dismiss everyone else as not being serious. I counter argued that there are serious women climbers, doing things the best men climbers couldn't, at least not at the moment.

As far the OP, I merely suggested that however the blog post was written, that Monahan had expressed her experience, and the experience of other women in climbing. I also suggested that perhaps it was worth listening to those accounts and learning something about climbing culture as experienced by climbers who were not white men.

Cedar Wright's response was worth reading too.

If you are outraged by those suggestions then the problem is with you, not me.
rick sumner

Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
Jul 5, 2017 - 10:22pm PT
You're never wrong professor.
c wilmot

climber
Jul 6, 2017 - 06:13am PT
Robert l- are you not a kiwi?

I am doubtful you understand American feminism enough to actually know what is being debated here

This is not about being respectful/disrespectful towards women

This is a debate about third wave feminism and its assertion that a male patriarchy is holding women back from achieving their full potential....

Which is an argument that some dismiss and others insist is real

c wilmot

climber
Jul 6, 2017 - 06:23am PT
^^clearly you do not understand...
WBraun

climber
Jul 6, 2017 - 06:55am PT
We've already elected 2 female Prime Ministers. Despite being middle-earth, we are well ahead of the US of A.

Theresa May is a moron, just like the moron men you've elected.

So yes you're well ahead of the morons Americans have elected.

Thus everything is equal, nothing but morons running the planet into the ground .....
wbw

Trad climber
'cross the great divide
Jul 6, 2017 - 07:11am PT
I could be on a tangent here. But the point is, why are women so constantly belittled, with discussion often moving to what men supposedly do-better, when advocates for women 'push back'?

Constantly belittled?? Where? By whom? I work in the public school system where I have more female superiors than men. Pay is based on a strict salary schedule that uses only years of service and education to determine pay; no gender gap there.I have had many young woman go from my high school math class into engineering and other exciting math and science fields, quite a few of whom have cited my encouragement as part of the reason they have excelled. I was raised by a strong woman who will afford anyone respect, and expects it in return. I'm married to a very strong woman who has experienced great success in two different careers on two different continents.

It's not that I don't think woman get belittled by some men. It's these broad strokes and big statements about men as a class that really bugs me, and are counterproductive to what most of us seem to agree to aspire to: a world where we get judged by who we really are and what we are capable of. I can only be responsible for my own actions and attitude, and I will not take responsibility for the actions of some dumb ass dude who thinks a woman is less than he is simply because of gender. That is not my thing! (And by the way, I haven't read anything that Warbler has posted that makes me think it is his thing either.)

Yeah Ed, you don't know who I am. That's because unlike you I don't post constantly on ST, waiting for everyone to tell me how brilliant I am. That is obviously your thing. I don't accuse you of being "elitist". You do however come across as a "liberal elite", and I'm referring to a particular element of our political discourse that revels in their own brand of judgement and shaming. I read all of the rant by EM, and the tone of that piece of writing makes me ill.

Maybe she didn't reference any personal experience of what she was writing about, because maybe she doesn't have any personal experience. Of course, it's a whole lot cooler these days to play the victim, and then let the hand-wringing begin.
Yury

Mountain climber
T.O.
Jul 6, 2017 - 07:40am PT
Largo:

The problem with Monahan's rant is that she doesn't (in my opinion) adopt the right approach for her ideas to find much traction, her conclusions don't necessarily follow her assumptions in the way she presents them, and while her tone is quite personal per the "offenders," it is entirely impersonal in regards to her own experience. That is, if she personalized her message by way of her own experience, her message would more likely strike home.
I believe that Largo hit the main pain point of this article - lack of personal experience.

For a few years I felt that I was intellectually challenged when I honestly tried to understand such concepts as microagressions and objectification of women.
A few times I asked clarifying questions, but vocal feminists were not able to answer and were just sending me to read wikipedia.com and modernfeminism.com.

Then I realised that these vocal feminists were not really offended but were just fighting a war for betterment of women's life as they understood it and were told by the leaders of this movement.

To better understand Political Correctness and modern feminism you need to reread 1984 by George Orwell. Political Correctness enforcers are just volunteers of Thought Police.

This lady was not really offended by the writing of Cedar Wrights. She was a soldier on a mission. How she felt was not important at all to her.
She was told that such words were supposed to be offensive and she dutifully fought back.

BTW, I like an eloquent explanation of a modern feminism by Mark Manson:
https://markmanson.net/whats-the-problem-with-feminism
WBraun

climber
Jul 6, 2017 - 07:49am PT
Stoopid men were and are the cause of feminism .....

Yury

Mountain climber
T.O.
Jul 6, 2017 - 08:03am PT
Dingus Milktoast:

This lady was not really offended by the writing of Cedar Wrights. She was a soldier on a mission. How she felt was not important at all to her.
She was told that such words were supposed to be offensive and she dutifully fought back.

Lol oh you don't know that Yury. Its complete assumption. Did your leaders tell you to write this?
Yes Dingus, you are right. This is my interpretation based on lack of personal perspective in her story.

By the way, Largo also noticed a lack of personal perspective.
Was he told by his leaders how to write his comments?
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 6, 2017 - 08:11am PT
Warbler, I don't believe you could find a post when I accused you of anything but over generalizing men's attributes translating into "elite" climbing. I think that climbing requires a number of skills not so easily tied to such a simple view of what climbing entails.

It is not true that risk seeking, strong young men are the only ones that achieve the "2 to 3%" accomplishments of climbing, or the only ones that could. To me climbing is defined by much more than those three attributes.

But just to make a point, if you are the one to decide whether or not a climb done by a woman is "valid" to throw into the mix of climbing accomplishments you have to acknowledge that your own climbing aesthetic could play a role in those choices.

Would you exclude Lynn Hill's free ascent of The Nose because her fingers were sized to fit the Changing Corners's pitch? Didn't Yuji go up and rerate that pitch, giving it a harder grade than Lynn had? And if Lynn's attributes are discounted in successfully pulling that climb off, who's the judge of which attributes are allowed to define elite performance, and which are not?

Here's a little research you could do... my hazy research indicates that a certain team of climbers that took the SW off-width circuit by storm attempted and failed to send this one:
which is at least a tribute to the difficulty of the route, FA Pamela Pack, that particular team trained hard and succeeded on many SW O.W. test pieces, and did a very difficult FA on their trip.

Don't we all use what ever physical and mental attributes we have to put up and get up routes?

The route above is difficult, I'll never do it, and it is one of many new O.W. routes at the extreme end of climbing. Those routes now represent the cutting edge of that style of climbing. The climbers who are the elite in that style are amazing, and I'm not at all surprised that a woman is among them.

wbw

Trad climber
'cross the great divide
Jul 6, 2017 - 08:25am PT
Ed. Who is discounting Lynn Hill's ascent of the Nose? You seem to be hung up on this, and I'll reiterate what I said earlier: anyone that I've ever heard speak of it seems to think it is one of the greatest climbing accomplishments of all time, and I totally agree. Aren't you setting up a straw man argument? (I hope in the presence of your brilliance I am using the correct term here.)
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 6, 2017 - 08:52am PT
At the time of Lynn Hill's FFA of The Nose a number of criticisms were made regarding that climb that seemed to invalidate it, among those criticisms were that Lynn's unique physical attributes enabled her to do things that others could not. This is along the lines of Warbler's criticism posted above.

I don't think it is a straw man argument. But it is important that when we all praise Lynn's accomplishment, we do so as an accomplishment of a climber who used their unique attributes in that accomplishment; isn't that the definition of "elite"?

When I read this sort of statement: "...I read all of the rant by EM, and the tone of that piece of writing makes me ill..." it brings up an interesting point. All of us read things that make us very uncomfortable ("makes me ill") especially if we can see ourselves as the subject of the writing in whole or part. This is a typical comment that men make when reading those sorts of articles. I felt very uncomfortable myself.

But put yourself in the position of a woman listening to the Podcast and hearing both the statement that was made and the response to that statement, and to all that has been written in this thread. It is not hard to imagine that many of them might feel very uncomfortable even to the extent that it "made them ill." Monahan's piece is certainly her response to listening to that Podcast, and it leaves little room to wonder what she thought of it.

It would seem this ability to exhibit empathy and understanding, while perhaps disagreeing with aspects of the "differing view," has left the realm of modern American social discourse. If attempting to exhibit that ability is a symptom of "liberal elitism" then perhaps your diagnosis is correct.
c wilmot

climber
Jul 6, 2017 - 09:29am PT
Are you saying discussions have become a form of harassment ed?


Perhaps it's where EM comes up with such logic as this:
"Jokes like this come from a place of an American imperialist attitude where people assume that they can have an opinion on another culture’s practices."

some cultures practice fgm. In my 'imperial white supremicist opinion' (my label according to her) that's completely barbaric. Makes me ill...

Then again- I just think I can have an opinion

My personal opinion of what was written is that it is a bunch of hot air over nothing

Perhaps she should tone down her rhetoric a little

It's hard to take someone serious when they have such a negative opinion towards the very same people they seek to influence
blahblah

Gym climber
Boulder
Jul 6, 2017 - 12:45pm PT
On average, men and women's bodies have significant differences (that is, differences that are significant to climbing, such as height, weight, body fat %, center of mass, flexibility).

Some of these differences favor men, some women. (Anyone who has spent time at Indian Creek will have seen women who send "5.11" there (.75 and tight 1 Camalots, that are often solid jams for women but challenging for men), but who don't send 5.11 anywhere else and don't necessarily send "5.10" at IC).

Seems pretty obvious that there will be significant differences between men and women in climbing, especially in the aggregate and not focusing on the outliers. I'd guess probably more of the advantages favor men, especially in some specialties such as speed climbing or dyno'ing or perhaps bouldering in general, but (many) women have a big advantage in just being small and light.

Not sure why these obvious facts lead to a lot of people getting bent out of shape--seems to me that's is just one of the little things that make the world an interesting place.
wbw

Trad climber
'cross the great divide
Jul 6, 2017 - 01:58pm PT
Ed, I have a lot of empathy for the person that has truly been oppressed, whatever that term happens to mean in a given context. Had EM done better at telling her own experience of oppression by men, then her writing would carry a lot more credibility with me. Then, I could respectfully disagree (or maybe even agree) with some of her points.

The twenty something person that I referenced upthread grew up in a very wealthy family, went only to the best private elementary and secondary schools, and then only to Ivy League schools thru the master's degree level. She is bright, articulate and motivated. She lives in an expensive apartment in an expensive part of NYC that her parents pay for and has a very good job. She loves to rant about women being oppressed in a way reminiscent of EM. Has she been treated fairly and respectfully by every man she's ever encountered? Probably not, nor have I been treated respectfully by every woman (or man) that I know; there will always be as#@&%es in the world. Has she experienced "oppression" in the true sense? I think most people would say that she has experienced advantages in her life that most of us can hardly even imagine.

I think to speak out on oppression credibly, at least to a certain extent it is desirable to have actually experienced oppression. EM's targeting of a goofy guy who is known for routinely mouthing off in a rather free-form style comes across as more of a rant about First World problems, without really addressing anything substantial in terms of equality issues. And that hurts all women.

Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 6, 2017 - 03:08pm PT
Mr. Largo, have you objectified the physical appearance of women in the past? I ask, since you are advocating vulnerable admissions and all.
---


I objectify the appearance of women all the time, though only occasionally in print. I also love them, hate them, kiss then, get smacked by them, argue and bitch and complain and celebrate and work out and climb and bike and go museum hopping and all manner of other activities with women. It's called balance. We all struggle with this. That's the burden and fun of being human.

One of mankind's simple pleasures in life is beholding a beautiful woman and wondering ... what if? This happens less frequently than I wish because life is so much more - and SHOULD be more - than fantasizing about the boom boom. The fact that most properly formed males often go there, if only in their minds, neither fosters rape culture or demeans females.

This is an altogether different dynamic than the low-down strategy of bamboozling a girl into climbing with you in the hopes of getting laid, while presenting yourself as an impartial belayer out to get some climbing in. And I can fully sympathize with the female who just wants to go cragging and constantly gets hit on. That's not honorable behavior. Even if you can't take your eyes off those booty shorts and the comely corpus, glistening from effort and pulling for glory, you're supposed to "curb the dog" and do the right thing. Not be a creep.

But the way you seem to be playing it, as shared by a few militant feminists, is that curbing the dog isn't enough. You have to shoot it, drive over it with your car, burn it alive and renounce it for ever and ever.
High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber
Jul 6, 2017 - 03:17pm PT
fruity sez...

Largo, that was an excellent post, literally and substantively.

wbw, excellent posts as well, thank you.

blah blah and warbler, too, lol

...

These SJWs and their conduct, eg at Middlebury, Yale and Evergreen, which to some extent I've been following by way of their targets over the last half year or so, really irk me. They have succeeded in polluting the liberal left and Democratic Party. At some point I'll have to read the EM piece to see if I get the sense she's tapped into and a part of that. If so what a shame.

If it continues, I'll have to think about going center independent libertarian, I guess. The far left is as crazy as the far right. Many of these SJW have no idea how lucky they are and how bad things could be. I bet many of them couldn't tell you without Google in which century the U.S. Civil War was fought. Awful.

[Click to View YouTube Video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fEAPcgxnyY
High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber
Jul 6, 2017 - 03:43pm PT
Steven Pinker is a "charismatic" celebrity scientist so chances are Ed H won't deign to watch it (inside joke, you had to be there), but here he is in a discussion on gender differences from a evolutionary biological perspective that a couple of you might find interesting...

[Click to View YouTube Video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1HNtK4I3kw


Yes, S Pinker is one of my heroes.
Mark Force

Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
Jul 6, 2017 - 04:28pm PT
Largo, excellent post.

As a gratefully married man of 37 years and a complete advocate for my 3 adult daughters, I appreciate you articulating that being human and male is OK.

How honorably you behave is the clincher.
BASE104

Social climber
An Oil Field
Jul 6, 2017 - 05:10pm PT
Can't anyone take a joke? I'm damn glad that people don't post on every stupid thing that I say. Plenty of them, but not so bad as Trump's tweets. Now THOSE are offensive. He got away with murder on that Access Hollywood recording. I was a jock in high school, and we NEVER said anything that crazy. I mean, that even offended me, and I don't even have a pussy.

I wish that the days of tube socks and short shorts was in vogue again. They probably will, because that is just the weird way time and fashion repeats itself. OK. Maybe not the tube socks, but the NBA-long shorts are really kind of a hassle.

As for what women wear, and whether or not they infer a "slutty" label, well, that is just baloney. If I could figure out the sluts just from their clothes, I'd get laid for once.

Just kidding. We are celebrating 25 years of marriage in a few weeks.

BASE has a whole stack of women who do it, and it has always been that way. So women can be attracted to adrenaline sports just like a male. It does seem like more of the wingsuits are men, but certainly not only men.

I want the short shorts back. Women can check out your junk and then go giggle with each other about it...

JLyons

Sport climber
Cali
Jul 6, 2017 - 05:37pm PT
Bunch of guys that probably haven't seen the inside of a you-know-what in decades, arguing online about women...



Funny
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
Jul 6, 2017 - 06:19pm PT
Posted up thread:

Do you remember when female teachers were paid less than male teachers? And the reasons for defending/justifying such?

"When"? Certainly not the case now. I taught at a public college where pay was strictly set on experience + education level. That's it. The junk in your shorts, no matter how short, had NOTHING to do with what you got paid. I'm sure that's what the poster was referring to. Now, in private uni's, I have no idea. I had mostly female department chairs. Most of them were great. The first chair--a dude--I worked under was a notorious pig towards women, but, thankfully, that dinosaur retired right after I started and then threw a stroke that left him gibbering. So there's Karma for you. I taught for almost thirty years, and that pay setup was always the same, so at least in public higher ed, the playing field has been pretty damn level in terms of pay. FWIW, none of my female colleagues wore "booty shorts." Oh, wait, I did see one colleague in the office after a run with something like those. Oh well. She looked great, and she went on to be one of the best dept. chairs we ever had. I miss her like a sister.


BAd
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 6, 2017 - 07:23pm PT
Are you saying discussions have become a form of harassment ed?

I think I have been saying that perhaps Monahan's blog post (not on STForum) reflects her experience, and the experience of other women, and that to dismiss it because you don't like her "attitude" doesn't diminish those experiences.

As far as STForum goes, many women who posted here once no longer post here.




As far as "statistical anomaly," I'd offer the possibility that the historic record of women climbing achievement is no indication of the limit of achievement, so drawing conclusions regarding those limits from that record is dubious.

It is much more likely that that history had been determined by factors other than athletic performance, such as cultural and social factors. Women didn't achieve the right to vote until 1920, I don't think that has anything to do with the ability of women to execute their vote... except they weren't allowed to prior to the Nineteenth Amendment.

The number of women participating in all aspects of climbing is increasing, and as that happens a much better picture will emerge regarding any limits putatively attributed to biology. Certainly the best women climbers today far exceed the abilities of the men posting to this thread.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 6, 2017 - 07:30pm PT
It hardly matters what I want in terms of a "test" of you hypothesis, Warbler, but as I said up thread, if you have a combined competition both men and women would decide what the competition was, how it would be executed and both would participate in the judging, on an equal basis.

I would not expect you to make the US Olympic team, however.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 6, 2017 - 08:40pm PT
Yous guys need to get a room, where gud beer is served. :-)
chainsaw

Trad climber
CA
Jul 6, 2017 - 09:41pm PT
Dang, who could argue with them?! Except maybe who gets to go first.
nah000

climber
now/here
Jul 6, 2017 - 09:51pm PT
aight The Warbler…

first apologies this took a while. and second apologies for the length.

there is a lot to parse though and i don’t think you are necessarily intending to be prick, so the least i can do is give you an honest response, and stop being a bit of a prick myself.



first as per you thinking i made ad hominem attacks. i reread what i wrote and i don’t think i did. i did attack your logic in a personal way, that could be perceived as an ad hominem, but that wasn’t my intent. my point was to attack your language using parallel logic.

but, i will say this: your use of heforshe is something i personally find offensive. i assume you are smart enough to understand why. don’t get me wrong, i prefer free speech and you are free to use it if you like, but you better know that you will receive a bit of vitriol back. but i’ll make you a deal: now that you know what pushed one of my buttons, if you want to have a debate that’s less personal, i’m all for it, and am going to proceed with that intent, as long as you show me the same respect in return.



as per your general line of questioning: no i have no issue, nor disagreement with your argument/statement that males typically have more testosterone and this, as a general rule, in most sporting endeavours, does lead to higher sporting performances when comparing the most elite males to the most elite females. to me that is just a statement of fact.

what i disagree with is twofold:

1. first is the language that you then proceed with: saying an "average male is better at y or different with regards to y than the average female" is not the same as saying "males are better at y or different with regards to y than females".

while it might seem like a minor knitpick, i’ll continue to argue that it is a throwback to a thousands of year old history that attempted to define the potentials of females [and males].

the first statement is, given suitable evidence, a fact, whereas the latter is at minimum a sloppy use of language, but in general is, as a rule, just straight up garden variety sexism.

because here is the difference, and i’ve even taken the time to draw graphs… hahaha.

when a person says that “males are better at y than females” or “males are different than females” they are stating that the top distribution [in the image below] exists. that is just a fact of language.

but the reality is that with regards to any real life ability the reality of the distribution is much more akin to the second graph [in the image below]. if you truly want to say that “the average male is better at y or different at y than the average female” then say that.

but, if you’re interested in speaking factually, don’t say “males are better or different or whatever than females”.

given the fattening of america, that’s not even true with regards to breast cup size anymore, let alone even those physical sporting abilities affected by testosterone. :)




2. the second issue i have is that you conclude that these average differences, in the case of climbing, are due to testosterone.

to be clear, in my opinion we have different competitions for the sexes in the olympics for two reasons: the first is that females and males [are by definition of the i.o.c. - hahaha] different due to testosterone production and receptivity.

the second issue is even where testosterone doesn’t play a role, there are historical wrongs to right and things like title IX and separate competitions allow females to pursue and be supported in exploring their potentials without some of the historical malarky.

i support separate competitions for both of these reasons.

and with regards to something like powerlifting i have no disagreement that - by the testosterone production and receptivity definition of what constitutes male and female - elite males will never be caught by elite females.

however this isn’t about power lifting, or swimming, or even tennis. this is about climbing.



i’m going to stick with sport climbing because it is nearest to the most objective.

here are a few, as far as i can tell, facts:

first 5.14a: gullich [1986]
first female 5.14a: hill [1990]

first 5.14d: gullich [1991]
first female 5.14d: bereziartu [2002]

first 5.15a: roughling or fernandes [1995 or 1998]
first female 5.15a: bereziartu or shiraishi or hayes [2005 or 2015 or 2017]



current state of the art:

male:

15c: ondra, sharma
15b: ondra, sharma, megos, roughling, fernandes, andrada, midtboe, pringle, ghisolfi, fuertes, kruder, schubert, amma [i'm sure there are a couple that i missed, but this is, as far as my googlefu can tell, the vast majority]

female:

15a: hayes
14d/15a: hayes, bereziartu, shiraishi



the short point: given women are climbing, during the last thirty years, the same difficulty as men about 4-10 years after and in the current moment there are maybe 15 or at max a couple dozen males who sport climb harder than the hardest females, to say that females are necessarily limited by testosterone production rather than cultural and structural friction is a hard question to answer. to be clear i'm not saying it's necessarily cultural/structural. on the other hand i think those, like yourself, that have concluded it's necessarily physiological aren't seeing that within a few short years, females are climbing just as hard. if it was purely physiological, i wouldn't expect the turn around to be quite so quick...

also: when a lot of the recent posters like to dismiss the female "outliers" they need to consider that ondra, megos, and sharma are therefore "outliers" as well...



the shorter point: climbing isn't powerlifting. or even tennis for that matter. the difference between male and female, at least sport climbing, is pretty razor thin, and there are only a couple dozen, male or female wunderkind climbers playing in some of the rarified air at the farthest edges of performance.

to argue that a female can not necessarily lead the charge, some day, is, from my perspective, to not understand the above two facts about specifically sport climbing.



finally: if you're bored you should google ines papert. in the early to mid aughts she won and placed high in a few ice climbing competitions agains both males and females, while generally dominating the female ones. and she is one of the greatest contemporary all round [with regards to ability on both technically difficult ice and rock] alpinists, regardless of gender. and she's a friggin' mom to boot.

anyway, time for this slacker, with no kids to boot, to get off the computer...

cheers dude. and best of luck with the ladies… :)
F

climber
away from the ground
Jul 6, 2017 - 10:08pm PT
I'm pretty sure that while this sausage party is hanging around arguing with each other about gender equality on the tacoweb, all the hot chicks in booty shorts are out climbing.... Maybe you sexy geniuses should go do some field research. Just sayin...
F

climber
away from the ground
Jul 6, 2017 - 10:46pm PT
Ok, Jimbo. How's about I "just say" that I had a great time this afternoon staring at my girlfriends sexy booty which was half covered in tight cloth while she was struggling on the stone in the sunshine. No other options presented themselves at the time (I was belaying). Could you define the moral equivilant of that? Am I sexist, or just sexy? Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. I desperately seek validation from washed up Canadians.
Matt's

climber
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:03am PT
nice post nahoo.
Matt's

climber
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:09am PT
It hardly matters what I want in terms of a "test" of you hypothesis, Warbler, but as I said up thread, if you have a combined competition both men and women would decide what the competition was, how it would be executed and both would participate in the judging, on an equal basis.

I had never really thought about that before, Ed- it is absolutely true that the standards that we judge climbing by are arbitrary and tend to emphasize ideals that men have historically espoused (danger, physical strength,etc...)

You could imagine an alternate universe, in which climbing was judged like figure skating-- you would get a score based on some combination of technical difficulty and artistic execution. This is no less arbitrary than how people judge climbs these days...

best,
matt
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:20am PT
I like the alpine standards: did you send and/or survive?
Colour me simple.
c wilmot

climber
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:54am PT
I think I have been saying that perhaps Monahan's blog post (not on STForum) reflects her experience, and the experience of other women, and that to dismiss it because you don't like her "attitude" doesn't diminish those experiences.

Plenty of folks feel that climate change is fake. Many of those people have had experiences trust reinforce this belief.

Tell me- if you dismiss those people because you don't like their "attitude" does that diminish their experience? Do you take them seriously?

And remember- how someone feels often has little to do with reality. Or at least the reality we ourselves have chosen to believe...
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 07:38am PT
Plenty of folks feel that climate change is fake. Many of those people have had experiences trust reinforce this belief.

Tell me- if you dismiss those people because you don't like their "attitude" does that diminish their experience? Do you take them seriously?


If you are asking me, specifically, I have taken those folks seriously, often spending hours tracking down papers and performing analysis on those papers to see if the critical statements those papers are purported to make actually stand up to scrutiny. If that is a measure of seriousness then I take those folks very seriously.

I stopped taking them seriously when it was clear to me it didn't matter what I concluded from my effort, they didn't take me seriously.

I didn't dismiss them, they dismissed me.

However, the issue of responding to climate change critics should be regarding the scientific evidence that supports that issue. It is relatively straight forward (in my opinion) to address the issues from a scientific standpoint.

The issue of taking women seriously in climbing is quite different. Warbler's line of argument implies that women would be taken seriously when they achieve the same level of accomplishment at men. In his opinion that means when the "performance gap" is closed. We can argue that point, but the issue isn't one of "elite performance."

Wright's comment implied something quite different, that women cannot be taken seriously in climbing if they wear certain clothing, as if climbing performance somehow had to do with that. That is a judgement, and one having to do with one person (and he seems to have a group agreeing with him) which is leveled at another person (and she seems to have a group agreeing with her).

Warbler's contention is that serious women climbers will climb at the elite levels, it doesn't matter what the women wear, it just matters what they do. Implicit in that contention is how we define "elite levels" of climbing, and that definition can be subject to judgement, and biased. Who defines this? what do we think defines "extreme climbing"?

Climbing as an activity is a product of our culture, and subject to all the arbitrariness that you would expect from a group of humans engaged in the ritual. Who defines the ritual, the group permitted to perform the ritual, and the outcome of the ritual?
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 07:42am PT

Event Horizon, 5.13 b/c, Indian Creek, FA Pamela Pack

no repeats

"It goes boys!"
WBraun

climber
Jul 7, 2017 - 07:49am PT
When climbing enters the Olympics the stoopid main loon media will proclaim the gold medal winner the best climber in the world.

All the other climbers will then cry like gurls, and thus, equality has been served ..... :-)
c wilmot

climber
Jul 7, 2017 - 08:14am PT
I stopped taking them seriously when it was clear to me it didn't matter what I concluded from my effort, they didn't take me seriously


This is how I feel about modern feminists

Especially when they say stuff such as this:

It is the fact that we live in a unnervingly stationary heteropatriarchy

It is important that in our everyday lives we strive to challenge imperial white supremacy


"Jokes like this come from a place of an American imperialist attitude where people assume that they can have an opinion on another culture’s practices."


Her whole premise is that men-specifically white men- are holding women back by being overtly sexist.

Or in her words :

Women are held to value judgments solely based on their sex appeal through the white, hetero, cis male gaze.
.

It's a played out third wave feminist argument. Climbers just happen to be the new demographic being trolled with such hysterical nonsense


Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 08:42am PT
Sure, but the point is we're talking about the elite climbers, including Ms. Pack, who is to be included because of what she has done (both in the projects she chooses and the routes she puts up).

I think Pete and Tom were brilliant in their tour, and plucking Century Crack was the fantastic exclamation point that punctuated their trip. Certainly there are a few who might have done it, and Ms. Pack would certainly have been a candidate.

And if I recall, Pete and Tom didn't offer a grade change to the routes they did, which is the traditional way one critiques a climb's difficulty. If they hadn't been so well prepared and so successful we'd be calling them "limey wankers," I believe the "rando from Tennessee" also had trained rather extensively, to good effect.

I offered this as a counterargument to Warbler's contention that no women belonged in that category. We're talking about 5 or 6 climbers here.


Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 08:54am PT
Her whole premise is that men-specifically white men- are holding women back by being overtly sexist.

It's a played out third wave feminist argument. Climbers just happen to be the new demographic being trolled with such hysterical nonsense


You're being rather dismissive ("hysterical nonsense"), stating a conclusion without providing any evidence ("it's a played out.. argument").

One can look for example at the "decorum" of the Congress where it is apparently acceptable for a white male member to shout out that the president is a liar during the state of the union speech on national television, but women members (what few there are) are told to cease their questioning during hearings ("and still she persisted").
BASE104

Social climber
An Oil Field
Jul 7, 2017 - 08:56am PT
I don't know any women who would take Cedar's comments as sexist. He was cracking a joke. Men don't choose women for their clothes, end of story.

I knew my wife for years until I got up the nerve to ask her out. Now here I am getting ready to celebrate 25 years of marriage in a month from today.

Marriage takes a lot of work. A lot of compromise. The first few years are easy, but then you get on each other's nerves and stuff. If you just sit back and think about how lucky you are to be with this certain woman, all other women just fade in comparison. You build up strong bonds after 25 years.

I've only been married once. I know people who are on their 4th marriage. I can understand getting it wrong once, but 4 times? Someone has issues.

I utterly and completely love my wife. If she wore tight shorts, I would laugh. We are too old for that.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 09:20am PT
My argument is with feminists, like yourself and Erin Monahan, who believe that the only reason female climbers can't climb everything any male climber can, and more, is because they've been oppressed for eternity by our heteropatriarchal, cismale dominated society.

I can't speak for Monahan, but that is not what my contention is, but then you can't understand why I would argue with you about something that you believe to be obviously true. I'm saying it's not so obvious.

It kind of like that famous evaluation by a Supreme Court judge of what pornography is. You know it when you see it.

1964, when Justice Potter Stewart used that criteria, was 18 years before the first woman justice was appointed to the court, an appointment 61 years after the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. What took so long?
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 09:54am PT
lack of testosterone?
NutAgain!

Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 11:58am PT
There is at least one irony and double-standard about discussing the clothing choices of women as a prerequisite for taking them seriously as climbers.



This is not even considering the lycra years.

Mark Force

Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
Jul 7, 2017 - 12:06pm PT
Cragar

climber
MSLA - MT
Jul 7, 2017 - 12:34pm PT
Political Corrrrrrectness drives me nuts.

^^ so true...

...and rhymes with...

Wrangler butts drive me nuts!
blahblah

Gym climber
Boulder
Jul 7, 2017 - 12:51pm PT

1964, when Justice Potter Stewart used that criteria, was 18 years before the first woman justice was appointed to the court, an appointment 61 years after the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. What took so long?

Now two of the most recent three SCOTUS justices have been women, and by all accounts even ol' Trump's got a few on his short list of nominees. (And trust me when I say there is absolutely no shortage of women at every level in the practice of law. There are pay gaps and gaps in things like the number of women partners at large prestigious law firms, but much (and maybe all) of the discrepancy is simply the hit many women take by having children.)

But I'm a little worried about the seemingly near non-existence of women in high-end physics.

I see that only two of 198 physics Nobel prize winners were women. The first was over 100 years ago, the second was over 50 years ago. I suppose those numbers are too small for meaningful statistical analysis, but it seems like the success of women in physics has always been very low and may now be regressing to something like zero.

Maybe it has to do with how "physics" is defined? Is it possible that white men (and I suppose a few token Asian men, who don't act any different from the white men) have defined physics in such a way so that they always win? What if physics were defined to include more storytelling, or personal relationships, or otherwise were made more inclusive?



Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 07:21pm PT
But I'm a little worried about the seemingly near non-existence of women in high-end physics.

I am too, and more than a little worried. And I've worked a lot of my career and especially as a manager, in trying to find ways to increase the numbers of women in physics.

Interestingly, when one considers a skill to be "intrinsic" it invites all sorts of strange justifications for judging who has it and who doesn't, and even in a field like physics (which is many fields) there is a tendency to hire people who "look like you."

But it isn't just physics, Warbler's biological "explanation" for why men are "elite" climbers and women aren't has to do with a vague connection he makes between male hormones and climbing performance. But he has no explanation about how these things are connected, to his simple view it is "obvious." It's pretty far from obvious.

That women receive less resources in the academy then the men who are colleagues was demonstrated at MIT (of all places) by a scientific survey which developed a metric. When presented to the president of that institution he realized that there was, in fact, a real measurable bias putting the women at a disadvantage. MIT has implemented policies to rectify that bias.

He also opined that while he thought initially that there was some fact and some fancy regarding the women faculty's claims, he later said that he was wrong, and there was more fact than fancy, publicly.

This behavior is ubiquitous in our culture.

The largest number of Supremes came from just three law schools, Harvard, Yale and Columbia.
Harvard Law School first admitted women in 1950, Yale in 1919, and Columbia 1927.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 10:30pm PT
from the report (first page):
"As you will see in this review, the effects of Te use in athletes can improve their physical strength, stature, and possibly performance. Much research has proven the effects of Te doping on an individual, whether they are an athlete or not; although, these benefits do not ensure success in certain sports."


"The extent is unclear as to how Te affects coordination, reaction, intelligence, manipulation and spontaneity, adaptation, and injury prevention."
Mighty Hiker

climber
Outside the Asylum
Jul 7, 2017 - 10:55pm PT
In the world of physics, they recently discovered something named Xi-cc++. A sort of particle thingie. Can you blame sensible people for avoiding this?
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 7, 2017 - 11:02pm PT
a combination of two charm quarks and an up quark: (ccu), there should also be the isospin partner (ccd) which has charge=+1

there could also be a isospin singlet: (ccs) also charge +1,
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 8, 2017 - 01:10am PT
I know you're fixated on the testosterone thing, Warbler, there isn't a lot of evidence that it enhances climbing performance. You're an old man, you can surely score a prescription from your doc and see.

But this is a distraction from the OP link, unless you are asserting that women can't be taken seriously because you think they can never be biologically equivalent to men (which is true), an equivalence you assert is necessary for them to compete "seriously" with men in climbing.

Women already do compete seriously with men in climbing, and without the testosterone.

And for that alone they should be taken seriously, whatever their appearance.
Vlad Pricker

Mountain climber
The cliffs of insanitty
Jul 8, 2017 - 03:34am PT
This has got to be one of the most entertaining threads I have read in a while. A bit of a waste of time, as many threads are, that is why I read them (I do not get TV reception). But the topic is, eh, topical? I have never witnessed sexism in climbing, but then what do I know. I am sure it exists, per some of the posts.

I like the post by the person who said to read The Naked Ape.

I only clicked on (clickbait? as somebody mentioned?) this thread because I wondered what (now I know, who) Cedar Wright was or is. Never heard of the dude before, nor this Erin person. I must definitely be out of the loop and not on the scene.

As far as clothes are concerned, every climber should be obliged to wear white painter pants.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 8, 2017 - 09:31am PT
more T -> more bulk -> less strength to weight ratio
is at least a possibility too

I use a hang board to train specific muscles, both strength and endurance

I find generally that my total body mass is more an issue than increased strength, that is, my performance is tied to body weight. This is not a surprise, it is widely experienced in climbing. At my age the training conditioning coupled with weight reduction will show improvements in climbing. My finding is that it is easier to shed 5 lbs of weight than to increase strength "5 lbs"

I don't do T, not sure if it would help or hurt.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 8, 2017 - 09:47am PT
the emphasis on risk taking as an attribute is interesting and certainly whether or not it is "good" or "bad" debatable.

In climbing, and especially "natural climbing" (aka "trad climbing", etc) it is usually a much lauded trait, that is, until the consequences of "boldness" often attributed to risk taking, results in career ending injuries. Our reaction, as climbers, is usually that the injured climber couldn't pull it off.

As a culture we seem to regard "risk taking" of the type Shackleton undertook as acceptable (and even "heroic") because when things went wrong he managed to save his entire crew. This is positively recognized in management and held up as an example of good crisis management.

However, when I look at it, Shackleton could have easily avoided the crisis by not continuing when all the information that he had indicated that his expedition would not be successful, and would encounter dangerous conditions. He decide to risk his crew, and the financial resources committed to the expedition and continue. He took a risk. But one that was avoidable, and I would argue should have been avoided.

If managers are rewarded for their ability to recover from crises, they look for crises to recover from. Managers are seldom rewarded for planning to avoid crises.

This is certainly an observation from a particular cultural point-of-view, as are your's on climbing. You wish to reduce it to the absolute certainty of biology, but it is a foolish task, as climbing is not defined in an absolute manner, as much as you would like to make it so. Climbing is yet another cultural construction.

That's pretty simple.
blahblah

Gym climber
Boulder
Jul 8, 2017 - 10:03am PT
For an illustration on T and sports performance, consider the strange case of Caster Semenya.
She's a hermaphrodite with natural T levels similar to men.
With her high T, she was the fastest "female" runner in the world.
The sports authorities made her take drugs to lower her T; she slowed down.
Then the authorities let her compete with her natural T; she sped back up.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3740682/Should-runner-allowed-win-gold-woman-Tipped-win-800m-no-ovaries-nearly-testosterone-man-sparked-huge-ethical-debate.html

Climbing is an interesting sport as there are different styles, and just being small and light may be such an advantage that the best women will be the best overall climbers.

But in things that require straight-up explosive strength (think of a dyno competition)--the difference in male and female performance is and will always be vast.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 8, 2017 - 10:21am PT
You make my case, Warbler, most non-climbers reading your discussion of climbing types would not have any idea what the distinctions are.

They are a set of categories which are largely abstract and depend on the history of climbing technology and its use. There is no broad agreement on them in the climbing community. There is nothing at all fundamental about them.

The video of the baboons climbing the rock cliff might be a good example of "natural climbing." Given that the baboons were practicing it to provide protection from predators, male and female baboons practiced "natural climbing" at a level sufficient to provide that protection for both, even given the fact of very large sexual dimorphism in that species, and the fact that the females had to tend to their young who were learning how to climb, and those too young to climb (the males didn't help).

You could critique the climbing technique of the male and female baboons, discern the different routes they took, assess their difficulty, attribute whatever metric of "extreme baboon climbing," include perceived "risk taking" and all that.

In the end, they all got to the top, and in so doing, accomplished their goal of a place that protected them from predation. Certainly it makes no sense in baboons for males to be so much more "fit" to climb that were there a significant difference in the survivability of males and females that all the females would eventually succumb to their "inferior" adaptation to climbing; no new baboons could be produced without the females.

"The spirit of climbing" is what you make it to be, nothing more, nothing less. The baboons probably wouldn't care.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 8, 2017 - 10:42am PT
aside from weight, I find the next important element is technique

the next after that is "route finding" or "route reading"

once I have a base level of strength and am free from injury, those other aspects play a much larger role in my climbing ability

accumulated injury also limit what technique I can apply, and that determines how I read a route...

strength certainly helps, but I can only get so strong.

taking all these things together is the difference between "training" and "working out"
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 8, 2017 - 10:59am PT
You two need to just go out and get a cup of coffee and hash this out.
drljefe

climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
Jul 8, 2017 - 11:03am PT
The comfort of indoor climbing is conducive to female participation too.

Sick foot/mouth match Warbs!
WBraun

climber
Jul 8, 2017 - 11:41am PT
What's all this talk gonna do????

The stoopid women are still stepping out into the street staring at their stoopid cell phones right in front of cars without even looking.

Every day I see this stoopid sh!t going on.

WTF is on those things to make em such moron zombies .....

Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 8, 2017 - 08:24pm PT
Thread drift seems ok since we've kicked the Cedar business to the curb.

Ed brings up a good point about gathering data per risk management. Problem is, you don't have a one-size-fits-all norm per a "typical" climber to whom risk, skill, mental factors and so forth can be wildly different qualities.

They can also be of different amplitude with the same climber at different times. The fluid nature of mental and physical prowess make risk management a fluid drill as well. That's where judgement comes in, and I mean judgement beyond the physical facts.

For example, I always had way more explosive strength then endurance, and I always did my best climbing in Yosemite after having been there for at least 1.5 mos. Maybe 40-50 routes. Then my head was into it as well. Once I knew I could stave off a death pump, I'd go for stuff I normally wouldn't consider. Thing is, I'd calculate the risk on both internal and external readings. And the adventure always started for me when the odds of success were less than perfect.

I learned a simple equation that worked well as a kind of rule of thumb: The factors were difficulty and consequences. Both usually exist on a sliding scale per trad climbs (not nearly so on sport climbs). I would generally not try and press both issues at once. If the climbing and/or logistics (crucial on multiday climbs) was near what I felt I could do, the route had to have good pro and I had to feel super fit. If the pro was bomber and the logistics harmless, I'd go for it no matter how fit I was. But I rarely tried to push my limits when the logistics and the safety were sketchy. The only person I ever saw who pushed both technical and safety limits to his absolute max whenever possible was Tobin Sorensen - and it killed him.

So it was about knowing my limits. You have to exceed them to know them and I'm grateful for the very few times I pushed both technical and security issues. And made it out whole. You have to choose your shots, but you have to take a few here and there even when the odds are against you. I only had to make a few lucky escapes and those are my most memorable moments.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 9, 2017 - 08:50am PT
The majority of the most legendary ascents in climbing, outside of sport, are remembered by the risk taken and the challenges to success.

Do I get credit for soloing a route in the Cascades in winter the day after giving a pint of blood?
I guarantee you'll only do that once. ;-)
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 9, 2017 - 09:57am PT
OK, I guess that was also 'giving blood'. :-)
Somebody should take some samples from the insides of that thing. I bet it would qualify for EPA Superfund Site status. The next ebola resides there, no doubt.
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Jul 9, 2017 - 10:03am PT
Warbler, were you on the rag when you did Generator? :(
"Glad I didn't wear my booty shorts. I'd have sh#t them by now."

SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 9, 2017 - 10:35am PT
Hi Susan, what do you think about Erin Monahan's article?

Hi Alexey. I wish I could add more but I'm on an extensive road trip with limited connectivity. I do have some thoughts about the judgmental attitude toward the author. Also it's hard for me to know her experiences that lead her to such strong emotions. I'm generations away from her experiences and older women start to filter things differently.

I do think we will have hit stride when the phrase " he's just one of the girls" has the same resonance as "she's just one of the guys". Not likely for a very long time

The thread has turned and when I have connectivity it is an interesting read! I'm enjoying it.

Susan



GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2017 - 11:27am PT
The thread has turned and when I have connectivity it is an interesting read! I'm enjoying it.


Which part, where Warbler pretends to be an endocrinologist or Hartouni pretends to be a climbing coach?

Only so many times can I switch definitions and chase semantics before I'm bored of reading cherry picked anecdotes and vague ideas of what makes a real bad ass climber.

Anyway, if its fun for you, go for it. zzz



more T -> more bulk -> less strength to weight ratio

I also hear if you put a tooth under your pillow a fairy comes and takes it.

GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2017 - 03:50pm PT
Probably Susan is referring to the types of judgements made about EM - as, if she was someone not who she is, would the comments about her be what they were? Kinda weird thing to tiptoe around but I agree, the internet is a pretty shitty place to women generally speaking.


That being said, she can still be wrong, AND people can treat her super shitty. Last night was a UFC event, a female champ (and open lesbian) pulled out last minute due to a minor illness. It's really hard to sift through the bullshit and get a good idea about where to blame, and if any, because her identity means that idiots are more than happy to pile on. And, like EM, the UFC champ has a very confrontational style, so unfortunately people are taking that into account when it comes down to dolling out ire. Dozens of male champions have pulled out of fights, often with their personalities and track records playing a major role in the fan reception of those decisions, but much less so than in this instance.

EM likely has the same thing going on, where there are legitimate points that can be made both on the message and its delivery but the noise clutters it and focuses people to go down side trails that claim sweeping generalizations that ultimately go nowhere.

See: last 150some odd posts

c wilmot

climber
Jul 9, 2017 - 04:03pm PT
“I think that it was 90 percent mental and maybe 10 percent physical,” White said. “She probably didn’t feel right. I think a lot of fighters have had times where they don’t feel right, and then we’ve had guys who are outright sick. ... These situations arise all the time. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a situation like today, though, where she was physical capable of fighting.

This is what Dana white had to say about Amanda Nunes...


It's amazing what people will make up to justify their agenda

criticism towards women is not always sexist in nature...
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2017 - 04:24pm PT
This is what Dana white had to say about Amanda Nunes...



Jose Aldo has a bruised rib, Jeremy Stephans WILL fight tonight, Demetrius Johnson has to fight TJ or we dismantle the 125 decision... keep in mind Dana's track record and how he loves to throw other people under the bus. A good promoter would have said something along the lines of "Amanda is so tough, she's never pulled out of a fight and is ready to go so it must be terrible for her to have to pull out." Nobody truly knows but Amanda if she could have fought, and how hard, so the rest of us are coming up with narratives that fit our agenda.

If you don't think there is an issue with sexism/racism in UFC fans go ahead and pull up any 'ol article on Amanda and start reading the comments. I dare ya.

I don't mean to exonerate or condemn Amanda, only to look at things objectively - hard to do when we have our preconceived notions and ideas, eh? She likely decided that whatever drop in athletic ability she would expereince based on how she felt, and how antibiotics that were prescribed to her would make her fee, and decided throwing away her career for a loss isn't worth it. Many champs make that decision (Faber, McGregor, Joanna) but most do not. Jon Jones didn't fight Chael at 150, Cormier and Aldo pulled out injured with things other fighters have battled through, and we gave them the benefit of the doubt with a small amount of ire. Do we give Amanda the benefit of the doubt? And where exactly does our judgement on that come from? For each fan it is different, and for some they just kind of will always hate her because of who she is, even in 2017. Go figure.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2017 - 04:26pm PT
I do have some thoughts about the judgmental attitude toward the author.




My wife read her piece that kicked all this off and said, roughly "She needs to get a life. And a vibrator". I spit beer on the coffee table.




nawmean
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 9, 2017 - 04:34pm PT
Anyway, if its fun for you, go for it. zzz

Silverbacks chest thumping is frequently entertaining.

Susan


Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 9, 2017 - 04:37pm PT
Silverbacks chest thumping is frequently entertaining

It's also a clear signal to lesser pretenders to keep their distance.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2017 - 04:38pm PT
Silverbacks

Woulda gone with Bonobos but OK
cat t.

climber
california
Jul 9, 2017 - 04:42pm PT
Silverback made more sense; bonobos are matriarchal, and they use sex rather than violence to address conflict :)
c wilmot

climber
Jul 9, 2017 - 04:47pm PT
Nunes withdrew from her second title defense on fight day after being cleared by doctors

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/7/9/15943376/white-amanda-nunes-was-physically-capable-of-fighting-wont-headline-another-card-mma-ufc-213-news


GDavis: "Nobody truly knows but Amanda if she could have fought"

Again- it's amazing what people will make up to justify their agenda

SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 9, 2017 - 04:47pm PT
Oh yeah. Those sexy Bonobos! How'd I miss that. Hitachi time I guess. ;)

Susan
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2017 - 08:06pm PT
Is that your dad he looks great for his age
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2017 - 08:27pm PT
The commission is monetarily incentivized to allow her to fight, and I recommend putting yourself in her shoes. She does not "owe" us to fight if she isn't well, even if other champs fought with broken ribs/hidden cuts / staph / you name it.

This is more proof of what I mean that we don't allow her the benefit of the doubt we allow others. I would not trust a commission on the safety of athletes, unfortunately, as even (or especially) NSAC has a poor track record with clearing unfit fighters.

Again, I don't leave out the possibility that what white and no one else affiliated with a position that could make that call are correct and she was possibly 'fine' (not sure what fine is when you are diagnosed with chronic sinusitis.

What my point is, is that fans feel she needs to be at blame when there is no clear blame. It isn't cut and dry. Why does she have to be a bad person? What narrative does that fit?

I've been around mma for a long time, have many friends that fought some even in the UFC. Look out for your athletes who put their health on the line for your enjoyment, even if they are gay brown women. I know that's asking a lot.
c wilmot

climber
Jul 10, 2017 - 05:33am PT
She does not "owe" us to fight if she isn't well,

I never said she'd owed anyone a fight. I corrected your mistaken assumption that she was not ok to fight when she was in fact medically cleared to go.

What my point is, is that fans feel she needs to be at blame when there is no clear blame. It isn't cut and dry.

Actually it is "cut and dry"
She made weight and was given the ok by doctors. A champion refusing to fight with no valid medical reason not to is a first in the UFC

The criticism against her has nothing to do with her gender, race, or orientation

She simply didn't want to fight...which means she refused to honor her contract

It's as simple as that

If she is a victim- then it's because she failed herself

This is one of my problems with modern Feminism- even when presented with clear facts to show the opposite you still claim victim status...
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 10, 2017 - 09:19am PT
interesting you would post that definition, but then again...
however you perhaps intentionally misunderstand the issue.

I know you like simple, but here's something to thing about, at least:

'What makes identity politics a significant departure from earlier, pre-identarian forms of the politics of recognition is its demand for recognition on the basis of the very grounds on which recognition has previously been denied: it is qua women, qua blacks, qua lesbians that groups demand recognition. The demand is not for inclusion within the fold of “universal humankind” on the basis of shared human attributes; nor is it for respect “in spite of” one's differences. Rather, what is demanded is respect for oneself as different (Kruks, Sonia, 2001, Retrieving Experience: Subjectivity and Recognition in Feminist Politics, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.: 85).'
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/identity-politics/
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Jul 10, 2017 - 09:40am PT
Tamp on, Warbler. :0)
cat t.

climber
california
Jul 10, 2017 - 09:46am PT
Re: testosterone and athletic performance

I think it's a given that men are faster than women (on average) in track events. Administering testosterone to a woman will probably make her run faster.
(An interesting piece on unbreakable track records: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/15/sports/olympics/jarmila-kratochvilova-800-meters-record.html);

Something I've seen pop up in both the "can women climb?" banter and the "is Alex Honnold the best athlete of all time?" banter is the question of how athleticism and climbing skill are related. As was mentioned (by fivethirty and others) in the Honnold thread, a cutting-edge climber is not at "peak athletic performance" the way that a cutting-edge runner is. This is not a slight directed at either running or climbing; it is merely an observation about the nature of the sports. Climbing is not a purely athletic endeavor; it is far more multidimensional than a sport like running could ever be.

Put another way, while athleticism is required to be a good climber, it is absolutely not sufficient to be a good climber.

I don't know what this means for the cutting edge of the sport. Maybe at that level, raw athletic ability is still predictive of climbing ability. I suspect, though, that it means that women will always be able to perform at the same top levels as men. And for run-of-the-mill weekenders, the relationship between athleticism and climbing ability is a wild scatter.

The personal take: I have always avoided biking and running with my fit male friends because, no matter how hard I try, a man at a fitness level equivalent to mine will always be faster than me. I dislike feeling like dead weight, so I mostly bike alone. Climbing has always felt different than that. I've taken over scary leads for guys that could drop me biking up the tiniest hill, and I can hang out forever on finger-jams that make no sense to my guy friends. Balance, bravery, resiliency, and focus have always seemed equally or more important than pure athleticism. I certainly have male friends that are way better than me at climbing, but amongst the group as a whole it does not seem that athleticism, ability, and gender are particularly well-correlated, and I've always felt like an equal.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2017 - 01:42pm PT
Atheticism and climbing is like IQ and high level science - there is a minimum, but past a certain point you don't HAVE to have a higher level. As time goes on, the minimum requirements of athleticism to be world class are rising as athletes become stronger and more skilled.

I don't really know much about "Can men do X or Y better" because it doesn't really mean anything. So what? There are some women who are very strong so others can get as strong, or stronger. As strong (or high performance) as men? Maybe not, but just like I can't get taller or a smaller nose or a longer reach I can't change who I am so why focus on that.

That being said, I've done various sports my whole life and some just fit men better. Your 'average' female climber and 'average' male climber are pretty close in skill gap, I would even put the 'average' male and female ultra distance runners to be about as close as you can get in sports. In combat sports, it is so scary far apart it isn't funny.

The male frame and female frame have their advantages, I don't see that affecting *too* much in climbing. Judo, that's another thing.
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jul 10, 2017 - 04:18pm PT
Who does better or worse, what body type, which sex....who really cares? In the end it boils down to what you, the individual, does with what you are given.
aspendougy

Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
Jul 10, 2017 - 04:46pm PT
Years ago, I recall reading something that Alison Hargreaves said about the female body, in certain respects, being better adapted to high altitude mountaineering than the male body.

Also, in comparing footage of let's say, Chris Sharma with Lynn Hlll, it seems as if a really strong guy, due to more brute strength, can do certain moves and waste some energy. Lynn, on the other hand, seems to dance up the rock with a more minimalist approach. If course, that is not necessarily a male/female thing; Chuck Pratt was famous for knowing how to do moves with a minimum of energy.
blahblah

Gym climber
Boulder
Jul 10, 2017 - 05:10pm PT
Also, in comparing footage of let's say, Chris Sharma with Lynn Hlll, it seems as if a really strong guy, due to more brute strength, can do certain moves and waste some energy.

Yeah, if only Chris had some technique thing how hard he would have climbed. (Sorry sarcasm doesn't come through on the Internet.)

A persistent myth is how women climb with such great technique and men should just copy women. Seems more likely that both men and women climb in ways that are suited to their physiques, which are different, so they climb differently.
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Jul 10, 2017 - 05:47pm PT
In the 2009 book Playing with the Boys: Why Separate is not Equal in Sports, two female authors argue that the only reason women appear to be athletically inferior to men is that society unfairly segregates them due to outmoded patriarchal beliefs. An exceedingly dumb 2013 article in VICE magazine says the idea that boys are better athletes than girls is “f*#king bullshit” and that the “games are rigged.” Naturally, there is no statistical evidence to buttress this non-argument, only the usual frothing about sexism and patriarchy and what impenitent as#@&%es men are.

http://takimag.com/article/ending_gender_discrimination_in_professional_sports_jim_goad#axzz4mTlKoVfA


WBraun

climber
Jul 10, 2017 - 06:05pm PT
LOL Kevin ... you're killing me .....
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 10, 2017 - 07:25pm PT
^^^good gawd. You're like a dog with a bone. Me thinks thou dost protest too f*#king damn much.


Susan
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2017 - 08:25pm PT
FYI no one has died in the UFC and I can just start naming dead climbers, if you wanna talk bloody... Some of us generally enjoy fighting, scrapping, violence in general. It's not like an anger thing like you make it out to be hehe
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2017 - 08:28pm PT
Just let us revel in our shirtless dad bod glory Susan geez
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2017 - 08:53pm PT
I mean I wasn't referencing you but if you say so... XD
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2017 - 07:42am PT
I love my cat. Dumb as sh#t.
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 11, 2017 - 09:25am PT
it would be nice if you feminists would just revel in your sex's superiority

Gosh. Thank you for the mansplaining. It's subtle language subtexts like that which become a window into someone's thought processes. Basically if my conduct only comported to what makes YOU comfortable the world would be better.

And, adding the "you feminists". You have chosen to lump me into a group of which you already hold to an inferior status as evidenced by " it would be nice ..... (if you would behave in a way 'I ' like". ). You catagorize me by a few posts on ST for gawd's sake.

Extremism rarely is a good policy for action but it is critical to get the conversation going and, basically "wake up" the sleeping masses. If we hadn't of had the extremism of Susan B Anthony, Rosa Parks, Hitler, Mussolini, Viet Nam war protesters, the list goes on, we wouldn't have had, eventually, policies that address serious, even grievious wrongs.

You would probably enjoy reading Camille Paglia. She would be described by many as a hard core feminist with very different views about the core of feminism.

Susan
cat t.

climber
california
Jul 11, 2017 - 09:44am PT
Categorizing women into two exaggerated types (the peachy-faced pixies who always play along and the angry feminists who troll the dark corners of the internet) implies that the identity and character of all women is defined by one thing only: their relationship with men. If they play along with the sexist drivel masquerading as banter, it must mean they recognize their true purpose: having a body for a man to possess! If they push back, it must mean that they are an angry feminist warrior whose entire purpose is seek out and destroy all men!

This characterization is absurd, of course. Women are not defined by their relationship with men, nor are men defined by their relationship with women. Women care about human relationships, sure, but they also care about myriad other things--just like men do. The relative amount a person cares about work, sports, romantic relationships, etc should not matter across gender. The whole point of feminism is about equality of CHOICE. If a guy's main priority is his family, he should be able to embrace that without judgment. If a woman's main priority is her career, she should be able to embrace that without judgment. Each individual should be able to balance their various life goals without being bullied for not being "masculine and dominant" enough or not being sufficiently "sexy and subservient."

It's in everyone's self-interest to embrace a society where more lifestyle choices are open to both men and women. Do you really want to be in relationships based purely on NEED, where one parter is not the equal of the other? Human relationships are more fulfilling when the people involved are each confident and fully-formed, with the freedom to make their own choices.
cat t.

climber
california
Jul 11, 2017 - 09:55am PT
So what choices, specifically, do you not believe are available to a woman climber?

For a woman who is already climbing, I think the sport presents a pretty equal playing field. I think the forces keeping women out of climbing are acting outside of climbing itself. For example, for most of history there have been fewer organized opportunities for young girls to get outside or play sports (and of course, social pressure pushing little girls out of those activities). I think and hope that this is actively changing.
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Jul 11, 2017 - 10:00am PT
So nice to see you all disagreeing so pleasantly and civilly. If ALL debates on socio-religious topics on this forum were argued so dispassionately there would not be so many who leave here disgusted.

Carry on. The chihuahua is not yet satisfied, I think.
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 11, 2017 - 10:45am PT
Fact is, any kind of profiling is only helpful in the wide context because within all human groups lies diversity in part by our basic makeup and in part by the experiences that conditioned us. And so categorical statements about men, or feminists, or baseball players, tell us little about a given person, though they might inform us about pack behavior in the round.

What seems always to happen is that we tar people with the wrong brush, in light of general, not specific, inferences.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 11, 2017 - 11:50am PT
I found this ad timely and telling...

jgill

Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
Jul 11, 2017 - 12:01pm PT
Put another way, while athleticism is required to be a good climber, it is absolutely not sufficient to be a good climber


An observation a long tine coming. When I started in 1953 I was 145 lbs and 6'1", but within a couple of years of gymnastics was up to 175 lbs, which made me feel good, more manly and far more athletic. But it wasn't the best path to difficult rock climbing.




How does a silverback go about chest thumping with all that gut in the way?

Poor woman has a hopeless fixation with paunchy men. If she keeps looking she'll find the right guy.
Brandon-

climber
The Granite State.
Jul 11, 2017 - 12:26pm PT
My wife and I had a conversation along these lines this past weekend. We were watching the Tour de France and she asked if there was a women's tour as well. IIRC, there used to be, but I'm not so sure about now. The conversation broadened to coverage of women's sports and whether or not there were any sports that women were generally better at than men/ sports where the women's competition was more popular than the men's. I was stumped.

Gymnastics? Probably.
Tennis? Probably a draw.
Figure skating? I said yes, but my wife said pairs, so a draw.

That's all I've got. For what it's worth, my wife is taller than me and plays basketball in men's league. The only woman. She's been doing this for two years and has always been the worst player on the team. She gets dispirited, yes, but yet she perseveres.

She's got more gumption than I do and it constantly impresses me.
BigB

Trad climber
Red Rock
Jul 11, 2017 - 12:37pm PT
womens volleyball is def more watched then mens
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 11, 2017 - 02:09pm PT
No question that women rule in mud wrestling.
Yury

Mountain climber
T.O.
Jul 11, 2017 - 02:28pm PT
Brandon, have you ever watched beach volleyball?
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2017 - 03:00pm PT
Now we're talking


I f*#king love you. Lol
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 11, 2017 - 03:09pm PT
He was quoting Susan, and calling bs on her judgement that I think women are generally inferior. Which is, in fact, bullsh#t.

When did I say that? Or are you projecting again?

Susan
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 11, 2017 - 06:33pm PT
You said that in the post you deleted.

No, I did not delete anything. I can't even think of a time I deleted a post on ST.
If that's what you want to believe there's nothing I can do to prove otherwise so we just leave it at that.
Sayonara.

Susan
Splater

climber
Grey Matter
Jul 11, 2017 - 07:53pm PT
Recently the media has harped on this interview of John McEnroe, as if he should apologize.

Retired tennis great John McEnroe describes Serena Williams as the best female tennis player in the world in his new memoir, "But Seriously," but during a Sunday interview he was asked more by NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

Host: "Let's talk about Serena Williams. You say she is the best female player in the world, in the book."

McEnroe: "Best female player ever, no question."

"Some wouldn't qualify it, some would say she's the best player in the world," Garcia-Navarro challenged McEnroe on the subject of Williams, whose 23 Grand Slam singles titles are the most in the Open era (since 1968). "Why qualify it?"

"Oh!" McEnroe replied. "Uh, she's not, you mean, the best player in the world, period?"

"Yeah, the best tennis player in the world," Garcia-Navarro said. "You know, why say female player?"

"Well because if she was in, if she played the men's circuit she'd be like 700 in the world," McEnroe said. " ... That doesn't mean I don't think Serena is an incredible player. I do, ...
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2017 - 10:10pm PT
Serena is one of the top 5, maybe 3 most dominant athletes in a main stream sport who ever lived. Her, Kelly Slater, maybe a few others. No one in Tennis has been as dominant for as long with as great a track record against the best competition offered, for almost 20 years, in a sport with millions of participants.

Gender don't play a role in that. She might be the best that ever lived.

Its about like competition, pound for pound. You would never say that Deontay Wilder is a 'better' boxer than Floyd Mayweather just because he has almost 75 pounds on him. Floyd beats like competition better than anyone else.

Well, except Serena.
monolith

climber
state of being
Jul 11, 2017 - 10:22pm PT
It was a stupid question. Did the interviewer really think Serena could beat the top men?

The interviewer didn't clarify the question after McEnroe answered so it seems she thought Serena could beat the best men.
c wilmot

climber
Jul 12, 2017 - 06:31am PT
s. No one in Tennis has been as dominant for as long with as great a track record against the best competition offered,



Ummm...our Russian friends informed the world why:

"Serena Williams, world's top tennis player, is taking oxycodone and hydromorphone (opioids), prednisone, prednisolone, and methylprednisolone as well."


Do as we say not as we do...
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 12, 2017 - 10:27am PT
I think the reason may of these conversations end up just circling the wagon is that people - men and women - are generally driven to issues by personal wants ranging from, "I want to be right," which is very common, to, "I want to dictate the terms by which you consider me," to, "I don't want to be profiled as this or that," to, "I don't want creeps always leering at me," to, "I want to be able to judge you but don't you dare judge me." And the list goes on. The REASONS a person wants this or that are both personal and universal, since we males and females belong to subsets of being human.

The problem is that when someone exclusively harps on the universal, the issues at large, we might understand the themes but we miss the personal ethos that usually drives the conversation. And it's the personal aspect that leads us to deeper understanding because only in this way is a theme or issue embodied, and it's much easier to understand a person than it is to understand the world.

I remember screenwriter Paul Haggis saying that whenever he writes a scene he always asks, "What does this scene mean PERSONALLY to the characters."

Someone just flogging an issue, no matter now important, is small beer compared to the person who gives us personal reasons to feel or think or act the way he or she does.

And so in regards to the feminist strains that run through this thread, when someone goes off, from either side, I ask myself: "What does this person want, and why?"

Unfortunately, once an issue reaches the boiling point, the personal often gets lost, thought the hotter it gets, the more personal the issue is for the person who, ironically, often never lets on what the issues means to them personally.

In this way we are able to hide behind issues - and circle the wagon.

blahblah

Gym climber
Boulder
Jul 12, 2017 - 11:20am PT
Is it a coincidence that Serena, the best female player by far, has a physique that is the most "manly" of any significant female tennis player,
by far (bulging arms and legs that I think would make even Warbler proud)?


Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 12, 2017 - 11:50am PT
Honesty is a personal virtue, so the honest thing to clearly say regarding an explosive issues is: This is what I want, not, this is how you should act of how you should think. The normal way is to make the judgements about others personal, while withholding your personal stakes in the matter. I say flip that equation and start with yourself, THEN work out to the rest of the world.
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 12, 2017 - 02:21pm PT
This debate about whether female climbers are oppressed and held back by male climbers needs to be based on facts and reality (honesty) first, political correctness second, to be effective in satisfying both sides.



Thing is, Kev, what gives these issues and threads liftoff is rarely just the issue or the facts - at least not alone, in any kind of purely objective way. And what's more, the objective is drawn entirely from the subjective, by what people feel and think and believe in.

Those beliefs etc. are not observer-independent data streams as science maintains per measurable external objects. These issues have to do with people, and what fires a person up who reads these threads is their personal reaction to the issues trotted out, or jammed int their face.

Trying to unpack such explosive stuff on purely objective grounds is a worthwhile philosophical exercise, but if you want to understand and directly relate to the crux of it you have to know what fires a persons interests and passions in the first place.

Positing some abstract take on facts and reality removes us from the boiling pot. True, if we only watch the pot boil it's nothing but drama. But once people start piping up on their personal stakes in the issue, specifically, what it means to them personally, then a mere shouting match can turn into a personal conversation. And to me, that the value of these threads.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 12, 2017 - 02:54pm PT
However, every now and then a competitor seems to transcend the competition brackets to become the Greatest of All Time


Damn straight. That's that mythical Kelly Slater, Floyd Mayweather spot. Ali was more a cultural icon than the greatest boxer of all time but I could see the argument.


Wilmont seems content to sound ignorant. Yup, no one else takes PED's. You are out of touch with main stream athletics my friend, take a step away from the blogs and into the real world 😘😘😘
rbord

Boulder climber
atlanta
Jul 12, 2017 - 03:37pm PT
Nicely said Largo.

My personal stake is that I'm raising a black daughter in a society where people have learned to perceive that 5 year old black girls are less innocent and less in need of protection than 5 year old white girls, despite those little white girls having 13 times the wealth of the little black girls.

https://www.law.georgetown.edu/news/press-releases/Black-Girls-Viewed-As-Less-Innocent-Than-White-Girls-Georgetown-Law-Research-Finds.cfm

And sure, people in human societies probably learn to perceive things about the differences between males and females, too. It's not all just about what delicate innocent little flowers those white 5 year old girls are.

For me, Serena is my favorite athlete ever.
ontheedgeandscaredtodeath

Social climber
SLO, Ca
Jul 12, 2017 - 03:43pm PT
My personal stake: my (now) wife was wearing booty shorts when I met her in a climbing gym!

When I swooped when I saw she needed a belay partner was it a microaggression or a valid response to a subtle invitation? How is the modern man to know???
zip

Trad climber
pacific beach, ca
Jul 12, 2017 - 03:46pm PT
I like climbing with female climbers cuz they are better than me, and can drag me up hard stuff.
Well,,,that's not totally true.
Right now, pretty much everyone is better than me.
Carry on.
StahlBro

Trad climber
San Diego, CA
Jul 12, 2017 - 04:34pm PT
It is human nature to form an initial opinion of someone based on their appearance. Everyone does it, whether they acknowledge it or not. No one is completely objective. Knowing your own biases is key to moving past the superficial, and gettting to know someone for who they really are. This takes an investment in time and selflessness.

Some people have an irresistible urge to rank everything in a strict hierarchical fashion based on quantitative criteria, because it is easier. I think you need consider the unique artistry that each person brings, and revel in their individual accomplishments, rather than worrying about judging one superior the other.

I try to learn something from everyone. My ego constantly trips me up, but I keep trying.

donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jul 12, 2017 - 05:37pm PT
Climb like a girl...use your feet, stupid!

Follow a girl...you'll need a really tight rope if she puts up a green camalot crack.

Act like a girl...don't embarrass yourself by getting drunk and falling in the campfire.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 12, 2017 - 07:46pm PT
I like climbing with female climbers cuz they are better than me


Well yeah, everybody is better than you.

Or is that an objective take on a subjective fact?






Some of us feel the need to 'defend' out of personal desires/needs/feelings. You can't say that about XYZ so I will speak for them in their stead. This is a tricky thing to do as you are a proxy for unwilling and unknowing participants, so I like to stick to facts.

Facts: Wins, competitions, stats, percentages, weights, results.

Fuzzywuzzy nonsense: Anecdotes, straw men, feelings.

It may not matter that men are better tennis players than women when paired up, it may be apples and oranges to say heavyweight fighters are besting (verbage matters here, besting != better than) smaller fighters. In fact, in the cosmic sense, the world can move about oblivious to these truths. But they are truths nonetheless, and whether you choose to focus on them and they make you happy or shy from them and they make you sad it just don't matter. Shrug it off like the real adults and stop wondering if King Kong can body slam The Hulk. It ain't happenin and it don't matter no how.



The hulk would crush King Kong tho, for real.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 12, 2017 - 07:48pm PT
Act like a girl...don't embarrass yourself by getting drunk and falling in the campfire.


Act like a *good person* you mean, but I get ya. Pandering is awesome.
SusanA

Sport climber
Bay Area
Jul 12, 2017 - 09:38pm PT
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 12, 2017 - 10:27pm PT
on today's NYTimes OpEd page
Real Men Might Get Made Fun Of
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
Jul 13, 2017 - 06:03am PT
Thanks, Ed. A MUCH better piece than the one that started this thread.

BAd
c wilmot

climber
Jul 13, 2017 - 09:37am PT
Ed-that article might as well be titled : dont judge me while I am judging you

It's yet another example of a feminist who finds discussions as a form of harrasment

Ps- Ellen Pao as a victim ? She lost in court.... it would be nice if the author based her opinions on factual realities rather than imagined injustices

Perhaps then She might be taken seriously
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 13, 2017 - 09:58am PT
Facts: Wins, competitions, stats, percentages, weights, results.

Fuzzywuzzy nonsense: Anecdotes, straw men, feelings.

------


Issues, especially ones as explosive as those expressed on this thread, are derived from human interactions and encounters, after which people think about them and draw conclusions. Those encounters themselves are best related by anecdotes and through feelings, thoughts and experiences expressed accordingly because that is the boiling pot from which the broth emerged and the "facts" were drawn accordingly.

To posit the ground-level stuff as nonsense is to lose the personal drivers that get people fired up in the first place. Yes, there is a need to step back and objectify what is happening on the ground floor, but it's misguided, IMO, to consider the abstract interpretations of the boiling stew more genuine and real than the stew itself.

As Sycorax pointed out, the scathing blog attack by the woman - well, that was a shoddy piece of writing because her conclusions did not necessarily follow from her arguments, to mention just one blunder. Point is, objectifying WHAT is going on is a key component in learning anything, but often people take this stance to limit their own vulnerability per the issue, while pot-shotting the issue from afar citing "facts," real or imagined.

What is really going on with booty shorts and all the fallout is the age-old dynamic of the mating ritual - spoken or unspoken - that always goes on, at some level, between men and women who are young, fit, and (fill in the blank). To try and exclusively attribute this dynamic to an aging white, straight, privileged, male demographic is a ludicrous simplification. Likewise, to infer that the mere presence of hormones vouchsafes and certified rape culture, is a criminal exaggeration.

The main and unspoken beef is that men are perceived as having the mandate, or the power to determine the rules of engagement, that it is first and foremost about their needs, the fulfillment of which is a woman's primary roll. A power struggle, in other words.

Good luck sorting that one out, or trying to change it with "facts."

Burnin' Oil

Trad climber
CA
Jul 13, 2017 - 10:47am PT
As an admittedly shallow thinker, my conclusion on the issue is that people sure talk a lot.
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 13, 2017 - 11:23am PT
We talk because we find the issue interesting.

"Facts are not drawn from feelings or thoughts. From experiences? Sometimes, but not from the feelings drawn from that experience, but by the truth which might be uncovered by the experience."

The way you have it, the truth is some stand-alone commodity that exists outside of experience, like a Platonic form or a Jungian archetype. The way I see it, experience is the source of the truth, rather than the truth informing and giving rise to the experience. That is, experience gives rise to the truth, which is derived FROM the experience.
blahblah

Gym climber
Boulder
Jul 13, 2017 - 12:08pm PT
Fact : cismales are sexually attracted to females.

I would say that's more of a "tautology" than a "fact."
rbord

Boulder climber
atlanta
Jul 13, 2017 - 01:22pm PT
Hey RBord? ... What gives man?

It's the thing that seems to have the biggest effect on my thinking (as I'd say Largo understands about people). That's the way it is for me. Acknowledging the things that affect our beliefs about the differences between people (male versus female, or analogously, black versus white) is exactly what was being discussed in this thread.

But you don't see a connection to this conversation, and instead see this as being about my need for attention? OK, if that's what you see, then that's what you see. For me, given the development of my superb social skills, attention doesn't seem to me to be at the top of my list :-) But humans are complicated - maybe I'm wrong.

But also IMHO, a lot of people have other things that affect what they see. And then the result of those things and their effect on our thinking is that people find themselves thinking that a black 5 year old girl is less innocent and less in need of protection than a white 5 year old girl, even though those white 5 year old girls have 13 times the wealth.

I'd like to better understand what it is that's affecting their thinking, because I expect that it affects mine too, in ways that I don't notice, and in ways that work against my daughter's (and blacks' and women's) best interests. I wouldn't mind if those other people became able to notice it about themselves, too.

But like all of us, when we look at our beliefs, we think that they're facts. I think as jstan once enlightened me, what (use) is a belief if you don't believe it's true?

What seems to me to be my personal stake is that I want my daughter (a female, and black, like the 5 year old black girls in the study I referenced) to be treated fairly. And we seem to have a lot of underlying beliefs about females and blacks that undermine that.

Before Alex free soloed El Cap, no-one had a strong enough belief to even try. But then he came along, standing on the beliefs of the climbers that came before him, the Bachars and Crofts and Potters, and he believed he could. And he did.

So what now will we choose to believe about women? Some will choose to see that a man free soloed El Cap. That's ok. It's a slow process.

A woman climbed 5.15. Men couldn't do that until 2001. If we're not too fussed about comparing like competitors, it looks like 2017 women are beating 2000 men in the climbing game. What changed? Our beliefs.

I wonder how that works out in a factual math way? How many hours of women climbing did it take for a woman to finally climb 5.15 versus how many hours of men climbing did it take for a man to finally climb 5.15, to develop the belief that they could climb 5.15? I expect those numbers are embarrassingly slanted in women's favor.

How do women compare to men in the income game? 80 cents to the dollar. I expect that's an artifact of our beliefs too.

Best to you.
nah000

climber
now/here
Jul 13, 2017 - 06:15pm PT
i'm not sure if there is a point to contributing to this thread anymore as it seems to have run its course... but damn...

i just can't seem to quit you TW... hahaha.

to continue to attempt to aid you with some of your "facts":

[not a] Fact - men are naturally stronger than women
actual fact: the average man is physically stronger than the average woman.

[A TW assumed to be] Feminist feeling - women are just as strong as men
actual fact: a few women are physically stronger than almost all men.

[a mostly, but still not completely, correct] Fact - the top male climbers perform at a higher level than women across the climbing spectrum
actual fact: in the present the top male climbers perform at a slightly higher level than the top women climbers across almost all of the climbing spectrum

[another TW manufactured red herring of a] Feminist feeling - women could perform as well as men if they had not been oppressed by men forever
actual fact: no one knows how well women collectively might perform as climbers if they were to holistically grow up without any of the sexist and categorical assumptions and baggage that has been hung around their necks for thousands of years.

[an again, close but still not quite completely correct TW attempt at stating a] Fact - men are sexually attracted to women
actual fact: heterosexual and bisexual men are sexually attracted to some women.

[another according to TW and then absolutely stated] Feminist feeling - men treat women as sex objects
actual fact: most women have experienced being treated as sex objects by some men.



the devil is always in the details.



at the rate you're going, you're def going to go to your grave confused as to why there are some pissed off females who are annoyed with those like you who bate [by stating relatively irrelevant facts such as "the most elite dozen or so male athletes in most climbing disciplines climb slightly harder than the most elite female athletes in the same disciplines"] and then switch [to sexist and category based language by stating bull shIt like: "men are better athletes than women"; "women should just be thankful for the things they are good at"; and/or some variation of the mistaken categorical thinking that follows]



categories while interesting and useful when creating policy, or mass produced clothes, or some such gross systemic efficiency, are useless, and ultimately damaging to those who don't fit the categories, when dealing one on one with an individual.
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jul 13, 2017 - 06:17pm PT
We are certainly led to any action by our beliefs.....our beliefs, unfortunately, are not always truths.
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jul 13, 2017 - 08:34pm PT
Keep them apart...existential trouble of the highest order for the human race.
Stupid Merican

climber
Crankloon, OH
Jul 13, 2017 - 10:34pm PT
Rbord I totally appreciate your voice, thoughts and provocations. You get me to thinking and sometimes challenge my assumptions.

Cheers to you
DMT

Ah... some one broke through the glass ceiling.

DMT is the guardian, don't you know...
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 13, 2017 - 10:35pm PT
previously from the NYTimes
Ellen Pao Loses Silicon Valley Bias Case Against Kleiner Perkins
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
Jul 14, 2017 - 07:04am PT
Interesting case, Ed. Here's what seems a pretty good take on it:

https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/2/8328115/ellen-pao-kleiner-perkins-venture-capital-verdict

BAd
c wilmot

climber
Jul 14, 2017 - 07:41am PT
Apparently feminists think you are guilty until proven innocent and even then you are still probably guilty....


Ellen Pao LOST her case in court...


it's amazing how that fact is ignored


Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 08:48am PT
Sexual Harassment Isn't Just A Silicon Valley Problem
c wilmot

climber
Jul 14, 2017 - 09:24am PT
anecdotal evidence suggest that harassment is particularly pervasive in low-wage occupations such as restaurants and retail, industries like farming in which workers are isolated, and male-dominated fields like construction.


ed- You are using anecdotal evidence as the basis for your argument. Just like climate change deniers....

While I don't disagree with the hypothesis it would be better to highlight factual instances of sexual harassment rather than using anecdotal evidence

Though I am still not sure what point if any you are trying to make here...

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 09:35am PT
Alpinist 58
p64 Paradigm Shift
Caroline Treadway

"...To some, Hill's achievement [the free Nose] signaled that the gender gap in climbing had closed. Other benchmark moments followed, marking women's rise in all genres of the pursuit, as Charlotte Austin points out in Alpinist 52. In 2005 Ines Papert placed first over all in the difficulty category of the Ourey Ice Festival competition. In 2008 Beth Roden became the first person to complete Meltdown, a thin 5.14c crack believed to be the most difficult single-pitch trad climb in Yosemite. In 2009 Kei Taniguchi was the first female mountaineer to receive the Piolet d'Or, for the first ascent of the icy northeast pillar of Cerro Riso Patrón, a rime-crusted peak deep within Southern Patagonian fjords. Meanwhile Sílvia Vidal had forged hard aid routes in the intense solitude of alpine big walls. In bouldering and sport climbing, Ashima Shiraishi and Margo Hayes have continued to prove that women can accomplish some of the most challenging problems in the world..."
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 09:37am PT
http://web.mit.edu/fnl/women/women.html

President Charles M. Vest:
I commend this study of Women Faculty in Science to all of my faculty colleagues. Please read it, contemplate its messages and information, and act upon it personally and collectively.

I learned two particularly important lessons from this report and from discussions while it was being crafted. First, I have always believed that contemporary gender discrimination within universities is part reality and part perception. True, but I now understand that reality is by far the greater part of the balance. Second, I, like most of my male colleagues, believe that we are highly supportive of our junior women faculty members. This also is true. They generally are content and well supported in many, though not all dimensions. However, I sat bolt upright in my chair when a senior woman, who has felt unfairly treated for some time, said "I also felt very positive when I was young."

We can take pride in the candor of dialog that these women have brought to this issue and in the progress that we have made, but much remains to be done. Our remarkably diverse student body must be matched by an equally diverse faculty. Through our institutional commitment and policies we must redouble our efforts to make this a reality.'
jgill

Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
Jul 14, 2017 - 12:42pm PT
Over the last sixty years I've watched the world of gymnastics change considerably in the public eye. In the 1950s men's competitions were paramount, with women's running a weak second.

Now, of course, the situation is the reverse, with female gymnasts achieving the status of pop stars with accolades from all quarters, their performances far more impressive than they were back then.

There will come a time when the genders will compete on the same apparatus, and quite possibly the women will prevail. The horizontal bar comes to mind.

Men, from the perspective of sports history, prepare yourselves for an inevitability in climbing!

(oh, and remember what Jim said: If you use your feet you are climbing like a girl.)


;>)
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 01:06pm PT
Gonna be a while before the rings are added to the calendar methinks.

Hey, let's talk about women in the military! Specifically, front line
ground pounders. They've had to drastically reduce the physical nature
of boot camp so as not to get Congressional knickers in a bunch. Yes,
women have good endurance but not many have the shear strength required
for many emergencies. Granted, not a lot of guys do either, but more so.
I'm thinking SEAL teams will remain a male bastion for a long long time.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 01:29pm PT
Then she called me a misogynist, and told me she was done talking to me

so you start to get an idea how sexual selection works...
jgill

Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
Jul 14, 2017 - 01:55pm PT
Why not get a divorce? Being free is so much better than marriage


The lady is desperate to turn this thread into a dating venue. Send her a PM and maybe she'll relax.
micronut

Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
Jul 14, 2017 - 02:08pm PT
I think Ed and The Warbler both have some good points. There is a reason that "feminism" is on a rapid decline (numbers wise) in the states. What's sad is how much of the media continues to take well-meaning and even societally/scientifically proven arguments and turn them into "Sexist" or "racist" issues. So many issues are painted as equality or "in-equality" issues when they truly aren't. Men and women were not created equal. Nor is all of mankind created equal. That's ridiculous. And to strive for "eaquality" or "fairness" on all levels so sets one up for disappointment and general unhappiness in my opinion.

I believe we are all created equal in God's eyes and should treat each other with equal measures of decency, without malice or preconceived notion. That's the quality I strive for and hope to impart to my children.

My daughter is a Division I athlete and is definitely not as strong as men. She knows that and would find it ridiculous to be offended by anybody who insinuated that she isn't. She's just not as good as the mail swimmers. That's no big deal. Typically it's people who don't have much experience with these kind of things that have the most conviction or are the loudest complainers. I find that strange.


Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 02:10pm PT
There is a reason that feminism is on a rapid decline in numbers in the states.

where is this factoid gleaned from?

feminism is in a rapid decline in Afghanistan, too, are you suggesting that the reasons might be the same?
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 14, 2017 - 02:13pm PT
Seems like Sycorax can't decide whether to be Lago, Fallstaff or Prospero.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 02:19pm PT
I'm suggesting that over a long time with many such encounters, that certain behaviors would likely be greatly attenuated in the human population.

The article on domestication that I posted on another thread points to the fact that humans are much less aggressive than their close ape relatives, which is a sign of domestication...

see this post

Isn't this what you fear, Warbler, that you would be domesticated? that climbing would be "domesticated?"

You're a bit late in your worries... there is no inner "wild type" to channel anymore. The gals decided it "wasn't worth it."
micronut

Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
Jul 14, 2017 - 02:23pm PT
Ed the numbers are in regards to the feminist movement and number of women who identify themselves as "Feminist" or align themselves with a true feminist philosophy as compared to the movement's origins and the past 25 years in America. Lots of stats out there.

Phone battery dying by the way! Gotta run. Maybe I'll check in on this thread in a couple days.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 02:28pm PT
oh, found one,
'...asked if they believe that “men and women should be social, political, and economic equals,” 82 percent of the survey respondents said they did, and just 9 percent said they did not. Equal percentages of men and women said they agreed with that statement, along with 87 percent of Democrats, 81 percent of independents and 76 percent of Republicans.'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/16/feminism-poll_n_3094917.html

but wait, there's more!

'Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines feminism as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.”'

donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jul 14, 2017 - 03:37pm PT
Most people, even on this forum, are well aquainted with, and know the meaning of, misogyny. Few can tell you what misandry means...there are very good reasons for that state of affairs.
GDavis

Social climber
SOL CAL
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 14, 2017 - 04:10pm PT
Global conspiracy
David Knopp

Trad climber
CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 04:24pm PT
Micronut i think that "decline" in self-identified feminists is because many of the equal rights battles have been fought and won by other hardcore feminists-so, there is not as much need, because other women have done the work for you already. At least that's what my wife tells me.
c wilmot

climber
Jul 14, 2017 - 04:31pm PT
Ellen Pao was treated equally- and yet feminists still complained- what gives ed?

Also- please explain how the patriarchy is holding women back in all regards including

climbing...

And do you really think people who oppose the vindictive third wave feminist rhetoric want women to be treated un equally?


Personally I oppose it because I had to deal with multiple teachers who were seriously biased towards males. It turned academics into an us vs them situation. I hated school partially because of this treatment. The one female teacher who truely was a feminist in regards to treating everyone equally was awesome. i still have fond memories of her and seriously respect her wisdom looking back. The teacher who ranted about her ex and about how all men were evil- not so much... I am biased for sure- it's why I speak out
micronut

Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
Jul 14, 2017 - 04:32pm PT
I think that's a good point David.

When feminism becomes man heating and mis-guided martyrdom then it doesn't help anybody. Let us not confuse the hard-core feminist with those of us who believe in treating all people as you would have yourself treated and hoping the best for them. I'm back to 1% battery on my phone so I'm not gonna stay long. Got to go root for my daughter at The LA Invite at USC's pool. Wish her luck. It won't be long before men are competing in the women's 100 m freestyle. It's only fair you know. They should be able to identify however they want.

Gotta run.


Scott
jgill

Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
Jul 14, 2017 - 04:52pm PT
They help feminists like Ed . . .


Oh oh.


;>\
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 05:13pm PT
if that's the label you want to put on me, Warbler, label away...

reading the Declaration of Independence as a sort of position paper which established the philosophical basis to secede from the British empire, we find the famous passage:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

150 years later, women got the right to vote, kind of amazing that given those words, unless you take them literally, that is, they were only talking about men, excluding women.

Half the governed were not allowed to provide their consent to the government that was to secure those rights. As we know, that didn't work out so well, at least for women, and a number of other excluded classes of humans.

Women's suffrage is less than 100 years old.

Apparently those "truths" weren't so self evident, unless you're a man.

as for married women?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married_Women%27s_Property_Acts_in_the_United_States
As the U.S. Congress considered legislation to protect the civil rights of African-Americans that became the Civil Rights Act of 1866, opponents of the legislation charged that it would alter the legal status of married women. Senator Edgar Cowan, a supporter of the legislature ridiculed that suggestion: "What was the involuntary servitude mentioned there? ... Was it the right the husband had to the service of his wife? Nobody can pretend that those things were within the purview of that amendment; nobody believes it."[13]

c wilmot

climber
Jul 14, 2017 - 05:17pm PT
That's the exact kind of stuff I was shamed with during my time in public school Ed.

It's complete nonsense. Blaming people for historical wrongs they had nothing to do with is simply absurd.
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jul 14, 2017 - 05:22pm PT
Wanting 51% of the human race to have equal opportunity in the workplace and on the playing field is not feminisim.....it's just right thinking.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 05:24pm PT
you guys aren't a part of the culture? you thought these things up all by yourselves...

wow, chapeau!
c wilmot

climber
Jul 14, 2017 - 06:24pm PT
Is every Muslim responsible for the "culture" that created the 9/11attacks? Is every German responsible for the "culture" that led to the horrors of the holocaust?

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 07:11pm PT
German's post WWII did look very deeply at their culture to try to understand what led to those events and took personal responsibility, collectively, as a nation.

They didn't excuse their own behavior by saying "well that was history, it is irrelevant to me."

c wilmot

climber
Jul 14, 2017 - 07:23pm PT
Ed- your supposition is that every male should feel guilt over historical grievances against women. By that regard every German born today should be shamed for the crimes comitted by nazi Germany
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 07:51pm PT
Ed- your supposition is that every male should feel guilt over historical grievances against women.

No that is not my supposition, what I have clearly said is that one should listen to the stories of women and other under represented people and take them seriously. From those serious considerations, we should act as Charles Vest advised his faculty, paraphrasing: "listen, contemplate the messages and information, and act upon it personally and collectively."

There can certainly be no harm in that.

By that regard every German born today should be shamed for the crimes comitted by nazi Germany

I think that part of modern German culture is the consideration of what happened in their society that lead to WWII, it is not shame, it's a recognition that the most advanced society on almost all fronts: arts, science, music, mathematics, engineering, technology, literature, theatre, philosophy, industry, in the first third of the twentieth century committed those horrible crimes.

It is something to be aware of, it is a lesson to us all.
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jul 14, 2017 - 08:09pm PT
It is a lesson that has additional currency in today's America.
c wilmot

climber
Jul 14, 2017 - 08:35pm PT
Ed- no one is saying the experiences of women should not be taken seriously. What I am saying is the extremist views often found in modern feminism today are often based on broad generalizations and questionable anecdotal evidence. Feelings are often subjective

And there is no shame in looking back on germanys history as a German and seeing a collective moral failure on many fronts

Blaming all Germans as evil over past deeds in the manner many feminists blame all men would however be shameful.

And when I say feminists are blaming all men I am talking about the freely used accusation of a patriarchy that is allegedly holding women back

Apperently even in climbing..





Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 14, 2017 - 09:14pm PT
Blaming all Germans as evil over past deeds in the manner many feminists blame all men would however be shameful.

Too bad they haven't copped to the nightmare of Köln's New Year's Eve when the poor oppressed muslim men went all cultural on the naive German women.
rbord

Boulder climber
atlanta
Jul 14, 2017 - 10:47pm PT
150 years after slavery ended, and median white wealth is 13 times median black wealth. And all those housewives who choose to be housewives are just mucking up the statistics in favor of the feminists!

But the past is the past - let it go.

This is just evidence that whites are naturally better at creating wealth than blacks, and that a woman's natural place is in the kitchen. What's so confusing?

We white men must be geniuses if we can convince ourselves to believe that.
ontheedgeandscaredtodeath

Social climber
SLO, Ca
Jul 14, 2017 - 11:17pm PT
FYI, the source of this important thread, the enormocast, has awesome interviews with lots of iconic female climbers. Some of my idols, like Lynn Hill, Steph Davis, and Kitty Calhoun have been and still are totally crushing and give fully climbing geeked out interviews. It's also cool to listen to the younguns about their exploits.

BLUEBLOCR

Social climber
joshua tree
Jul 14, 2017 - 11:44pm PT

There can certainly be no harm in that.

As long as we can call it scientific!?
BLUEBLOCR

Social climber
joshua tree
Jul 14, 2017 - 11:48pm PT


Jul 14, 2017 - 10:47pm PT
150 years after slavery ended, and median white wealth is 13 times median black wealth. And all those housewives who choose to be housewives are just mucking up the statistics in favor of the feminists!

But the past is the past - let it go.

This is just evidence that whites are naturally better at creating wealth than blacks, and that a woman's natural place is in the kitchen. What's so confusing?

Welp, history is the only truth!
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Jul 15, 2017 - 08:50am PT
Off topic but


Jul 7, 2017 - 08:26am PT
Ed, you may be confused.

Unless Pack went back and sent the finger crack at the bottom, the route had not even been redpointed in full last time I was down there, and I've heard the wide pitch called 5.12 by her regular partner, who also attempted the finger crack pitch without success

For the record somebodysnybody, what anyone says about downrating the wide pitch on Event Horizon or comparing its difficulty to that of other routes is not credible because they have not done it. To date, No One has repeated that pitch, not Danny, not the Wide Boyz not "her regular [EX] partner".
I've been on the pitch, have you? It's not 5.12!i also belayed the ffa

The route was left out of the guidebook at the request of "regular partner" who did not want the world to know that he had failed where a mere girl had climbed the pitch. His argument was that he was working on the first pitch and didn't want someone to "steal his project"
So for years every single person who has driven to Indian creek in daylight hours has seen the route that at least was, the hardest ow in the creek, and the knowledge was kept from them to coddle a fragile male ego

As soon as the third addition of the guide was out he abandoned the project. That pitch. TemainsA/C 1

Now Who is confused, somebodyanybody?
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 15, 2017 - 09:55am PT
I'll rally with Jaybro anytime...

...but if you are making stupid statements, I'll call you out, bro...
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 15, 2017 - 10:49am PT
I think what I was getting at was that Shanti (Ms. Pack) is certainly a part of the conversation regarding hard offwidth climbing these days, right there with the best boys. You can't have a discussion regarding this end of the spectrum of climbing without including her accomplishments and her program.

I won't be getting on those routes anytime soon, for sure, and probably never. In the climbing hierarchy, which is merit based, we acknowledge those that can do the routes. It is also very common that when someone "snakes" another's project that there is controversy, but hey, do it or get out of the way, right?

As for the routes, time will tell as the rest of climbing gets to them. Right now, the small numbers of people trying them are all we have to tell what the difficulty might be, and aside from all the hemming and hawing, if someone can get up the pitch when others cannot, it certainly makes a statement.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 15, 2017 - 11:33am PT
you can't meet up to that standard, and you never could (as your own lack of OW accomplishments attests)

that is not to say you weren't doing important ascents in your day. Your day is past. As for women getting up your routes, there's something creepily voyeuristic in the image of you monitoring all your routes to tally who is doing them, unless you're just blowing smoke...
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 15, 2017 - 11:49am PT
I think your point is rapidly being addressed in the abilities of women climbers as they obtain the access they seek to do routes in the style they find appropriate for them, just as you did.

That was my point on the OW dig, you didn't and still don't find them very aesthetic, so you didn't do them... but that doesn't make any statement other than your choice of style.

You can define "worthy climbing" only subjectively, and it is a fashion for sure, but there is nothing absolute about it.

And reducing climbing to a mere sport where athleticism is the only dimension worth talking about seems to be contradictory to your own statements regarding the values of climbing.

Take that component away and your point is on shaky ground indeed.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jul 15, 2017 - 01:22pm PT
I know you still climb, and I wish you many more years of doing it, with many more amazing adventures to report.

(It's not my Valley, but I do like to go there a lot).
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 15, 2017 - 05:14pm PT
Feminists believe it's because of male oppressio

You are so full of sh#t.

Susan
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 15, 2017 - 05:34pm PT
OMG. The revered research journal psychology today.
I retract my ad hominem attack in light of being set straight by the depth of your research and deep thinking about such profound topics.

Carry on


Susan

Ps Kanazawa is full of sh#t, not you, you're just acting as the sewer hose.
anita514

Gym climber
Great White North
Jul 15, 2017 - 06:08pm PT
I was feeling kind of like a loser for being at home last night watching Titanic... but then I checked this thread and immediately felt better.
skcreidc

Social climber
SD, CA
Jul 16, 2017 - 10:31am PT
Looks like this thread is getting down to the finalists!
Largo

Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
Jul 16, 2017 - 01:51pm PT
The Bill M. piece was raunchy but he did raise an inescapable truth: You cannot reform biology, and acting like we have, or should, is nothing but charades.

But what's really at issue here is control. It has always been the men who have determined what the standard female role should be within a given society - from jobs to salaries to whatever. Trump was a huge step backwards in this regards because the role he seems to endorse is outdated by decades.



SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
Jul 16, 2017 - 07:26pm PT
A female Dr. Who.

PROGRESS!


Susan
monolith

climber
state of being
Jul 16, 2017 - 08:22pm PT
More fuel for the fire.

Feminist scientists say citing research by straight, white men promotes 'a system of oppression'
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jul 16, 2017 - 09:14pm PT
I vacuumed the house today. The wife ain't allowed near my vacuum.
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