Mansplaining

Warrigal

Warrigal

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A newly coined word, mansplain was selected as new word of the year for 2014 by the Macquarie Dictionary.

mansplain

verb (t) Colloquial (humorous) (of a man) to explain (something) to a woman, in a way that is patronising because it assumes that a woman will be ignorant of the subject matter.
[MAN + (EX)PLAIN with s inserted to create a pronunciation link with explain]
–mansplaining, noun
The Committee chose mansplain as the word of the year for 2014. They felt that it was a much needed word and it was a clever coinage which captured neatly the concept of the patronising explanation offered only too frequently by some men to women.
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This word surfaced today in a fiery Senate Community Affairs Committee in Canberra.

'What?': Katy Gallagher explains mansplaining to Mitch Fifield during fiery estimates showdown

Date February 11, 2016

Judith Ireland

National political reporter


Tensions boil over

Liberal frontbencher Mitch Fifield takes exception to Labor senator Katy Gallagher accusing him of mansplaining. The result? A heated exchange.

The Senate's community affairs committee is not usually associated with fireworks. With questions centring around the allocation of community grants, budget breakdowns and the Social Services Department 'ring road', the hearings can often be filed under "worthy".

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Communications Minister Mitch Fifield. Photo: Andrew Meares

But the calm of the committee was seriously disrupted on Thursday morning by three simple syllables: mansplaining.

Labor's Katy Gallagher was questioning Turnbull government minister Mitch Fifield about some welfare and families bills and whether they had the authority of the new Prime Minister. This saw the Communications Minister (representing Social Services Minister Christian Porter in the Senate) launch into a lengthy explanation of internal government processes.

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Katy Gallagher says cutting $3m by June is an "impossible ask" Photo: Graham Tidy

But before Gallagher could follow up with another inquiry, Fifield added: "Let me just stop you so you don't waste a line of questioning".
And then indignation struck on multiple fronts.

"I love the mansplaining. I'm enjoying it," Gallagher said, mixing fatigue with just a hint of provocation.

At first the dig confused Fifield.

"You're loving what? ... What's mansplaining, senator?"

Gallagher was only too happy to fill him in on the 2014 Macquarie Dictionary word of the year.

"It's the slightly patronising and condescending way that you're responding to my questions [as a man to a woman]," the ACT senator replied.
Fifield turned from confused to incensed in 0.1 seconds, accusing Gallagher of making a "sexist implication about how I'm conducting my role".

"Imagine, senator, if I said you were womansplaining? Imagine the reaction!"

When Gallagher pointed out that mainsplaining is "used" by others, Fifield expressed serious doubt.

"By whom? By rude senators ... who are seeking to make gender an issue."

Things descended further from here. Fifield - wounded - declared he was only trying to be "helpful" before calling Gallagher a hypocrite.

"Can I suggest, take a good look at yourself," he said, adding a few more cans of lighter fluid to the fire.

For her part, Gallagher was totally unrepentant. Despite multiple offers from Fifield, she refused to take the mansplaining back to where it came from.

Finally, it was up to committee chair (and Gallagher's old nemesis from ACT politics) Zed Seselja​ to call the warring senators to order. The committee was duly sent off for a break. It was time for a cup of tea and a rendezvous with the dictionary.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...fiery-estimates-showdown-20160210-gmr3u5.html
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I don't know what the conversation was proceeding the use of the word, but, I can see it being felt, by Mitch Fifield, as use of a poor choice of a word in these professional proceedings. I agree if the tables had been turned and he'd used a similar term for her, there may have been an uproar made by many women over the comment.
 
I think it's kind of aggravating actually. Perpetuating the stereotype that women yammer on and on, while by virtue of being able to pee standing up, a man will always be clear and concise. Oy so call me a woman of few words....PFFFFFT Oh and I hate dumb blonde jokes too.
 
fureverywhere said:
I think it's kind of aggravating actually. Perpetuating the stereotype that women yammer on and on, while by virtue of being able to pee standing up, a man will always be clear and concise. Oy so call me a woman of few words....PFFFFFT Oh and I hate dumb blonde jokes too.
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"Clear and concise" is NOT the impression I've gotten of manpeeing standing up! (From what men themselves say about the art.) Although stereotypical women tend to yammer on and on and on while peeing, I have been party to fairly one-sided conversations continuing through a closed bathroom door (and I was the woman on the outside of the door while the man yammered on and on and on from within). lol
 
Sigh. Only an insecure man need resort to patronising a woman in order to make a point, or close down an argument to which he has no answer. Such men are dinosaurs, with no place in the twenty first century. Lol.
 
That's one of my little sort-of-granddaughter's favorite phrases. She wants something or to do something, I'll say no and she counters with, "Lemme 'splain this...." and then goes into her long routine, usually involving how much physical and mental distress it will cause her not to have another frozen popsicle or watch "Frozen" again for the third time and how much better it would be if I'd only come around to her point of view. That child is going to either be a politician or a used car salesman.
 
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