A Strange Comment
March 19, 2008 — Amoeboid Blurry SmileI’ve been busy with offline activities and non-socializing computer related activities. Thus, I haven’t been paying attention to my blog or other people’s blogs. I expect that this will continue for a while.
I signed on to wordpress and saw something in my moderation queue. I figured one of my regular readers had changed their name or something like that. I haven’t yet approved it nor have I deleted it. I’m in a bit of a quandary. It’s bizarre. I don’t really like the idea of censoring something just because it makes little sense and I mostly disagree with what is said. On the other hand, once I’ve let the comment through, that means the guy (assuming it’s a guy which it probably is as you’ll see shortly) can write other stuff on my blog which I don’t really want.
The comment was on this post (about a trip I took to the doctor). Here’s the text of the comment.
Men should never submit to being examined by a female health care professional. It is emasculating and de-humanizing. Men, learn about your genitals..all parts have a name. Learn where they are and what they do. If you take matters into your own hands, you take away alot of their power. Prostate, hernia exams are easy and can be done in the privacy of your own bathroom. have PSA TEST AND CHECK YOUR OWN PROSTATE!!
I’ll state my opinion on the matters raised here. I agree that people (men and women) should learn about their bodies (and other people’s bodies). I completely disagree with the anti-female health care professional sentiment expressed above. The position put forward by the commenter is daft in more ways than I care to describe. I will only say this. The gender of the doctor isn’t significant if the doctor behaves in a professional manner. That’s what professional means.
I’m not sure what to do about the comment. I’ll appreciate suggestions.
March 19, 2008 at 9:54 am
So, the interesting thing is looking at this in light of some of the feminist health issues.
If you swap the gender in that whole statement, then it becomes very different. Historically, Western medicine was a field of study where only men were allowed to study. Or at least they were by far the dominant force. There was an oppression in the way that Doctor’s patronised their patients. Running down the etymology of words like hysteria, or the history of medical understanding of the breasts, or menstruation, or anything totally feminine, and you get some totally skewed and ridiculous statements.
Within an oppressive system, the patriarchy, it is no wonder that women can sometimes feel threatened by being probed, prodded and examined by someone who doesn’t have the same…er…hands on experience as themselves. Even a professional doctor may represent the views of an establishment that is insensitve to female concerns.
But then, at the same time, this isn’t what’s being implied here. The talk of emasculation makes the whole thing nonsense. Don’t let the women near your sacred totem of fertility. For they have cooties and it will fall off.
So I don’t know why I did ramble on about feminism there.
To get to the real point. I think it’s a shame that men don’t have the same type of health groups that feminism has promoted for women. A number of my friends went to such an event last week, and it sounded great (I had a big long summary and a look at the diagrams that were handed out. It was really truly fascinating…EVERYONE should know this stuff, it’s ridiculous that it isn’t the case).
But yeah, this guys an idiot, but to be honest, a fairly amusing and thought provoking one. So I’d let it stand, perhaps with a response of a suitably belittling quality.
My writing is terrible today.
Ah well.
Nonsense.
March 19, 2008 at 11:03 am
Very wise remarks Alabaster Crippens. Have we met?
I think you should let the comment in. It is very amusing, and telling. You can always ban him later if need be, no?
March 19, 2008 at 2:11 pm
HUH? I love how this was threadjacked so artfully, and on the first comment. Bravo, Alabaster.
If you must know, I’ve been busy with computer activities too, MIB. Of course, you knew that already. In the telling vernacular of the internet relationship, you could say we’ve been vocally trysting and experimenting with different doo-dads here and there. I’m thankful that you know more about the internet than I do. I’ve been messing with another web site since Thursday and still can’t get it to look proper.
March 19, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Thanks Alabaster. I did think about the gender reversal thing and the lunacy of the ‘emasculation’. Anyway, you’ve convinced me. I’ve approved it and since I think there’s a pingback to here, that can stand as the (not very) subtle belittling response — especially not subtle if they read your wonderful comment.
March 19, 2008 at 4:56 pm
What an interesting and telling comment this was. The most interesting is the “emasculating” element of it. I think that’s way false. I know quite a few informed, educated, intelligent, and very male men who see female physicians without being emasculated. If you think you will be emasculated by a female doctor, I think you have a problem with your masculinity to begin with!
March 19, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Hmm Women usually have smaller hands. That seems like a plus when it comes to prostate exam.
I’m glad you’re letting it stand. You can always ban the Neanderthal latter.
March 19, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Oops that should be “later” not “latter”. Feel free to edit.
March 19, 2008 at 10:05 pm
It’s very entertaining. Ofcourse, you should let it stand.
March 20, 2008 at 7:12 am
I think what you should do is have the best of both worlds by quoting the comment in a post, and then pointing out how ridiculous it is. That way, you can give the guy a much-needed kick in the balls with which he is so personally familiar and the intact virility of which he fears for, while not tacitly approving of him by allowing his comment in.
Oh, wait. That’s what you already did.
You’re brilliant! And so am I.
March 20, 2008 at 11:03 am
OH! David said “balls!”
March 20, 2008 at 12:44 pm
*wakes suddenly* balls? with jingle bells?
March 20, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Sirs,
Enumerating the set of all possible disempowerments through auto-inspectional body part access denial would be a good place to start.
Sincerely,
Insp. B. Ramdev
March 20, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Ah, but David can afford to say “balls” now. “They” can’t “get” at him now.
March 21, 2008 at 1:49 pm
What is this guys “Real Problem?” A Doctor is a Doctor, they really Don’t care what you look like! The fact of the matter is if this guy should get into a serious accident and needed to be rushed to a Hospital for medical treatment, he wouldn’t care about where his BODY Parts are or who is touching them as long as he gets to KEEP them!!!! What about women who don’t Always get the choice to have a Female OBGYN? When they go into Labor and Delivery, they have to Expose their most Private Part to the person ready to deliver that baby…Most often it’s a Guy Dr….So give it up!!! Women have been dealing with these issues since the Beginning of time….
March 21, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I’m all for women and smaller hands. The last doctor that checked my prostate had fingers like bratwursts.
March 21, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I refused one comment on mine, it was odd…and it wasn’t that I wanted to censor it, but I didn’t want the person to have my email address, and they have it once you approve them. As for your topic, my husband had prostate cancer 5 years ago (at 4
and without several medical professionals it would have been missed. Our small town (male) doctor missed it. In my concern I forced him to a specialist and he had to have 2 biopsies, and finally they sent the second one to the Mayo Clinic to figure it out. He’s fine and everything works. Can you imagine where he’d be if he’d done a self exam????
March 26, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I like Bubba Ramdev’s comment immensely.
I don’t care what the other muppet wrote. “Emasculating”, honestly…
March 27, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Forgive me for having trouble taking this too seriously, but I’m still laughing at this part:
Wait!
*suddenly sobers*
Isn’t this how guys used to go blind?
March 27, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Oh wow! WordPress is back alive to me and I have all these lovely comments!
I think I’m going to do some surfing instead of writing a bunch of replies to things that are lovely as they are.
I do want to thank OmbudsBen for pointing out the “into your own hands” part. I hadn’t laughed at that. The “all parts have a name” had me giggling though.
March 27, 2008 at 11:10 pm
snigger