Someone said to us a short time ago that the strategy that she’s found most effective for stopping sexist and homophobic remarks is to draw analogies to help the person understand how their comment feels to the recipient. For example, she helped her Jewish parents see the impact of their homophobic remarks with a comparison to how negative comments about Jewish people would feel to them.
Could the same approach work with sexist comments?
Is there a way to help men who have never experienced sexism (or perhaps even what it’s like to be a disadvantaged minority, if they are white) understand how it feels?
What could you say that would help them empathize with the effect of a discriminatory comment if they’ve never experienced discrimination?
Steve
As I pondered ways that I have responded to sexist comments, using analogies immediately came to mind. This technique has about a 50% success rate for me. It’s effectiveness is predicated upon the assumption that the person is either willing or even capable of empathy. It also seems to be more effective when the vehicle of sexism is a comment regarding a person’s character rather than a physical attribute. As you have already referenced on your site, one of the keys is to know your audience. In my opinion, in order for an analogy to convey your intention, you need to know what would elicit a similar feeling of discomfort in the person who issued the remark.