I don't think I've told anyone this before.....

....Beyond a few psychology classmates and my family, anyway.

Have you ever wondered about female to male prejudice? We all know how men supposedly treat women across the board unfairly, but how many stop to think about the reverse? What is it that we women do to men that is stereotyping them? Do we assume they have shortcomings just because they are men?

I play a game called Second Life. I have two avatars. One is a female, and one is a male. I created the male character because I wanted to study these questions. I started out by asking men I knew in my personal life these questions. The answers convinced me that there was something to this idea. They invariably told me yes, but it was tough to get them to elaborate. So I figured that the closest I would ever get to being able to pass myself off as a male would be in Second Life. I actually found that it's still incredibly hard to do. I talk (type/use language) like a woman. I behave like a woman. So I got a male buddy of mine in the game to coach me. Once I got the basics down, I started off on my own to explore.

I discovered that men tend to avoid friendships with other men in the game unless it's over some kind of shared passion....competition, motorcycles, etc. Then when I finally got some women to talk to me, it all started becoming obvious quickly. Invariably, I was assumed to have no fashion sense, not be able to cook, etc. Just imagine the worst male stereotype you can, and that is exactly what I was assumed to be. I said hello to one woman, and she immediately fired off a ridiculously over-compensating put-down to keep me from hitting on her. I guess. She informed me that I must really enjoy blondes a lot, since that's what her avatar was, and she informed me in no-uncertain terms that she wasn't blonde in real life. She then proceeded to verbally bitch slap me into perceived submission, before stalking off and proclaiming to all within earshot that I was a complete jerk. All that from a simple 'hello' greeting.

So she was extreme, but the treatment I received from other women was quite interesting. I know it opened my eyes to subtle ways in which we treat men as inferior. I immediately apologized to my husband and now watch myself very carefully to avoid doing this. Men are not automatically incapable of taking care of children. They are not automatically on the prowl or incapable of cooking or dressing themselves.

All I can really say to my fellow women is 'SHAME!' This is not what women's liberation was supposed to do for us. Just as men haven't the right to treat us as inferior based upon our gender, we have just as little right to do the same to them.If we want to be treated equally, then shouldn't we do the same?