And am enjoying it immensely - will be forwarding it this weekend.

I'm also dropping out of the CMEP - I can't tolerate the thought of dealing with it anymore.

No, it can be PMS Onyx...because whenever we're bitchy, it's generally because of a man.

Putting up with
Men's
Shit.

Looks like PMS to me.

But it's a pretty pitiful blanket diagnosis for a woman who's fed up with men.

so, you're fed up with men?

and i represent "man" to you? s that why you are aiming your guns at me?

whatever...i'm going to lunch.

Maybe it's because knowing that the others are female, it seems they should know better.

I was being flippant. Due mainly to being one of the many people reading this who didnt have the first clue as to why hostilities had opened up on this thread seemingly out of the blue.

As far as not airing dirty laundry goes, that ship sailed when you launched a major attack on LJ. The vast majority of people reading this didnt have a clue why you would attack in such a way and naturally this being the cellar we wanted to find out!

OC You are quite right hence my attaching an apology to my fellow feminists. I was being flippant but I was also genuinely bemused as to why someone would suddenly blow up like that. Often when I am due I am genuinely bad tempered/overemotional. I have really bad hormonal flux that leads (sometimes) to my mood becoming fraught and my ability at these times to pull an insult/slight from an innocent comment is legend amongst my freinds.

LOL true, but generally, I get cheesed off at women (Dana, Stacey) faster and more intensely than men (Dave, Radar).

Actually thats a fair point. I do the same. I find I lose my rag with you and Lady Sidhe much faster than I would lose my temper with RADAR or xoxoxoBruce

Perhaps its because we are used to "protecting" men's feelings/egos but with women they are potential "competition" for the male's affection or attention...even on a forum.....if thats the case then I am off right now to slit my wrists cause thats fucking depressing

How could you lose your temper with Bruce? With Radar there is just no point, he's got his fingers in his ears doing the la-la-la-I-can't-hear-you-thing going on.
Women are just bitchier I think. On a whole other level.

This might attract some more of the flame war, but I want to say that I somewhat agree with you, Dana. I think women get pissed at other women more quickly because of the competition thing. That's why some women (not just on the forum, but in general) like to say "I don't get along well with women, but I have all guy friends." It's safer to be friends with a guy, because there isn't that weird tension/competition thing.

Personally, I try to remain unbiased. I would like to think that I dish out the same level of respect to women as I do to men. Of course, being human, I think I fail in that I also get annoyed more quickly with women than with men (as a general rule). But, my level of respect is no more easily given for men than for women. In fact, I can name specific people that I have a much higher tolerance for (Onyx, Lady Sycamore) than others (Radar, Staceyv). It's simply that I have a higher level of respect for the former, even though I may not always agree with them.

*nods* Respect is something different again I think.

For me I think I learned early that others of my sex could be dangerous to me. From a purely psychological perspective it usually wasnt the lads that made me cry at school :P As a kid i looked different , my looks were marred by a disfiguring skin condition and Girls frankly made my life a miserable existence. Lads were also cruel but they got bored with cruelty much more quickly whereas the girls would keep it up for months at a time.

I saw a tv programme recently where celebrities were made up to look like they had a disfigurement. One of them (caprice) was given a portwine stain ( birthmark) across half of her face. She then went ( in disguie) to give a talk to a classroom of 14 and 15 yr olds. .......Should have seen the overt expressions of disgust on many of the girls. I remember that look well. I recall going to school after a year of absence ( ill health) ..The term was already 4 weeks in and the school was oversubscribed so there were not enough desks. Instead I had, each day to "find somewhere to sit" Girls were generally the ones saying things like " fuck off dont sit here y'dirty bitch" and recoiling in exxagerated horror if my hand accidentaly grazed theirs....For fear of catching it so they said.

sorry....that went on a bit....I dont often think about those days. I guess these things inform much of our adult relating though. As an adult I tend to get along fine with most other women but anything that raises the "competition" element of relating throws me for a loop.

I agree that it comes from childhood, Dana. The boys were never very mean, to me or each other, they'd fight more physically but then they'd forget about it the next day. The girls actively sought out ways to be cruel to one another, for years on end, and they were very creative.