Accusing women of being emotional

I have just been in blog conversation with blogger Alistair Roberts @zugzwanged

He has taken to commenting on Rachel Held Evans and her excellent stand against the recent writing of Jared Wilson on the Gospel Coalition Website.

He seems to take the view that Rachel has been overly emotional.

Here is my response to him on this:


I appreciate your response.

I dont want to talk past you on this (as so often can happen when we come from different positions) so I hope my next bit will come across well.

I spent many years in industry and witnesses the dismissive way that women were treated (often over sexualised).

When I raised my voice in objection to such behaviour I could only do so as an engaged observer.

If, however, a woman stood up in such circumstances she would do so as a first hand person in the issues involved.

As such I had the privilege of being able to make comment in a more detached way. My female colleagues were not as free to do so for understandable reasons.

This is an example of my reasons for being concerned about your comments to do with emotion.

You and I have the privilege of not being subject to the results of being conquered etc in a way that a woman is in her context.

Rachel and others ( including my wife and four daughters) do not have the same emotional distance from the subject in hand as you or I or either of the Ps Wilsons.

If a woman speaks about the subject and engages her emotions in doing so it does not undermine her point of view.

And to be honest I think you have been somewhat guilty of the same condescending and patronising behaviour I saw in the male bosses who trivialised the complaints of females in similar ways.

You may detect my tone is somewhat passionate. You may say I am being emotional but I am not willing to let women be silenced by shouts of emotionalism.