I have been in several arguments recently, particularly regarding how women are always in a constant state of awareness of their surroundings. Each of these arguments have always either ended with, or contained the phrase that "Men have no possible clue as to what it's like to be a woman!". It has really got me thinking...

How is it that men cannot possibly fathom what it's like to be a woman, but women are perfectly capable of dictating to us what it is like to be a man? How we have so much privilege, how we have "so little to worry about".

One particular argument was regarding a woman walking down the street by herself. How she is constantly alert regarding everyone, everywhere, and everything around her. Which is completely understandable, and rightly so. But she then tells me how men don't have to worry about such things. This I took great offense to.

I live in a big city. I have been working on a really big project recently, and as such I tend to walk home late at night, alone. I am VERY aware of everything. Near this very route there have been news stories of muggings and stabbings. And every time I walk it, I'm reminded of how violent crimes happen to men four times that of sexual assaults to women.

Women don't hold a monopoly over being worried or being a victim. Don't tell me that I don't know what it's like to be a woman that worries, then turn around and tell me how I have so little to worry about because I'm a man. I don't have some magical penis-power shield that protects me from harm.

TL; DR: Don't tell people they don't know what it's like being a woman, then go around and tell us what it's like being a man.

EDIT: I now want a magical penis-power shield that protects me from harm.