I got laughed at in my social problems class for correcting the wage gap myth.

tiqr · 2016-03-04T20:04:34+00:00

From the sounds of things people just didn't believe you because they'd never heard the counter arguments. Remember, you're challenging orthodoxy. People believe it because it's been repeated to them so many times, and never looked at it critically.

There's an opportunity here. Why not put together some research, and share it with your professor and ask if you might make the argument to the class? You're right that college is about "intellectual space", and challenging orthodoxy is part of that. Most professors would welcome that kind of student engagement.

deez_nuts_730 · 2016-03-04T20:03:02+00:00

Same thing pretty much happened to me this morning at work. It was brought up and I told them that the wage gap is due to women's choices and they just laughed me off and shut down the conversation. I didn't even get much time to state my argument. BTW I work with all men, a group you would think would be a little more receptive of my case.

grasshopa · 2016-03-04T20:09:05+00:00

I was "almost" kicked out of several social study courses in my college career, for stating certain things like this.

In "ethnic studies", I damn near caused a riot when I pointed out that the first slave owner in the US was black, and how the blacks in africa sold other blacks into slavery, then finally how thousands of whites died helping the blacks escape the south during the 1800s. Once everyone settled down from that, someone else was dumb enough to bring up reparations. It was hilarious.

In my "gender studies" class, I pointed out the wage gap bullshit, and how women tend to not be as aggressive negotiators as men and a few other key points which royally pissed off my much younger classmates ( 18 year olds fresh outta highschool ). To be fair, my professor just had that resigned look on her face, like, "There's always one in every class".

Riling up the rabble is always more fun with a partner, preferably a comedic "straight man".

Blutarg · 2016-03-04T22:57:10+00:00

That took guts. Good for you.

she said how it was just one study

Hahaha! Now that's funny.

Demonspawn · 2016-03-04T21:07:09+00:00

Yet the teacher didn't bother to do a simple google search which would have linked to the MULTIPLE studies that support my position.

Yer position:

I told her how the study cited didn't take into account different job choices and that it's closer to 95 cents to every dollar a man makes.

I find this very funny. Tell her that the exact same study which they use to say 77% (The Bureau of Labor study) is the study which says 95% if controlled for job choices.

So either that study is wrong, and she can no longer claim 77% on the dollar, or it is right, and the study says 95% on the dollar when job titles are accounted for (but not hours worked).

CatOfGrey · 2016-03-04T23:02:34+00:00

First off, you are in a 'social problems' class. The title of this class suggests that it is designed to frame existing hard data into 'problems' that require 'action'. You aren't studying different sociological perspectives between men and women with respect to career - the class is to take that information and present it as a 'problem', even though its not a problem.

If you want to do research, start with the actual BLS report and a basic level critique

It's also worth pointing out that women make choices that limit their pay. The choice with the biggest impact is marriage, and having a child. Other common choices that are documented is choice of college major or career field. Even female doctors are more likely to choose lower paying specialties like pediatrics, instead of higher paying ones like neurosurgery.

If you need a quick zinger, then ask "Why don't businesses higher more women if they are cheaper? After all, business owners are cheap and will do anything to pay employees less!" And if "paying women more" is a solution, wouldn't that just cause businesses to hire less women, who would now be artificially more expensive?

Dnile1000BC · 2016-03-04T23:49:29+00:00

You never try to argue rationally with these people. Whenever someone brings up the wage gap, you simply respond with.

"It's a lie, they're not comparing same jobs" followed up with "so you think secretaries should be paid the same as CEOs" if they bring up nonsense like:

how women and men need to stop viewing certain jobs as meant for certain genders

soalone34 · 2016-03-05T03:00:42+00:00

It's a religion to these people. The only thing you can do is educate someone who's never heard of it. They'll believe you and slowly get pissed off as they continuously see people clinging to it.

Lethn · 2016-03-04T20:31:43+00:00

Was this in college? If so I'm fucking stunned, I'd be less surprised if it was in school, but it's gotten to the point now where these professors are treating 20+ year olds like children.

thatlowdowndirty47 · 2016-03-05T02:58:30+00:00

[permanently deleted]

SupremeAuthority · 2016-03-05T18:25:31+00:00

Drop this class.

mwobuddy · 2016-03-04T20:25:47+00:00

College is basically daycare for overgrown children.

You wouldn't believe how it is to work alongside others who choose not to think.

Imagine a class full of students going over cases related to privacy. Imagine that instead of trying to dig up any deeper understanding on the subject, the responses of students in an upper division class are uncomfortable silences, looking away during the group, and also saying things like "when this one person said/did this, that's so wrong". All of this instead of things like questioning whether it makes sense, what is truly meant about privacy, etc.

ShlomoDongstein · 2016-03-04T20:37:23+00:00

You get laughed at by everyone in sweden if you deny that myth

Sweden is a fucking hellhole

Kill me please

PhilWylie · 2016-03-04T21:28:05+00:00

Just challenge them to produce one single study (not an article ABOUT one) that shows women earning 75% of men's salaries for the same work. They won't be able to do it because there in fact isn't one. They're pretty easy to take apart once you've done it a few time.

Generally it's a method of analyzing the data down for various differences until you get to the point where a choice would cause that difference and they stop there. There's a study comparing doctor's salaries that does that.

So you may have one study but they don't even have that.

tacosRcool · 2016-03-05T01:42:46+00:00

Remember if its on the internet, it must be true.

Kramsiwel · 2016-03-05T01:51:46+00:00

Just fucking make the grade and move on

ThePigmanAgain · 2016-03-05T02:54:19+00:00

"Goes to show the "intellectual space" that college has become."

Well, the humanities section, at least. I am starting to suspect that the only reason the humanities departments exist is to turn smart kids into retards who pose no threat to the status quo.

wisty · 2016-03-05T08:56:01+00:00

Anyone got some links to the lesbian paradox?

Lesbians (who won't have a guy pay their bills) earn a lot more than straight women.

Gay men, on the other hand, are far more likely to pursue low paying but rewarding, easy, or fun careers like hairdressing and childcare.

BookOfGQuan · 2016-03-05T10:24:05+00:00

I've had similar experiences, yes. At university I stated once that the feminist narrative of women as a class being oppressed by men as a class was false. Everyone laughed, because they've been fed that narrative for so long that what else could they do when confronted with such obvious wrongthink? I might as well have said that God didn't exist in a theocracy.

Sasha_ · 2016-03-05T12:40:47+00:00

As well as all the other points made here, it's also worth pointing out that women control most consumer spending. That's why most advertising targets them.

Tmomp · 2016-03-05T13:14:10+00:00

... then they laugh at you ... and then you win.

Flasteria · 2016-03-05T16:58:06+00:00

People consider anything other than the accepted narrative to be wrong. And they often refuse to ever give it a chance. People like to believe what they are told by authority figures.

Despite what people tend to believe, we are most definitely a pack species. And those below the "alpha" status of society prefer to believe what those on top tell them to.

Vance87 · 2016-03-04T20:26:04+00:00

"Laugh all you want, I'm right." And drop the mic

TheDude41 · 2016-03-05T04:26:49+00:00

Write it up, provide references, provide a copy to your teacher, and pass out copies to your classmates.

They are being misled.

TheDude41 · 2016-03-05T04:28:33+00:00

What the hell is a "social problems" class anyway? Is it mandatory?

God, public schooling must suck these days.

Title	I got laughed at in my social problems class for correcting the wage gap myth.
Author	JimGusa
Upvotes	95
Comments	80
Date	March 4, 2016 7:48 PM UTC (10 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/48yy55/i_got_laughed_at_in_my_social_problems_class_for/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/i-got-laughed-at-in-my-social-problems-class-for.954735 https://theredarchive.com/post/954735

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