gossip, like the community, right?

it's been used for ages to knock down and silence women. when you call something gossip, it feels like you're brushing it off as unimportant, like it's just a bunch of emotions and no real substance. This stupid attitude is part of a bigger picture where women's thoughts and feelings are not only doubted but also stripped away of their power in society.

when we talk about gossip, it’s usually women who get the bad rap, while guys just slide by, calling their chats "networking" or """important discussions""", or whatever the fuck. this double standard makes women look petty and shallow, while guys get praised for doing the same things. the outcome? A toxic vibe that quiets women’s voices, suggesting their honest talks are weak, while giving men’s conversations a sense of importance.

labeling women's talks as gossip has serious consequences, controlling and limiting their social and political clout. history shows how women’s experiences often get pushed aside, and this fucking term helps silence their truths. by labeling women talking about social issues, personal struggles, or systemic problems as just gossip, we take away their weight and make people doubt women’s real experiences.

plus, when women come together to share their stories - no matter if they're happy, sad, or fighting back - those moments get brushed off as just tittle-tattle-chit-chat instead of recognized as acts of unity or solidarity (obligatory spooooooky leftist terminology). this kind of thinking just pushes the idea that women’s views aren’t as valuable as men’s, keeping a flawed gender hierarchy in place that holds back the rich range of female voices.

tldr calling something "gossip" isn’t just an insult; it's a way to disrespect women’s voices, weaken their power, and keep gender inequality alive. and leftist spaces like hexbear shouldnt see it as a good thing to name a community after.

i obviously don't think that the old the_x_tank-names should be reinstated, the extremely problematic connections of those terms have been laid out quite clearly and we should absolutely have a zero tolerance policy towards the shot they represented. some user im not bothering to look up suggested the_peoples_court ( kim-salute ) , maybe that would be an option.

and yes, this is a new acc, but the reasons for its creation have nothing to do with the current struggle sesh. the name of my old acc was implicating my opsex and i decided to be more careful with my online presence

  • HamManBad [he/him]
    ·
    12 days ago

    Maybe I'm just too young but I've never seen the word "gossip" as gendered? Men definitely gossip

    • came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      12 days ago

      as a man, I would never engage in idle gossip. I only do work at the Rumor Mill, doing all the heavy lifting it takes to get the word out there that the car dealership owner effs the dog in his commercials. 8 hours a day, 5 days a week: I get it done.

    • ourtimewillcome [any, any]
      hexagon
      ·
      12 days ago

      ill admit that im not very up to date with the culture of "da youfs" but i remember the term being used dismissively against women back in "my days". though maybe im just chomsky-yes-honey

      • ProfessorOwl_PhD [any]
        ·
        12 days ago

        I've definitely heard it used dismissively against women, but I think it's become less gendered due to it being used by parts of the gay community and their increased representation. I haven't encountered it really being used by or about cishet men though, so I wouldn't say it isn't still dismissive of femininity.

    • sewer_rat_420 [he/him, any]
      ·
      12 days ago

      Growing up in evangelical christianity, it was gendered for me. Not that men couldnt do it, but it always had a misogynist undertone when it was preached on

    • GalaxyBrain [they/them]
      ·
      12 days ago

      I'd say it's one of those things where it's gendered by implication. I've for sure heard in Jr High using the term 'gossip' instead of 'talking shit' was a means of emasculation. Men gossip for sure, but they never call it gossip, where women simply conversing with each other without men present has often been assumed to always be gossip and has been kind of an umbrella term for women speaking to one another casually whether it would otherwise count as gossip or not. There would never be a show called Gossip Guys.

      • tocopherol [any]
        ·
        12 days ago

        There would never be a show called Gossip Guys.

        It's hard for me to convey how or why it's a gendered term but this statement is so true, good for pointing it out.

    • BurgerPunk [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      12 days ago

      Maybe its becoming less gendered today, but not the way i see it. Gossip is used as a dismisive word, to belittle the people doing it and what they're talking about. When people talk about men gossiping its in essence saying that they aren't talking about inportant things, thus they're being feminine and bad.

    • Wheaties [she/her]
      ·
      12 days ago

      I've encountered it as a gendered dismissal of women, but I've also seen it used neutrally far more. I like it as a word. It's... relaxed. Like, "What were saying doesn't necessarily carry weight, we're shooting the shit". I'd argue it's an actuate description for most of online interaction, so I like it as a name in that regard.

      • GalaxyBrain [they/them]
        ·
        12 days ago

        Men shit talk, women gossip is I think the core of all of this. There is a history of the difference of terminology being used to diminish women's voices.