Wednesday, June 18, 2008

How to Express an Opinion without Offending Anyone

I believe most issues we link to sex-based discrimination emerge from one major cause: when people think, write, speak, no matter what the subject really is, they do not leave room for exceptions. And believe me, there are dozens of exceptions.

So getting it right, preserving your right to have and express an opinion freely without having it twisted into a sexist remark or some other form of rudeness or discrimination. Remember there's always an exception! Think of English or French and you'll get a feeling of how simple the rules are and how many exceptions contradict them.

So don't say women do or want or think or act like. Say some women or go ahead, take a risk and say most women. In some cases, you might getaway with it. This goes both ways. Women should really stop thinking in terms of "men" as a compact crowd, all making the same choices and mistakes.

It's easy, I'm sure you can see it now. And as one of the rules of cruel humor says, it is all so hard to implement because it seems so easy! Can you try to assimilate this simple rule in your day to day life? I Know I'll try :)

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