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Mansplaining Made Its Debut on ‘Jeopardy!’ and It Was Spot On
Mansplaining has officially made its way into popular culture, having been featured on “Jeopardy!” recently. Given how pervasive this phenomenon—where men condescendingly explain things to women—has become, it was only fitting for it to find a place on Alex Trebek’s iconic quiz show.
This term has gained such traction that it was even added to the Oxford English online dictionary. For those who may not be familiar, the definition of mansplain (v.): (of a man) to explain something to someone, usually a woman, in an overly patronizing manner. It’s important to note that simply being a man explaining something doesn’t qualify as mansplaining—it’s the condescension that seals the deal.
Recent Appearance on Jeopardy!
In a recent episode of “Jeopardy!”, the clue read: “This 21st-century word occurs when a male patronizingly tells a female about a topic she already understands.” The contestant Shannon answered correctly, earning $600 in the “That Explains It” category. If you’re still scratching your head, let’s delve into some classic examples of mansplaining.
Take, for instance, computer scientist and professor at the University of Maryland, Lila Harper, who had to firmly address a man who insisted on explaining Java, a programming language, to her. Then there was another fellow who tried to explain an article on women in tech to a woman who had actually written it. Thanks for your input, dude, but we actually don’t need your expertise.
The Irony of Mansplaining
Moreover, some commenters on a HuffPost article took it upon themselves to mansplain why the term was featured on “Jeopardy!”—oh, the irony! There’s a certain type of guy who loves to explain everything. Newsflash: anyone who feels the need to be a walking encyclopedia likely doesn’t have many friends, since no one wants unsolicited explanations. A pro tip for you, buddy: wait for someone to ask before diving into a lecture.
Then there are those who seem to misinterpret how teaching truly works. Learning doesn’t require condescension, and no one asked men to be the fact-checking hall monitors of everyday conversations. As someone who has worked in fact-checking, I can assure you that people don’t need you to set them straight during regular chats.
Listening Over Explaining
And let’s not forget about the men’s rights activists who could benefit from a little listening. Instead of clinging to their misconceptions, they might want to hear what women, sociologists, and even “Jeopardy!” have to say about the reality of mansplaining.
Additionally, it’s amusing how some assume that all instances of mansplaining come with “well thought out opinions” from men. Sorry, but that’s not how it works. The term actually originated from an essay by Rebecca Solnit titled “Men Explain Things To Me,” published in the Los Angeles Times back in 2008.
Conclusion
We could certainly spend days digging up more examples of mansplaining and crafting articles to explain it to our bewildered friends. Clearly, there are well-meaning men who think they’re helping confused women, despite their education and experiences. But with Trebek putting this issue on the map, we can only hope for a decrease in real-life mansplaining.
Probably not.
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In summary, mansplaining is a persistent issue that’s managed to sneak into pop culture, proving just how widespread it has become. With its recent appearance on “Jeopardy!”, we can only hope that more awareness will lead to a decline in this frustrating behavior.