Quote Originally Posted by Shay
Thank you very much. As a matter of fact, I notice a lot of guys have nothing but priase for their wives, girlfriends, and mothers, but say they do anything like a woman, and it's a deadly insult. I wonder then how true that praise must be.
Well stated, Rex, I appreciate the thought being given this topic.

Shay, the reason being compared to a woman is often insulting is because often it's meant as an insult. It has nothing to do with gender. Frankly, I don't care what someone says to me; if it's meant to be an insult, I consider myself insulted. The words don't make a difference, the intention does. The words usually only serve to convey how insulting someone wants to be.

Beyond that though, it is, in my opinion, perfectly normal to vest your identity with your gender - to associate who you are and how you should behave to some extent (not completely, mind you, that would be a broader subject) with not only your gender, but also your sexuality. We are natural creatures after all, that's just the reality of it, and denying it does no good.

So when a kilt is referred to as a skirt, it seems natural to respond pretty much every time, not to ignore the comment. Either the other party simply doesn't know the difference, in which case I feel a certain social responsibility to help them avoid such a faux pas going forward, or they are being "cute" (it isn't, so a polite, gentle-but-firmly correction is in order), or they really are being rude. If they are being rude, it's up to us to determine the degree of insult and, if we chose to, respond in measure. Usually such an incident - rare as it is - amounts to nothing. I've never been in anything like a scuffle because of such behavior.

Thank you,
Scott Gilmore