It’s really annoying how some men only take other men seriously. If you’re a woman, apparently that’s just not enough for them.
One woman recently found that out the hard way. She was simply sitting on her own patio when a stranger pulled into her driveway without so much as a word. She calmly asked who he was, and just like that, he went into a full-blown rage. But the moment her male friend showed up? Suddenly he had nothing to say.
Read the full story below.
The woman was simply sitting on her patio when a stranger pulled into her driveway out of nowhere
Image credits: olesyaklyots (not the actual photo)
She calmly asked who he was, and just like that, he went into a full-blown rage
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: jloops1111
Misogyny teaches men to take other men seriously and treat women as an afterthought
The guy in this story had no problem being rude to the woman in her own driveway. He had plenty to say when she was alone. The moment another man showed up though, that energy disappeared pretty fast.
Whether he is truly a misogynist or just a rude person is hard to say from one interaction. What we do see is that he was dismissive and hostile toward a woman who simply asked a reasonable question, and being hostile toward a woman for no apparent reason does have a name.
Misogyny is defined as the dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. It stems from thousands of years of patriarchal culture—a system in which men hold the power, and women are kept at a lower social status.
In that system, men are taught to take other men seriously as equals. Women, on the other hand, are treated as subordinates. That is exactly what makes stories like this one so recognizable. The woman was in her own space, asking a perfectly reasonable question. The man treated it like an offense. Then another man appeared, and suddenly the situation looked different to him entirely.
Misogyny has long been used as a tool to keep women in a lower social position, and it tends to flare up most when women challenge or refuse that position. Feminist philosopher Kate Manne, who wrote the book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, describes it as the “law enforcement” branch of patriarchy—the force that punishes women who step outside the roles they are expected to stay in. A woman standing in her own driveway, questioning a stranger, apparently qualified.
This shows up in everyday life in ways both obvious and subtle. On the more visible end, workplace discrimination is one of the most well documented examples. Women are passed over for promotions at higher rates than their male counterparts, often without explanation. Their competence gets questioned in rooms where a man with the same credentials would never face the same scrutiny. And being talked over is so common that many women have simply come to expect it.
Then there are the daily situations that you sometimes do not even register as wrong until you start paying attention. You make a point in a group conversation and the room moves on, until a man says the same thing and suddenly everyone is nodding. You raise an issue that matters to you and get called dramatic or emotional. A man does the same and he is seen as passionate, even wise.
These moments can feel small on their own, but research has found that experiences of everyday sexism and devaluation contribute directly to anxiety and depression in women, at significantly higher rates than men experience.
What makes misogyny particularly dangerous is what happens when it tips into rage. Research published in Psychological Science found that misogynistic attitudes on the internet directly correlated with higher rates of domestic and family violence.
A separate study on hostile sexism found that men who view women as a threat to male dominance are more prone to aggression and retaliation when that dominance feels challenged. The woman in this story walked away from a verbal attack. By all means, consider that the lucky version—because as we can see, it very well could have gone much further.
What happened here might come across as just another complaint, or an unremarkable moment not worth dwelling on. But that is exactly the point. It happens so often that it barely raises an eyebrow anymore, and that says something. Misogyny is deeply rooted, and when it goes unchallenged, it simply continues. That is not something worth staying quiet about.
Image credits: bilanol (not the actual photo)
Readers said the guy was either a misogynist or just a plain jerk—but either way, they backed the author
