UK: Head STYC training criticised for warning against the dangers of “mansplaining”

Article here. Excerpt:

'A recent Head STYC* training event has been criticised by a number of students present as bringing up “irrelevant and confusing concepts” in a “condescending manner”, as officers in charge were accused of demonstrating sexism towards men and alienating the male audience.

The criticism is aimed mainly at the YUSU Women’s Officers and their choice to include an explanation of ‘mansplaining’ in their section of the training. ‘Mansplaining’ is a relatively new and controversial term which is broadly defined as ‘to explain something to someone, typically a man to a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronising’. The term was brought up in a list of ‘dos and dont’s’ which were featured alongside topics such as manhandling and calling out sexism and homophobia.

In conversation with future Head STYCS-to-be Nouse learned of how many students were left feeling somewhat ‘patronised’ by the officers. One student who attended the training and who wished to remain anonymous, stated how “mansplaining itself is clearly a sexist term and there is simply no need to create a gender-specific term for simply being patronising, we already have a word for that”.'

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* Second and Third Year Contacts - students who act as advisors to incoming students at university.