Poor old Laurie Oakes!

He said: “Smith will need balls to tackle the top brass”.

He said this, knowing full well that there are people out there like Dr Ilsa Evans who would rip his balls awf for it if they ‘ad 'alf a chance!

Faced with this real and present danger from ball-ripping feminists, I reckon he had real balls to say such a thing!

"Terminology that privileges a particular gender is discriminatory. And discrimination fertilises the ground from which abuse flourishes."

I'm assuming you're using discrimination in the more modern sense with a negative connotation? Still, word usage is complex as it is in constant flux – not so long ago girls was used indiscriminately of children regardless of gender. But such motherhood statements (see?) are intrinsically problematic as even saying "discrimination fertilises" implies which gender is doing it.

'Girl' may be used to deride but it is so with equal nastiness by teenage females of their peers of both genders.

Without a totally gender neutral lexicon there will always be issues – no eyebrows raised if women 'have girlfriends' but they are if men 'have boyfriends'.

The usage of 'balls' juggles ancient and mediaeval concepts associated with maturation and potency and it will probably be a while before these drop from the language.

It doesn't alter the thrust of your argument, but Laurie Oakes may have merely been trying to amuse himself by working the concept of brass balls into one sentence – a bit like your "penalises women" amused me.

The author has a point about the language but I wonder if she is as bothered by the sexism inherent in the lack of concern for violence against men (by either gender) in society. I wonder if she is as concerned about attacks on masculinity by many feminist writers.

I may be wrong but I got the impression that she might not be, that the focus is on what helps women rather than on what removes sexism from society.

It does not take balls (or any other gender specific growths) to show courage or toughness. Nor for that matter does it take a lack of male appendages to be a good parent.

Having or not having gendered appendages does not make someone a better person, it does not make them more or less responsible to act with responsibility and decency than someone with different bits. It does not make them more or less able to care for and provide for their children or any of a myriad of other gendered assumptions that seem to often be part of the world view of many.

R0bert

I always like to check in on any OLO article that puts a spotlight on women, just to have a giggle at the spectacularly indecent haste with which the forum swings the spotlight straight back to men.

Congratulations, Ludwig, WmT, and OLO's ever dependable (what-about-the-menz obssessive) R0bert. You made it clear to any woman who might venture into this forum with a comment that even remotely agrees with the author, that they face a torrent of defensive derailment from the embedded OLO boys club.

At least five people - probably all women - were smart enough to confine their opinion to clicking on 'Like'. Certainly a much better use of one's time than coming on here.

Killarney,

Same old same old, with her "I'm just gonna drop by here to let you know how intimidated I am/we are (and I'll kick you in the you know what's on the way out the door)."

Why don't you just come out and agree with the author? Lay out your reasons. Nothing's stopping you except your perpetual obsession with confecting a so-called OLO Boy's Club.

Sheeesh!

Me thinks she protesteth too much, this author.

This whole concoction is aimed not at us, but at the author her self. It certainly looks to me that she is trying to convince herself that she is not jealous of those with the balls, & not succeeding in that endeavour either.

I don't know, us old navy blokes told them no good would ever come of putting sheilas on ships, but would they listen. Not bl00dy likely. Now they are bitching when we were proved right.

My mates son was telling us about weapons training, with a new intake of officer cadets, bemoaning our unarmed & witless citizenry of today. "they shove the butt under their arm look at the front sight, pointing the thing almost anywhere. They shut their eyes & jump when the thing goes bang".

"And the girls are even worse" he said.

I wonder if our author knows the origin of the term "son of a gun" Now there was a real reason to have birds on boats.