Sexism and Racism

Paper Summary:

This paper presents the writer's personal response to the essay by Laurence Thomas, entitled "Sexism and Racism: Some Conceptual Differences." It argues that Thomas presents an impractical argument, an exercise in rhetoric and semantics, based on subjective analysis. The writer then points to numerous flaws in the specific points that Thomas tries to make and suggests that since Thomas' essay was written, attitudes have changed dramatically.

From the Paper:

"And here is still another consideration: taking the position of a chauvinist in order to explain what sexism is ruins his argument in the first place. For example, on page 247 he says in the "traditional male role" a "real man" is one who "wears the pants around the house." This is an old-fashioned concept and has little to do with a man being "sexist" except for the fact that the writer himself seems to have chauvinistic ideas about the man-woman genre."
"Meanwhile, some of the arguments spelled out by Laurence Thomas have value, but others are completely innocuous. How can he say that "sexism" is "unlike racism" because it "lends itself to a morally unobjectionable description"? Both sexism and cultural bigotry are morally objectionable. Both are examples of the cultural confusion in our country."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Thomas, Laurence. (1980). "Sexism and Racism: Some Conceptual Differences." Ethics, 90, 239-250.

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