Hello, dear reader, and welcome to another special episode of Social Issues In The Time of Corona.
What does it mean to be a man?
Does it mean being strong, stoic, and aggressive?
Or is the idea of masculinity an outdated concept?
Here to answer these questions today, we have Kemono, a restaurant selling chicken.
So, Kemono, what makes a man a man?
Kemono: Well it’s very simple: they have to eat manly-tasting food.
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Kemono: …
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Kemono: …
Alright then! I think that’s all the time we have for today’s episode. Thank you and goodnight.
A Manly Gift
Father’s day is just around the corner, and fathers everywhere are celebrating because they’ll be able to eat whatever the heck they want for one day without their family members complaining.
Son: You’re drinking five cups of bubble tea? Didn’t the doctor tell you to watch your weight?
Father: It’s father’s day lah, son. Do you know how many bubble teas I’ve bought for you and your sister over the yea-
Son: Ok ok, just drink your damn boba.
Kemono, a restaurant selling Japanese-style roast chicken, decided to celebrate fathers in Singapore this year by offering a discounted gift set with some delectable-looking items.
The restaurant announced the offer in a Facebook post on 10 June.
Looks pretty tasty, right? Here’s what the exclusive Father’s day delivery set includes:
- Golden Moments Special Edition Moustache design Father’s day Mao Shan Wang Durian cake
- The best Certified Organic Cage Free whole roast chicken farmed without antibiotics and growth hormones
- Very manly tasting Cod and Scallop rich seafood soup
- Father’s Day Greeting card with love and appreciation
The offer, which Kemono called a “Real Man’s Man Father’s Day Gift Set”, is available for delivery from 17th to 21st June at their website and costs $98.80.
The restaurant said that- wait, what the heck is a manly tasting cod?
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A “Problematic” Ad
One netizen noticed the odd use of the adjective and commented on the post, saying the restaurant’s choice of words in the ad are “problematic”.
In case you can’t see it, here are the commenter’s two concerns:
- that food cannot be defined as ‘manly’ or ‘feminine’
- that saying this gift is for a “real man’s man” implies that those who don’t exhibit the characteristics typically associated with a man are “undeserving of the gift set”.
While this might seem nit-picky, the commenter has a point. What does it mean for a food to taste manly or feminine? Does this gift set smell like a lumberjack or something?
Plus, one’s notion of a “man’s man” differs from person to person.
Some netizens did not agree with the above commenter, of course. And because netizens are normally so level-headed and rational in the way they argue, they chose to attack the commenter instead of her arguments.
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One netizen was so triggered by the commenter’s post that he asked her to slap herself.
For any aspiring debaters out there, asking your opponent to ‘slap yourself is not a valid argument.
One common thread in these comments is that they don’t address the original commenter’s main argument. They just insult her.
Other netizens defended the original commenter, saying some of the responses, especially the ‘slapping’ one, were overly harsh.
How to Argue 101
Now, did Kemono Chicken have any malicious intent? No.
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Was their choice of words weird? Sure.
Do we all have different opinions on gender? Yes.
Am I asking myself too many questions? Possibly.
But why can’t we disagree with someone’s opinion without attacking them as a person?
Winning an argument means convincing the other person that their position is invalid and your position is correct.
To do this, you’ll have to address their actual argument, not abuse them because you feel upset.
Often, talking about issues like gender isn’t about winning arguments, but about having discussions.
That being said, the original commenter could have been a little less accusatory. We all have points of view we want to get across, but if we’re really intent on changing people’s minds, we should do it in a way that won’t upset them.
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Maybe then they’ll actually listen to what we have to say.
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