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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Nov 6, 2017 6:46:55 GMT
I recently realized this when watching a tv series and felt like not belonging to the target group devinitely. Scottish highlands, clans, basked hilts, backpipes..., what could go wrong with Outlander ...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2017 6:59:44 GMT
Looks like thread starter has "left the building."
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Nov 6, 2017 7:11:25 GMT
He did it before and came back. Something about his digital fingerprint I believe.
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Post by Gunnar Wolfgard on Nov 6, 2017 14:10:08 GMT
Gee I wonder why women don't feel wecomed on forums like this ? Well lets look at this post. It started out about "No Females On These Forums" but seems to have gone flying off in other directions. Kind of like asking a woman what her interests are then you start talking about other things instead. I would think with more and more women warriors in movies and on TV with swords these days we would be getting more women interested in sword collecting and joining us here. Doesn't appear so.
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Ifrit
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More edgy than a double edge sword
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Post by Ifrit on Nov 6, 2017 17:32:40 GMT
I don't think this was intended as a thread to give attention to female collectors. It was just about asking why there isn't more on this forum.
Besides, more females would rather be treated like any other forum member than be show cased for being female. This isn't a dating site
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2017 19:23:44 GMT
Yup, this is a site and forum about swords and (I like to think so) martial art fanatics. That is all this will ever be for me, a big, brutish and lovely, sharp and pointy stuff wielding family!
BTW, I am a guy that's around 6' in the on-season...
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Nov 6, 2017 19:34:25 GMT
Well, no, it wasn't a post asking so much about the lack of females, it was a post asking us if we thought we could control ourselves if he asked on a few of his female friends. He seemed to be worried that we'd be primed to pounce on them with illicit intentions. He then asked again if we were sure, hahaha. If it weren't for the couple of offshoot topics going on I'd just sink the thread since A. his lady friends were not interested in joining and B. he has apparently bowed out.
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Ifrit
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More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Nov 6, 2017 19:50:43 GMT
I know a few sword collecting females. My sister is one. But most girls I know who collect swords aren't really deep into the make of the sword and such as they don't think they will ever really use them. I don't blame them as it's not easy to find time when you also have a very active social life and a full time job. Even I rarely ever get to cut stuff
I feel us guys kinda just take everything we do to obsessive levels. But thats what makes it fun imo
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Post by L Driggers (fallen) on Nov 6, 2017 20:23:05 GMT
I know a few sword collecting females. My sister is one. But most girls I know who collect swords aren't really deep into the make of the sword and such as they don't think they will ever really use them. I don't blame them as it's not easy to find time when you also have a very active social life and a full time job. Even I rarely ever get to cut stuff I feel us guys kinda just take everything we do to obsessive levels. But thats what makes it fun imo Well you have a female sword that needs to get some more use. Miss flexly is getting lonely.
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Ifrit
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More edgy than a double edge sword
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Post by Ifrit on Nov 6, 2017 20:35:52 GMT
I know a few sword collecting females. My sister is one. But most girls I know who collect swords aren't really deep into the make of the sword and such as they don't think they will ever really use them. I don't blame them as it's not easy to find time when you also have a very active social life and a full time job. Even I rarely ever get to cut stuff I feel us guys kinda just take everything we do to obsessive levels. But thats what makes it fun imo Well you have a female sword that needs to get some more use. Miss flexly is getting lonely. I am lonely for the sword too. Sadly I am staying with family right now and they don't even know I have swords Next time I can practice cutting will likely be far away from now. Next place I will likely live is an apartment. But who knows. Maybe I will find buddies to cut stuff with
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Nov 6, 2017 21:55:41 GMT
We've had members put out "Any fellow enthusiasts in my area" type threads with various levels of success. Maybe you'll get lucky and someone will be close enough to get together?
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Post by kalkikrosah on Nov 6, 2017 22:53:10 GMT
Women aren't well represented in swordsmanship partly because the time period in which swords were popular didn't represent women very much at all either. The Medieval era was very segregated in assigning gender roles and often referred to women as the "lesser/weaker sex." In historical records there really aren't many well renowned women sword fighters. To my knowledge the only ones who come to mind are Lagertha (A Viking), Saint Joan of Arc (a French knight) and Boudicca (Celtic Queen of the Iceni tribe). Women didn't have many choices to choose from but as men we had an overabundance. Since we often choose our heroes based on how well we can relate to them its no coincidence that women feel ostracized from sword fighting because nobody like them has done it before and they may feel as though they won't fit in.
But contemporary media is trying to change all that by putting women in roles where their swordsmanship is a major part of their character. Michonne from the Walking Dead, Arya and Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones are the ones I find most memorable. Heck, Arya is so well loved that many young parents are naming their daughters Arya. I think its really nice to represent women in swordsmanship because that is one step forward in equality as far as I am concerned. This should spark some young girls and women to get interested in sword collecting so in time this community should become less and less male-dominated.
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Post by Gunnar Wolfgard on Nov 7, 2017 14:36:54 GMT
If you dig deep into history you will find women warriors were there. There were women gladiators in the arenas of Rome. Lately due to the popularity of Vikings we're hearing more about the shieldmaidens and women even fought in the crusades. The problem is men usually wrote down the history and tend to delete the womens part in it. Today women are doing more and more things that was once a male activity so why not swords. Israel seem to have no problem thinking of women as warriors today. Not with swords today but still warriors just the same.
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Zen_Hydra
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Born with a heart full of neutrality
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Post by Zen_Hydra on Nov 7, 2017 15:49:59 GMT
Despite some recent backsliding, we are slowly plodding towards a more equal representation for people of any sex or gender. I am heartened by what I am seeing in more balanced portrayals of men and women. Misogyny goes hand in handy with misandry. Toxic masculinity hurts men and women (though usually in very different ways). I am fortunate enough to have both a son and a daughter. I do my best to treat them as equals, and besides insistently exposing them to new experiences and ideas, I try to let them develop into who they choose to be. It's just as important to me for my son to grow up secure in who he is and able to adequately express the whole range of his human emotions, as it is for my daughter to know how to defend herself from those who don't respect her bodily autonomy.
While absolutely horrific in its scope and nature, the public outing of Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator (and all of the similar cases now coming to light) are a sign our society IS making progress in the right direction. Even a decade ago it would have been unthinkable for women (and other marginalized people) to take on such powerful men in such an open and direct way. There is still an awful long way to go until substantive equality is reached, but I think we are close to the summit of this metaphorical mountain.
I can't think of a single reason (other than a long standing boy's club mentality) why men are better represented in sword culture and related martial arts than women. I, for one, want everybody to enjoy the things I like, and there is room for everyone at the table.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2017 16:01:50 GMT
Lots of females in the martial arts. Fencing, HEMA, JSA and others. Historically, I'd love to see reference for female gladiators during the Roman Empire but there is a lot of precedence with the mythology of Pallas Athena and the Amazons.
At my annual September show, I was visited twice by the Yale Women's Pistol Team and by others of three generations with interest and questions about blades.
It really is a bit of a shame that fiction and Hollywood are looked at for inspirations or influences. I could point to the Hurstwic ladies as well but why expect the superficial to have awareness of what is going on in the real world.
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Post by Cosmoline on Nov 7, 2017 17:55:34 GMT
It's greatly improved, but there are still hurdles. One recurrent problem are guys who's personality changes around women. Sometimes the guy suddenly start acting avuncular and take a superior tone when it's not really warranted. Other times he gets huffy and snarky. Stalkers are also an issue, and can be surprisingly difficult to deal with because they can be pretty subtle about it. I know several women who've left HEMA because some guy became fixated on them and wouldn't bug off. It's rarely a matter of a sleaze ball grabbing someone. It's much more likely to be little statements or behavior patterns. For example constantly trying to pair up with the woman during training or winking/teasing repeatedly while making sure she and only she knows what you're doing. And because, technically, there's no overtly illegal or rude behavior it's difficult to figure out what's happening unless you pay attention. And of course during class we're all busy with our own learning.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2017 18:12:56 GMT
Well, I generally get VERY quiet and to-the-point if present with the opposite gender. Mostly to see their approach so I may not seem daunting...though that may turn out to be the case when you are kind of quiet.
I have practiced with females before, once even got a katana thrown in my face.
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Post by michellestamper on Nov 8, 2017 13:24:47 GMT
the problem isnt the men as much as the expectations of other women, whether or not those women advocate for more women's representation with or in any male dominated fields and hobbies or not. as far as I know and what I have experienced most men I encounter dont care or get excited when a member of the opposite sex is interested in the same subjects/fields, and will treat the girl as an equal, creeps will always be present no matter what in any field male and female. We dont expect special treatment, and if we do it is best to stay as far as possible, as some of you have experienced while sparring with your female counterparts, we just want to be treated like one of the guys nothing more, nothing less. truth is the majority of us are not interested, despite the efforts of all media to depict women wielding weapons. Sword collecting, training for Martial Arts and even forging are expensive and take up time that some of us see as something we can use for something better.
So far my impressions of the men on here have actually been very good, with a little personal irritations here and there. I'm not saying women shouldnt be interested im saying we mostly have the total opposite interest groups than that of men despite the push for such interests. Interests do not develop instantly the second a woman sees some awesome chick holding a cool katana and gun, fighting three big bad samurai robot things in a dream state. younger girls also dont do that. it takes one or two more generations to develop that kind of interest. It has been two generations since our great grandparents for women to be full time workers in a male dominated field, to go to school for such fields and graduate at a higher rate than men. Dont push that boundary otherwise there will be push back from both men and women. There is such thing as too much progress in one sitting/generation. even with history today, if it doesnt fit the current popular narratives it will not be taught about and people will still complain about the mythical patriarchy despite them blatantly ignoring the fact that there were women in history that actually were really cool.
This kinda brinks on social politics, which can get messy, and with my interest in such things like this, it was a hard post for me to write without bringing such things into it. I will dare say that I dont like virtue signalling and treated like im some sort of victim or possible victim, or told that I'm brainwashed. If other women are threatened by multiple men instead of confronting them and bringing it to the attention of those that run this forum that is totally their problem and hopefully they dont leave it to be the problem of those who come onto the forum unsuspecting to deal with. The rules are clear, if someone isnt in line with those rules, including myself, it is to be reported immediately. Majority of us here did not come for a possible date, we came here to talk about weapons used to kill people and other related subjects, online dating is reserved to dating sites and other social media, So naturally we all should be smart enough not to do such things in the first place on this forum. If the genuine sexists come and say I'm a girl thus I cant collect swords or something, what is stopping me? Their words and actions? it takes a whole lot more than that to make me stop and since I live in good old America I will not stop since there are no laws preventing me from protecting myself in many ways or laws preventing me from telling such men to go jump in an ice cold lake while reporting it to the proper authorities.
To the original poster, If you are worried for your friends and you are just scouting but your friends dont want to find out themselves chances are they probably were not interested in the first place. It's like that one get together where people feign interest and promise to go just to get you to shut your trap about it. I've been one of those people and it really does hurt when you learn that horrible truth, but you carry on and do your own thing without them and make more friends who share the same interests. That is how I met my boyfriend and his best friend/roommate, and many other wonderful men and women. I feel right at home in here, It's not like facebook or twitter where petty differences are made public and blown out of proportion.
Im a tomboy that works in basically a male exclusive regional furniture warehouse as the only girl on the floor working graveyards from 3-4 pm to anywhere to 3-5 am making a decent wage in Utah of all places, so far I have not had many problems concerning sexism from people except from those who claim to be my champions, that includes men.
To the administrators of the forum, If there is a problem with my post breaching the rules please don't hesitate to PM me and have me edit the post to reflect what is acceptable. It took me some time to write this and I have revised multiple times to fit what I understand to be the rules (I just dont know the extent of those rules which I'm kinda concerned about).
again, these are my personal observations and views.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2017 14:02:16 GMT
And they are highly welcome. It’s good that a female finally had a say in this thread.
Say, do you ACTUALLY work in a graveyard or was that just a figure of speech?
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Post by MOK on Nov 8, 2017 14:08:56 GMT
"Graveyard shift" is slang for the night shift. My dream job.
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