It's not really fair to flip the genders in a statement because they're not just variables, they're imbued with context:
(1) "As a woman, I feel my competition against males in the workplace is handled unfairly."
(2) "As a man, I feel my competition against women in the workplace is handled unfairly."
The first statement implies a sort of glass ceiling for women, given the history of discrimination. The second statement isn't so clear: it could be implying that he's aware of discrimination against women or that he's against something like an affirmative action policy.
And this isn't just an issue of history: psychological profiles vary. When we judge someone for expressing a sexual intention, we judge them by how we expect them to pursue that intention (in addition to other ways). The author of the book clearly has a gentleness and calm the reader gathers from the surrounding pages, versus, from the example, some random guy saying he wants to fuck a girl and her sister. So, what do we expect this random American guy to do in pursuit of the sisters? What would we expect of the author? Hint: only one involves roofies.
And, yes, I'm aware that the change in meaning draws on its own stereotypes, but it is not the book that has created them.
David Strauss
A few notes on gender-flipping
It's not really fair to flip the genders in a statement because they're not just variables, they're imbued with context:
(1) "As a woman, I feel my competition against males in the workplace is handled unfairly."
(2) "As a man, I feel my competition against women in the workplace is handled unfairly."
The first statement implies a sort of glass ceiling for women, given the history of discrimination. The second statement isn't so clear: it could be implying that he's aware of discrimination against women or that he's against something like an affirmative action policy.
And this isn't just an issue of history: psychological profiles vary. When we judge someone for expressing a sexual intention, we judge them by how we expect them to pursue that intention (in addition to other ways). The author of the book clearly has a gentleness and calm the reader gathers from the surrounding pages, versus, from the example, some random guy saying he wants to fuck a girl and her sister. So, what do we expect this random American guy to do in pursuit of the sisters? What would we expect of the author? Hint: only one involves roofies.
And, yes, I'm aware that the change in meaning draws on its own stereotypes, but it is not the book that has created them.