"Man Up"

So, something's pissed me off today. First of all, my little sister, Julia, has damaged her knee, and has been told to avoid exercise for about 6 weeks while it heals. While we're all on holiday, skiing, tobogganing, ice skating, rock climbing, etc. It really is quite unfair on her. Naturally, she's feeling a bit pissed off because of this - bored, left out, and really wanting to take part.

This evening she asked if she could come tobogganing with us tomorrow, as she wanted to join in and have fun and see her friends. My parents said that it'd probably be bad for her knee, because she'd have to use her feet for braking and steering. Julia said it wouldn't that it'd be fine, etc etc. This went back and forth a few times and got a bit heated. Whenever Julia said she'd be fine, my dad just told her to stop being so 'stupid'. She told him she wasn't being stupid, she just really wanted to go sledging, and he kept countering with saying how 'stupid' she was. She, obviously hurt, started crying, and my dad told her to just 'man up'.

When she told him that that was a horribly sexist remark, he told her not to be stupid, and that it was just a saying.

Later on, he came into the room where I was sat with Julia, and said that he was 'sorry if he hurt her feelings, and that he hadn't meant to.' Hadn't meant to? Really? Why would you insult someone if you had no intention of hurting their feelings?! Also he said he was sorry IF he hurt her feelings, not that he had said what he had.

Ok, on to the whole "man up" thing. This makes me so angry, along with his insistence that he is never ever sexist, homophobic, racist, etc etc. But that could fill about a thousand posts.

The reason "man up" is sexist is in the words - MAN up. Why not woman up? Because women are not considered as good as men. It's not considered a good thing to be a woman. To be a "real man" (emotionless, strong, decisive, uncaring, controlled by their genitals) is considered the thing everyone should be, or aspire to be. To care about others, communicate, think things through, show empathy or any other emotion are seen as female attributes, and weak, and less desirable. By telling someone to 'man up', you are saying that you see being a woman as something less than being a man. That's it's undesirable to be seen as female, that you see men as better. That's sexism if ever I saw it.

It's the same as "don't be such a girl", calling someone a "big girl's blouse" etc. If I try to pick my dad up on these things when he says them, I'm told I'm being ridiculous, over-reacting, etc etc - all the standard things misogynists say when confronted with their own sexism.