victim?

one more, then like the Gene Wilder (?) character in Stir Crazy ("pillow"), I'll have to take a break, brain hurts.

Flashes of thought about power: Brother saying I'm always playing the victim.

I think to self, but if I'd been, say, mugged, you wouldn't say that, right? I mean why, if somebody's bullied me or knocked me down and I'm frickin' hurt do I have to pretend that everything's ok? Can I not say, Ow, cut that out you mother-f*cking son-of-a-*****? (feminist self-editing voice chiding me for anti-woman curses.)

Men think in terms of power, hierarchy, dominance. Always. At all times.

And it may be only the 'alphas' who do this; insufficient data at this point.

According to Carol Tavris? Gilligan? (? not sure I'm quoting the right person, will straighten out my source attributions later, gotta get these thoughts down), men talk to establish status. Which makes sense of a whole lotta things...

So it doesn't matter if it's the size of their ____ or how big their car engine is, or their hard drive. Or whether 'their' team is bigger, better, faster, more powerful: It's always about the pecking order. Dominance. Who's on top.

I sometimes think women go along with this because it's just easier that way (unless you're dealing with someone who's physically violent, in which case I recognize that it's sometimes a matter of literal survival, no intent to diminish that fear/possibility here, just haven't personally experienced it.)

Which is why men fear women's laughter as if it were literally life-threatening, worthy of responding to with physical violence and extreme anger: Men define themselves by their position in society.

Circling back 'round to the original point (not sure about this mind you, working it out), victim is not acceptable language for hierarchical thinkers. (Man does this ever make my brain hurt. Literally, getting a headache, which I almost never do. Feel like I ought to get some kind of medal or something for even attempting the mind-bending feat of trying to understand how men 'think'.)