Can We All Agree To Stop Calling Women Crazy?

I'm not the language police. I believe people should be able to say whatever the hell they want, even if what they want to say is hurtful and offensive.

Believing in free speech means defending it for everyone ... even assh*les. But maybe we could all be a little less of an assh*le?

Stereotypes and blanket statements about an entire gender don't really get us anywhere. Say what you want about an individual, but there are more than seven billion of us floating through space together, and half of us ain't "crazy."

The problem with statements like these is that they're dismissive and shut down real discussion. Girlfriend freaking out about something you think is no big deal? Oh, she's just crazy.

You're literally saying, "Nothing you say is of any value or merit to me. I don't need to acknowledge you or your arguments." Dismissing a woman as crazy is simply sticking your fingers in your ears and going, "La, la, la! I can't hear you!"

Her argument is discarded and cannot be addressed, and they both miss out on an opportunity for conflict resolution.

The person calling a woman crazy puts themselves above her, implying that he's the "sane" one. It's a cheap get-out-of-jail-free card whenever a woman becomes emotional.

It's not really all that far off from calling her stupid. You're saying she isn't capable of making rational decisions and judgments and that your perspective should be trusted instead. But calling a woman stupid isn't an acceptable way to argue your point, so why is calling her "crazy"?

That's really the crux of the issue. We've gotten so comfortable using crazy as a go-to excuse that few people even bat an eye when it's brought up despite what it implies.

It's quite possible you might encounter a woman who says or does something legitimately crazy or insane. By all means, call a spade a spade. But when you just use that stereotype as a trump card to put yourself above someone else in an interpersonal or social situation, you're doing a grave disservice to you both.

As with any stereotype — racial, sexual or otherwise — you're being intellectually lazy by ignoring the fact that we're all so crazy unique and different.

And you're being an assh*le.