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Comment by andrepd | Hacker News Reader

Cultural norms are diffuse and propagate on their own. It's silly to try to attribute it to John or Bob or Jill.

Of course they don't propagate on their own, they propagate through people. Some people prefer them for aesthetics, but others don't. Some people pressure men to be strong, others don't. It's useful to be aware of these subtle influences on our thinking and our behaviour, and use that awareness to make more conscious decisions about who we listen to, and why.

The culture of a group of people is more than the sum of its parts. That's like saying a cell is "just atoms". Well yeah, but that's a pretty uninteresting observation, as a cell contains immense structure that can be analysed in and of itself.

Likewise, culture is a complicated social phenomenon which has a life and a logic of its own.

OK so there's nothing to fix, then.

It is cultural norms- of women. Making choices. In the real world.

It's simply women's revealed preference.

And when the revealed preference of a group clashes with the personal preferences of individuals within that group, it can be annoying and frustrating for those individuals.

And maybe they'll try some vocal complaining to try to shift the preferences of the group. Which could work out, especially if a lot of group members don't have strong preferences and are just going along with the existing default.

What do you mean "there's nothing to fix"? That sentence doesn't make sense. Are you suggesting cultural change is impossible or undesirable, or am I misinterpreting?

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