I talk to that man ALL OF THE TIME and recognize that because of his disabilities, he sometimes needs a bit more of an explanation - but at the same time, it's not my job to coddle people who are essentially foisting their Id on me. I spend way, way too much time as it is trying to talk rationally to people who aren't coming from a logical or rational place. With him I try to find a balance. More than once, that particular man has thanked me for sticking with him and/or apologized for interjecting things in that weren't about me or the topic at hand - sometimes because he was tired and feeling a little confused. And, I'm always kind and understanding about that. Unless and until he complains to me that I've been mean to him, I'm not going to worry about other people's outside snapshot assessment of our interactions.

Discussion has to be based in some sort of reality - not just how something feels to the other person. I honestly don't fucking care how something seems to you when it comes out of nothing but the dark recesses of your subconscious biases. I'm to the point where I'm not going to even look at comments on certain stories (even though I'll miss out on some interesting or productive comments) because otherwise I spend literally half of my day trying to talk sense to men who are completely irrational, and I no longer have time or energy for that. It's an exercise in futility and as much as I hate to leave disinformation out there unchallenged, that's the plan for going forward. Far too many men, because they've been taught to suppress their emotions, are essentially run by them from behind the scenes. They are not able to be logical, rational, or to use their cognitive processes to analyze things. They cannot concede when the other person has made a good point. or hold an actual adult discussion. I don't have time to be overly nice to people trying to work out their shit on me. It's a form of bullying and after 5 years of that stuff, I'm not going to allow it in my space very much any longer. I consider it a form of self-care.

I've had several interesting and productive exchanges with men I don't agree with - but they were coming from a place of wanting to have an actual dialogue and sharing of thoughts and ideas that were based in some sort of substance. They weren't just trying to bludgeon me with cultural myths, imagined scenarios, and an overwhelming desire to "win."

As for the statistical breakdown, I spent an hour a year or so ago counting by hand. Based on the notices I get about recent followers, it's my assessment that the percentages remain about the same.