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Good comeback
(lazysoci.al)
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this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2025
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Witches VS Patriarchy
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The sort of men who come out with phrases like that are (almost universally) arseholes. Having a default response, that can be rolled out quickly, and hit at emotional sore spots is useful.
As for why it works, if they are willing to come out with that line, then either a massively misogynistic, or badly socially stunted and rude. Both will drive women away aggressively (and likely a lot of male friends).
How often does that line happen? I can definitely see "What's your favorite song/album?", that's just making conversation based on a common interest. And it can be kinda disappointing if you thought you were gonna get to talk about a band you like, but the person just liked the design and hasn't even heard them.
But "Name 5 songs"? I thought that just happened in memes.
It does only primarily happen in memes. I'm 50, lived a very unsheltered life and never once heard someone ask something so stupid in the flesh.
Not to discount your personal experience, just offering a different one, but people pretty regularly used to gatekeep in this way to me, I've been asked the "name 5 songs" question or some variant of it at least a dozen times when I was in school, it slowed significantly down in college and adulthood though.
I will note however that prior to my transition I read these things as "male social purity tests" and post transition I read them as "teenage boys need to be right so bad they'll attack anyone for anything" and I think a lot of this comes from our society ignoring the emotional needs for validation among young men and boys, causing them to lash out in this at potential friends who they see as a target for humiliation, instead of bringing these people closer.