Community Chat

[Nonametoday]

---

@suzyQ3 wrote:

---

@Nonametoday wrote:

Strong women are assertive but never aggressive.  Aggressiveness expresses fear and insecurity of one's opinions.

---

@Nonametoday, from Merriam-Webster:

Synonyms & Antonyms of aggressiveness

1 readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity

• because of the mayor's aggressiveness in tackling problems, there have been significant changes for the better

Synonyms for aggressiveness

• action,
• ambition,
• drive,
• enterprise,
• go,
• hustle,
• initiative

---

@suzyQ3  When one is aggressive in making change, it alienates many and weakens that person's resolve.  Better to have done it in an assertive manner where the public has been served and shown that it is in their best interests, as in truth, it really is.  Most aggressive people are selfish, self-serving, money- and power-hungry phonies who do whatever they do to empower their own nests. As an example, Jesus was not aggressive.  He was assertive.  Martin Luther King was not aggressive.  He was assertive.  

[Nonametoday]

Hitler was aggressive.  Saddam Hussein was aggressive.  Stalin was aggressive.  Sir Winston Churchill and FDR were assertive.  JFK was assertive.  LBJ was aggressive.

[beckyb1012]

---

@suzyQ3 wrote:

---

@Nonametoday wrote:

Strong women are assertive but never aggressive.  Aggressiveness expresses fear and insecurity of one's opinions.

---

@Nonametoday, from Merriam-Webster:

Synonyms & Antonyms of aggressiveness

1 readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity

• because of the mayor's aggressiveness in tackling problems, there have been significant changes for the better

Synonyms for aggressiveness

• action,
• ambition,
• drive,
• enterprise,
• go,
• hustle,
• initiative

---

I have to agree with Webster version of aggressive.  When you have to play in open court audio tapes of someone calling you by the "c" word and saying you are like a dog because he keeps figuratively kicking you and kicking you but you will not stay down but just get right back up.  Then you are most proud to be aggressive even if it is just through paperwork.

[Free2be]

All people have challenges and most rise to those occasions.  Overcoming adversities is where the word "strong" plays a role, in my estimation.  Many people live lives of accomplishment without ever having major adversity darken their door.  I might consider them to be purposeful, goal oriented, strong in their own sense of not being sidelined but deep strength is something not everyone has in their core. 

A lot of people look to others through actual assistance or opinion to help them through rough patches, both men and women.  Women are too often in positions that the helper makes a marked difference in their lives, it does not mean they are less or more "strong".  We women don't need to be perfectly so by some standard to be considered valuable in a certain way.  Men do not live under such qualifiers.  When they do feel "toxic male" psychological miscues, their lives are messed up.  We don't need to do that to ourselves with toxic female nonsense of which there are plenty of traps to fall into.

[bluetail fly]

I agree with most of the comments already made. I would add to them that my definition includes the trait of knowing when to ask for help without considering it a sign of weakness.

Mutual support, knowing when to ask for it and when to give it, adds to the strength of the individual and the group and to me is a trademark of a strong woman.

[ECBG]

I see a strong woman as wise and guiding.

[Drythe]

An additional caveat to my idea of personal strength is to have, and act in accord with one’s code of ethics, or, if applicable a mutual agreement such as an oath.  This often does result in speaking to power, or the inclinations of others.

My feeling on this is to speak to the subject without devolving into ad hominem attacks.  In other words, if I say I think it is wrong to steal, don’t call me a dumb, weak, coward, tell me why you think it is not wrong.

[suzyQ3]

@Nonametoday, I'm not going to argue with the dictionary.

[Greeneyedlady21]

The double standard is alive and well, sadly it always will be.

I've had problems in my life and I still do because of the sexist ways in which I was raised...to not be assertive is one of them. It's so painful to not feel you're worth standing up for yourself. 

[suzyQ3]

---

@Greeneyedlady21 wrote:

The double standard is alive and well, sadly it always will be.

I've had problems in my life and I still do because of the sexist ways in which I was raised...to not be assertive is one of them. It's so painful to not feel you're worth standing up for yourself. 

---

@Greeneyedlady21, I know exactly what you mean. It gets into your bones. Example: my mother didn't understand why a woman would go to college, unless it was just to find a husband.