The Problem With 'Correctile Dysfunction,' Summed Up in 8 Tweets

Though the phrase 'correctile dysfunction' is not a new one, this alternative expression for the well-worn (and unfortunately, oft-needed) term 'mansplain' has resurfaced. And Twitter is loving the revival. While some dudes love to hate the term ‘mansplaining,’ there’s no denying it’s still an epidemic plaguing timelines, classrooms and workplaces worldwide.

And if you had any questions or qualms about whether or not mansplaining was a thing of the past, even after the advent of this super helpful flow chart to help people check themselves, I just wanted to let you know that the dysfuntional correcting keeps on rolling in.

The first recognized use of ‘correctile dysfunction’ occurred back in 2006, when it described the act of instantly jumping on the keyboard to point out another person’s spelling error. In 2011, the phrase was used as a more collegiate term, applied to those who often turn in assignments so closely to the deadline they have no time to proofread. And around 2012, the meaning shifted once again to describe misunderstandings sparked by AutoCorrect. But in 2017, the real shift happened. Addiful took to Twitter to propose adopting the term to describe mansplaining, which, as other Twitter users have noted, is a nice gender-neutral alternative:

In a perfect (or slightly less obnoxious) world, we wouldn’t even have to discuss this terminology because men would stop rushing to provide their unprovoked "well, actually"s altogether. But alas, that day has not yet arrived.

Here are 8 tweets that perfectly illustrate the problem with correctile dysfunction: