Mansplainers! Stop boring your fellow adults. Try dadsplaining instead | Joel Snape

One of my life's great joys has been mining the depths of my knowledge for my children. Just one proviso: don't try to explain every event in We Didn't Start The Fire

Where does the urge to mansplain come from? Hold on, please don't rush straight to the comments to tell me; I've got my own theory. I think it's about one part male privilege to five parts something more primal: a vestigial survival urge that we learn at school.

In the world of the small, awkward boy, knowing stuff is currency: grownups are impressed when you can explain the workings of a trimaran; other youths show grudging respect if you can display an in-depth knowledge of Warhammer 40k lore. This feeling never entirely leaves us, so we go out into the world stepping on endless metaphorical rakes as we mistake polite lack of interest for rapt attention. Some of us grow out of this, have it gently bullied out of us by romantic partners or learn to sense when it's not wanted. Others never quite kick the habit and spend their lives missing stifled yawns or lecturing astrophysicists about their own fields of expertise.