Post by Ten on Jul 18, 2009 11:30:40 GMT -5
This.... theory? ...is based on two things that I have known for a long time but just as of recent have clicked together in my mind.
Important Note: Don't get feminist at me, please. I'm speaking in general terms ("painting with a broad brush", my dad would say). If you want to reply with counter examples, do it with a full, well-thought-out counter argument that consists of more than insisting on "girl power" and "guys have a sensitive side". I'm not bashing men or women with this. I'm stating my observations.
Did you read the important note? You sure? Can you handle this? Okay, okay, moving on.
Item One: Men go to war.
And the women stay home. No, it doesn't have to be that way. If you're a girl and you want to join the army, good for you (I'm serious; good for you) but a casual glance through the pages of history tells me that more often than not, it's the men taking up arms. Guys have a natural tendency toward more upper-body strength. Guys are less hesitant to do something dangerous. Guys find it easier to adapt to a truce with someone they've fought with. Their physical and mental state is one that is evolved for war.
Reminder: I'm speaking in general terms.
I won't go into maternal instincts and why women would stay home with the kids, but I do have something to say about the way women fight. If it comes to a point where a woman perceives herself to be in peril, this means (from an evolutionary/historical/psychological/whatever you want to call it standpoint) all her defenses (local army, family, spouse, police, guard dog, et cetera) have failed her. Unlike a soldier, she doesn't have the option to live to fight another day, to surrender now and try again later. If she loses this, she's dead and/or used, if you know what I mean. So she pulls out all the stops, doing whatever she can to get out of the situation, resorting to anything, even if the hope of survival (or the threat) has dissipated.
Item Two: Little Girls on Neo Can Take Anything As An Insult
Sometimes it seems like you can't say anything to them that isn't sugar-coated without stepping on a virtual land mine. That's in extreme cases, yes, but don't tell me they're not defensive. Make a comment that isn't an obvious compliment and/or agreement and get some variation of "Well what's wrong with that?" Unless you go out of your way to express approval, they will be upset and want you to leave.
Yes, this is immaturity. However, it seems this particular trait (defensiveness, not immaturity) is more apparent in girls. Then again, I see more girls on neo than guys, so you could argue that my evidence is skewed.
Why was I so slow to put these things together?
It seems beyond obvious now. When a girl feels that she is being attacked in any way, shape, or form, she gets defensive, sometimes to the point of irrationality. It's wired into the female brain. I'm not excusing this, of course, but rather attempting to explain it to myself and others.
