It Seems The Study Of Anthropology Makes Me A Misogynistic, Backwards Thinker.

[swampyankee]

It's not the truth value of the statement; it's just making a statement of that sort. I, too, annoy people with random factoids.

[DonM435]

Hey, that's a bit generous, isn't it? I mean you surely can't say half for a figure which might be less than a third, can you? But I think you are right, that there is a large margin of error to be allowed in the statement.

Since you're talking in halves, but not quarters or tenths, it may be that half is the smallest meaningful or practical division. I'd agree that something that's less than a third should probably be "none" (zero halves) and something that's more than a two-thirds should be "all" (two halves). However some might argue that anything that's more than "none" or less than "all" should be classified as a half (to avoid the extremes suggested by all or none).

Half the people out there won't buy this argument. (No, I don't mean just the women.)

[Ara Pacis]

Great thread, BigD. Just remember, we're guys. We're wrong. Except when furniture needs to be moved.

Have you ever tried to move furniture for a woman before? "Right there. No, over there. turn it this way, yes, like that, wait, that won't work... it's all wrong."

[Ara Pacis]

Hey, that's a bit generous, isn't it? I mean you surely can't say half for a figure which might be less than a third, can you? But I think you are right, that there is a large margin of error to be allowed in the statement.

Why are you guys arguing about the meaning of "half". It looked to me to be an average, so sometimes it's higher and sometimes it's lower, and it's all predicated on circumstances that would make it more true.

[HenrikOlsen]

I've never really been good at the social stuff, it's always seemed so arbitrary to me, Aismov's line about "rubbing blue mud in your bellybutton" often comes to mind when I struggle to figure out why people are acting a certain way in a social setting.

Mandatory xkcd link.

[Perikles]

Mandatory xkcd link.

Being somewhere on the Asperberger's spectrum, I can really relate to that.

[John Mendenhall]

Have you ever tried to move furniture for a woman before? "Right there. No, over there. turn it this way, yes, like that, wait, that won't work... it's all wrong."

We're not right when furniture has to be moved. We're just handy.

[HenrikOlsen]

Being somewhere on the Asperberger's spectrum, I can really relate to that.

Having English as my second language I don't have the expected response as a learned reflex, I always have to think about what the answer should be.

[starcanuck64]

Mandatory xkcd link.

That pretty much sums it up.

[SkepticJ]

Ye of little... nevermind. The thing about unspoken truths is that they're supposed to be unspoken. Forget I said anything. Have fun storming the castle.

I'm afraid I don't understand. It's not a good thing to point out unfairnesses in the world?

Isn't that exactly what feminism did? The Civil Rights movement? Abolitionism? Democracy?

Granted this isn't in the same league as the above, but it's still a ** disparity. Why should microscopic fiddly bits in one's cells, and the non-microscopic fiddly bits they encode for, confer upon one certain social privilages that half the population doesn't have?

Actually, there is a serious disparity between the genders. Women get lighter jail times for committing a certain disgusting crime--what Joe Paterno did. Let's leave it at that.

[Ara Pacis]

I'm afraid I don't understand. It's not a good thing to point out unfairnesses in the world?

Also in the world is a cabbage patch, and there are birds and bees and... Um, maybe our patriarch should explain. Don?

[caveman1917]

However, it's no fun "sitting around staring at 4 walls" either.

Isn't that why we have computer monitors now? :)

[caveman1917]

Being somewhere on the Asperberger's spectrum, I can really relate to that.

The trick is to find a few, or even one, friends/acquaintances who ask these things because they really want to know the actual explicit answer, and just don't bother with the rest anymore.

[Noclevername]

Mandatory xkcd link.

That used to be me, except instead of pointing out the right response, the other person would usually just give me a blank stare, which was unhelpful.

[SkepticJ]

Also in the world is a cabbage patch, and there are birds and bees and... Um, maybe our patriarch should explain. Don?

I often forget that many people are ruled solely by the hardware they have below the waist. It must be a terrible affliction.

[Ara Pacis]

I often forget that many people are ruled solely by the hardware they have below the waist. It must be a terrible affliction.

Progress!

[Gillianren]

Have you ever tried to move furniture for a woman before? "Right there. No, over there. turn it this way, yes, like that, wait, that won't work... it's all wrong."

The last time I moved, one of my male friends moved my bedroom furniture for me. (Graham was at work, and I have a bad back and knees.) He came into the room to discover that I had marked where all the furniture was supposed to go by putting tape on the carpet. He put it exactly between the lines (I measured well) and was done. And ain't I a woman?

[SkepticJ]

Progress!

Okay, so your position is women should get over-equitable treatment on libidinous grounds?

Hooray for objectifying women!

[Nicolas]

The last time I moved, one of my male friends moved my bedroom furniture for me. (Graham was at work, and I have a bad back and knees.) He came into the room to discover that I had marked where all the furniture was supposed to go by putting tape on the carpet. He put it exactly between the lines (I measured well) and was done. And ain't I a woman?

[standing inches from your nose, screaming] You're a bossy control freak, an extreme feminist who believes men can't reason and the world would be total chaos without your superior ideas! You look down on men so much that you even avoid direct conversation with them, but in the end you can't live without them, hypocrite! [/standing inches from your nose, screaming]

Just practicing my taking-it-way-too-personal overreacting skills.

[Noclevername]

Okay, so your position is women should get over-equitable treatment on libidinous grounds?

Did you hurt yourself jumping to that conclusion?

Straw person.

[mfumbesi]

Wow Bigdon, what have you done?
I read the thread when you posted and went away, I come back. War of the sexes has erupted.

[Noclevername]

Okay, so your position is women should get over-equitable treatment on libidinous grounds?

Hooray for objectifying women!

Why don't you try asking him what his position is instead of putting words in his mouth?

[Buttercup]

Guess I'm one of those weird women who doesn't mind if husband rearranges the living room or master bedroom -- even if on a whim.

Stereotyping is wrong you know.

[Perikles]

Guess I'm one of those weird women who doesn't mind if husband rearranges the living room or master bedroom -- even if on a whim.

Stereotyping is wrong you know.

But your calling yourself weird indicates that you think it very unusual, which is a generalization or stereotyping which you then criticize. (I'm not quite sure what the difference is.) That, or sarcasm which is difficult to spot in the written sentence.

[Buttercup]

But your calling yourself weird indicates that you think it very unusual, which is a generalization or stereotyping which you then criticize. (I'm not quite sure what the difference is.) That, or sarcasm which is difficult to spot in the written sentence.

I was being sarcastic.

[SeanF]

Stereotyping is wrong you know.

Not always - don't stereotype stereotyping. <Grin>

[Swift]

I hope all the biting, sarcastic, and critical comments are either constructive, philosophic, or humorous. And since the smilies are still broken, primitive alternatives like <grin> or <wink> would be very helpful.

Let's keep it polite, males and females.

Thanks,

[Paul Beardsley]

Why don't you try asking him what his position is instead of putting words in his mouth?

SkepticJ did ask him, and got a sarcastic answer that wasn't very clear in meaning.

[Gillianren]

The only reason it bothers me when Graham rearranges furniture is that he moves things to locations beyond the ken of mortals. Or at least to where I can't find them. This is because what he's usually moving is my boxes. When we moved in, we discussed in advance, standing in the empty apartment, how we would arrange the bedroom--and he won. The only reason the bedroom furniture has moved since is that we got a new bed, and then a while ago, we had to move things so the guys could get in to replace our windows. Given how many of the people I've known have just left their furniture in a single place for years at a time, this has always struck me as one of the stranger stereotypes.

[Noclevername]

In order to avoid future trouble, I'm withdrawing from this thread.