Preserved Topic: what kind of jokes do girls like? (Page 2 of 2)

[quote]You see: im not a mexican "macho" but i beleive women are weaker than must men. Why? They use their feelings more. Feelings are fragile, and since they think and act according to them, must of the time they can be hurt. That´s what makes them weaker. So you´d better be careful. [quote/]

I'm just curious, Ethereal, but what to men act according to? Logic and reason?

I think men have feelings just like women... no, I take that back. I know men have feelings just like women. It's just that in many societies men have been trained to hide their feelings, and they have been taught that expressing emotion means you are weak. True, men and women are biologically different (thank goodness ), but I think you'll find most of what makes up people's conceptions of masculine and feminine are in reality social constructs.

If I'm a bit ornery today, you'll have to excuse me. I went to the neighborhood church this morning and listened to the pastor go on about how men should be working and women should stay at home to take care of the house, and any confusion of gender roles is sin. Aarrghh, that sort of thinking frustrates me to no end. But let's not get into that. I just wanted to provide some background on my current state of mind.

Nothing personal, Ethereal, but I have to respectfully disagree with you. If women are weaker it is because they are taught that they are weaker. They have the capability to be just as strong as men. In fact, I would have to say that there are many women in Korea who are stronger than men. This is because men have the social structure to lean on, but if women are to succeed they must fight against it.

(By the way, I am not a feminist, and I don't like most radical feminists. I do, however, believe in equality.)

Please define 'equality'. I'm interested in hearing how you define it.

Hmm... define equality?

Well, to be trite, I could say "equal opportunity," but I'm not sure that has any meaning anymore. I could also be a smart aleck and say "the quality or state of being equal," but that would most likely get me scalped .

To be honest with you, the word just kind of came out. I used it because it was a parenthetical, and I was really trying to wrap up my comments. Apparently, though, I just put a can of worms out on the counter and left a can opener next to it. Since you asked nicely, though, I'll at least give it a shot...

To be equal does not mean to be the same. All people are different, men and women especially. And to be different is not necessarily a bad thing. That is just the way things are. When I speak of equality, though, perhaps I mean equality of perception; that is, men and women should be perceived equally, as human beings. It is the perception of men and women as unequal that leads to the social oppression women face in many cultures.

Hmm, I wonder if that really answered anything. I usually stay away from trite explanations and catchwords like "equality." Thank you for reminding me why. I just hope my feelings are apparent from this post and the one above.

Dear Sohoo1004:

I think you misunderstood what i meant about women. I Do believe that women are equal, i believe women must have the same rights that men have. I condem all the human beings who beleive the porpuse of women is to cook and take care of children.

But As i said before, women are weak. I´ll try to explain why. You see, i said that women use theri feelings more tahn men do. I´m NOT saying men don´tn have them, it´s just that women use them when they are goingo to make desitions. Men make desitionas according to what they think its more suitable or brings more benefits, since feelings are fragile, women can easily be hurt. Thats why they are weaker....

Thanks for the clarification, but I think we're getting a bit hung up on the "equality" issue. Since we all agree that men and women are equal, let's drop that for the moment. I'm afraid I still disagree with you that women are weaker than men.

I do understand your premise, but I'm not sure if I agree with it. I think saying that women make decisions based on feelings and men make decisions based on perceived benefit is a little too simplistic. The two are not mutually exclusive--I can make a decision base on my feelings and based on what I think is more beneficial for me. In fact, that's the way most humans make decisions. I also think that men rely on their feelings far more than you may realize.

I will apologize for going off on the equality rant, since it appears I went a bit overboard there. I probably generalized a bit too much.

I happen to disagree with you on your ideas concerning feelings, but that does not necessarily mean I reject your entire thesis out of hand. I understand that you only have a very brief space here to explain what is no doubt a rather complex theory, and I would be interested in seeing your results when you complete your study (you were serious about that, right?).

Anyway, misunderstandings have been cleared up, and I think we can agree to respectfully disagree . It's definitely an interesting topic, I'll give you that.

Ahem. Now a (perhaps futile) to turn this back toward the main gist of this thread. Galaxal, whether or not you agree with Galaxal, I think we can all agree that women have feelings. In your dealings with them, you need to be aware of their feelings. This may be going a little beyond the "meeting girls" phase, but when you're actually in a relationship (which is hopefully the next step) you have to be very aware of your partner's feelings, often putting them before your own. It's not an easy thing to do, but if you can manage it you'll find your relationships working a lot more smoothly. Heh, now if only I could follow my own advice ...

Suho1004:

I´m glad you understood what i meant to say. You see, I´m mexican and my english is a little bit raw (I think thats the word that expresses it). I understand your disagreement and I respect it. Thanks for your comentaries!!!!!

In the other hand, yes, I am researching tha behavior of women in society making a comparison to man, which I beleive, will help us to understand each other and help us to relate more. Ill be happy to send you some of my results!!!!!

Once again, Im sorry if this text is a little hard to understand, I haven´t practiced my english in a long time.

Ethereal: No need to apologize. Your English is excellent. The misunderstanding was most probably caused by my preconceptions and current state of mind. I'm glad we could clear it up.

Good luck with your research!