I love men

                                                                                                                                                       I often get forwarded anti men emails.  They annoy the wick out of me.  You know the ones where there will be 20 or even 50 points about why men are Neanderthal idiots with an inability to have any kind of emotion or sensitivity towards all fellow humans and never put the toilet seat down or ask for directions when lost and are only interested in sex and not at all concerned about who it’s with.

It is probably dangerous at this point but here are some examples which I have received recently all of which, in my experience, are horribly untrue and unfair.

A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and soccer games and romances and best friends and favourite foods and secret fears and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

All the fathers I know, including my own, are VERY devoted to their children.

Women prefer 30 - 45 minutes of foreplay. Men prefer 30 - 45 seconds of foreplay.

Men consider driving back to her place as part of the foreplay.

This is just a big fib.

A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage answer the phone, read a book, get the mail. A man will dress up for: weddings, funerals

I am the one who is ready first in my house while my husband carefully considers which shirt to wear and then whether to have it tucked in or out.

Men take photography very seriously. They'll shell out $4,000 for state-of-the-art equipment, and build darkrooms, and take photography classes. Women purchase Kodak Instamatics. Of course, women always end up taking better pictures.

Another big fib.  I know a lot of women who have spent a fortune on fancy cameras and take rubbish photographs.

If a woman is out driving and she finds herself in unfamiliar surroundings, she will stop at a gas station and ask for directions. Men consider this to be a sign of weakness. Men will never stop and ask for directions. Men will drive in a circle for hours, all the while saying things like, "Looks like I've found a new way to get there", and, "I know I'm in the neighborhood. I recognize that White Hen store".

I never understand this one because I NEVER ask for directions unless its a matter of life or death.  I am geographically challenged but would rather keep that to myself when lost.

It seems to be acceptable sexism and fair game to criticize the male gender using crass generalizations and stereotypical throw away comments.  The most over used one being ‘typical man’.  Why is this allowed to continue?  After years and years of women fighting for equal rights and objecting to being thought of as a lower class to males we now have equal rights to be anything we want to be.

Patriarchal traditional language is frowned upon.  Making assumptions about women being weak or even less intelligent are, quite rightly, totally unacceptable.   A woman’s place is in the home cooking and cleaning for her husband is seen as a horrible mistake made by misguided women who knew no better and those people who chose such a path in life are now judged to have wasted their life.

We have moved on.  Us females are treated better than ever before and it’s a great thing, in the west at least.  But I am disappointed by this anti men attitude which is nothing more than sexist but instead of women being the brunt of jokes and put downs it’s the other way round.  It’s politically incorrect to tell jokes about barmaids with big tits but it’s now acceptable to tell jokes about downtrodden husbands with small willies and over compensating red sports cars. 

I think that some men allow women to scoff at them and take on the roll of subservience.  You know the ones who can’t make any decision about if they are going out or not because their wife is the ‘social secretary’ or the ones who have a complete inability to coordinate their clothes and let their wives buy everything for them from their underwear to their anorak.  I think you can really tell the men who have been dressed by the women in their life and not in a good way.  It’s a bit like spotting toupees.  They are usually obvious from 50 feet.

But listen to me, I seem to be criticizing men and that is not what I set out to do.  I want to explain to the world that I do love men.  I love my husband, my son, my father, my brother, my nephew, my brother-in-law.  I love my male friends and enjoy their company, their sense of humour, their vulnerability, their emotions, their stories.  You see it doesn’t matter that they are male; they have a myriad of qualities just like women, just like we all do.  So if you are reading this and understand me please think twice before me sending on anti men emails.  Let’s rid the world of intolerance.  We shouldn’t be racist or ageist or sexist.

Anti men emails are sexist so just stop it!

The photographs are some men that I Iove, there are more of course.

 

Comments

[Jade]

Love your column. To start with. And I love men. To begin with, I would rather have an annoying wet towel lying on the bed than have no man at all to be annoyed with. I would rather match his socks and underwear myself just in case I knock him down at the road crossing and someone comments on it. I found it more romantic to see him holding a vomit bowl through an influenza night than flowers when I open the door. Foreplay before the rice gets burnt in the kitchen is far more exciting than wearing Victoria's Secret. Sex in the kitchen IS exciting - while I am the one holding the knife. A woman needs to know that with men it is most times sex and some times making love. But it is the same man. Like it or not. Take it or live without.

Jade - All woman