1.28.2009

women

ok, alright, i know if you are a woman you're already skeptical. if you're a man, you're waiting with eager anticipation for what i am going to say. so everybody check your attitude at the cyber door and try not to be too biased for your gender--because we all know that some generalizations are true and that a lot of stereotypes come from at least hints of truth.

so at some point in a conversation with my brother-in-law this last weekend, he said this: "now what you have to understand luke is that all women are crazy. some are just less crazy."

now before you go thinking him an insensitive chauvinist--i feel the need to point out that my sister agreed with him, which i found even more surprising. when my niece objected defiantly my sister asked her, "well do you know any who aren't crazy?" to which she could not come up with an example. that didn't mean there might not be one or two out there, she just couldn't bring any to mind.

so. women? are you all crazy? what do all of you say? i might have tried to argue with my brother-in-law if i felt so inclined, but my sister is a pretty smart woman and i figure she has a little closer acquaintance with you all than I do.

is this perception of "craziness" just a lack of acceptance by society to allow a woman's behavior to be acceptable? is it just a rationale-driven man's world that makes you all look "crazy"? i'm not saying you aren't rational, just that...well, not everything is always the most explainable.

maybe you think we are just as crazy. if not we at least are clueless enough to be the other side of the sometimes seemingly massive wall between our two genders. if i look to the ways that i have been hurt by some of your craziness, then i also would want to know the ways in which it works the other way. is it man's insensitivity? that would be the stereotype. though i feel like sensitivity is a thing easier learned than not-craziness.


have i offended? i expect and await your comments. enlighten my poor ignorant man mind. please.
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21 comments:

  1. Jeff1/28/2009 7:58 AM

    luke you and your poor ignorant man mind crack me up. i've also heard girls agree that they are crazy. maybe if they admit to something that guys are always trying to peg them as, then that somehow takes their go-to complaint away from them? i don't know... my man mind needs enlightening too.

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  2. nick1/28/2009 8:34 AM

    Women are crazy. Men are jerks. I think most people generally agree on those two stereotypes.

    I'm a little surprised that this seems to be a new concept to you. I thought it was a well known set of overgeneralizations.

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  3. Unknown1/28/2009 8:50 AM

    Women are crazy. There's no doubt about that.

    But guys...I have no idea what we are. Jerks isn't bad, but perhaps there's more to it. Most of the time I get the feeling that the best way to describe guys is to put a confused look on your face and say "...what?" Haha!

    I also find it funny that no women have commented on this yet. Step it up, ladies!

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  4. luke1/28/2009 11:55 AM

    no i know it's a common generalization that people say and there's a little chuckle. but then people in the back of their mind think it's only the people they don't know really who are crazy or jerks. or at least that it's mostly a joke.

    but you see, i don't think all men really are jerks. a lot maybe. but plenty who are not. but are all women crazy? why haven't any commented yet? i need to know....

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  5. lauren h.1/28/2009 1:02 PM

    First, I guess I am wondering about the definition of “crazy”.
    Second, it is true that, more often than not, women lead with their heart. For me at least, it is more natural to relay things through the lens of my emotions, rather than a more analytical, impersonal way of thought. This natural inclination towards the heart may come off as “crazy” because as we know the heart is fickle and can rarely be explained away with words or logic. The inability to fit women’s thoughts/actions into “scientific” explanations may result in the understanding of women as “crazy”. But I think that by labeling women as “crazy” we are limiting them (us) to an outside-looking-in, and impersonal perspective of Emotions. I guess “crazy” should maybe be more looked at as an effect rather than as a definitive label :-)

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  6. Sara1/28/2009 1:24 PM

    I think a conversation about gender differences could be really useful and enlightening as all seem to agree that as a whole, men and women operate differently.

    I definitely think that we have a lot to learn from each other.

    However, I don't think that this kind of question will lead to that conversation.

    I guess I have trouble understanding how women are to respond in a helpful way.

    But maybe that's just crazy...

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  7. luke1/28/2009 5:30 PM

    yeah it's certainly not the most helpful way to frame it for a serious conversation, but then it isn't an entirely serious point :).

    i guess i just don't understand "being led by your heart/emotions" when the heart is so fickle and strange unexplainable feelings can dictate major life course changes.

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  8. Anonymous1/28/2009 5:39 PM

    I'll willingly admit that women are crazy. But I think we are probably not naturally as crazy as we think we are because we play into the stereotype.

    Why play into a stereotype that pegs you as crazy? Because it can be used as an excuse for a plethora of things. Why did she act like that? Why did she say that? Did she not think about that before it came out of her mouth?
    Answer: she's crazy. No more explanation needed - the emotional rollercoaster that is a result of an estrogen-dominated life can be used as an excuse for any and all behavior.

    So we'll allow you to call us crazy so long as we can blame untactful behavior on our inherent craziness.

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  9. Sarah Amador1/28/2009 6:01 PM

    sometimes i feel crazy...but i dont think its cus im a woman..its cus im human..and a feeler at that. so you just get overwhelmed. and sometimes i just act in ways i know arent rational...but im not sure its cus im a woman. or maybe.

    but maybe its just cus men dont understand the way a womens head works and vice versa...its all exciting and illumintating and provocative...and then we realize we dont understand and so then shove it away...thus, instead of intoxicating, mysterious, beautiful...the woman becomes annoying crazy and slightly whack. the man starts out as handsome, strong, brave, fierce and ends up frustrating, arrogant, rude...so woman are crazy and men are jerks.

    or we are just imperfect humans.

    the latter is what i like to think.

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  10. ~LB1/28/2009 6:28 PM

    I refuse to leave a comment pertaining to the subject because I feel it will later come back to haunt me. Jeff you should be enlightened and Luke if things in KC work out I am sure whatever craziness looks like in me will be known. Thats all I am saying.

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  11. Tiffany1/28/2009 6:51 PM

    hmmm. I'm not sure what I think about this. I don't think women are crazy or men are jerks. I think people are generally selfish and this may come across one way or another but I also feel like you're asking something more specific because crazy doesn't really mean anything to me. What do you mean by that anyways?

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  12. thomas park1/28/2009 7:00 PM

    bitches is crazy.

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  13. rachel rianne1/28/2009 7:49 PM

    ditto to tom.

    i agree with lauren that girls tend to lead with their hearts. and since intangible, mystical, abstract things we can't always define in specific explanations or terms tend to be just crazy, then we lead with our craziness.

    but i think that in general, guys do things, for what reasons, they don't know, and girls do too, so we're all just crazy little people running around in the world trying to make something of ourselves.

    so conclusion: all. crazy. it's unavoidable.

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  14. Tyler R1/28/2009 7:57 PM

    TOTALLY AGREE.

    The other day I told Tiffany to go do the dishes AND SHE GOT ALL CRAZY ON ME. I mean, what on earth is her DEAL, man?

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  15. Tyler R1/28/2009 7:58 PM

    I'm operating on the assumption that Tiffany already posted, therefore she won't come back to see what I just wrote.

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  16. Liz.EJ.Lizzard.Elizabeth.1/28/2009 9:06 PM

    the pierre house girls are really enjoying this post and the comments along with it. As a whole, we have varied opinions some for crazy and some against. Sarah definately agrees with emotion-lead decisions.
    Kristen, lol. I can't say that everything can be dropped in estrogen's crazy lap but it's for sure to blame in some week to week variances.
    I think what we all have to do in looking at women is to see the consistencies and the underlying murmur of our actions, not the spikes and plummits of 'random' decision making.
    [murmur = average behavior, like if you were to graph a trend of all emotional decision making] also, women always use emotion when making decisions and relating to people. so it might be unnecessary to say 'emotional' decision making.

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  17. ~LB1/28/2009 11:29 PM

    oh man for a second i thought your sidekicks and honchos said sickos and homos. glad to realize it does not, in fact, say that.

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  18. ~LB1/28/2009 11:29 PM

    and i just posted as laura. but this is jeff.

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  19. steph1/29/2009 6:47 PM

    i think at the core most women are actually pretty boring. the "crazy" that is portrayed is more realistically just a coating of insecurity. when we are experiencing the unknown we react in different ways. different from not only males, but from other females. and perhaps because it can't be predicted how we will react...it looks like insanity.

    but i would say the majority of women, when they are comfortable and just "being" are completely "normal" and we really don't provide much more entertainment. perhaps this is why men become bored with their marriage???

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  20. steph1/29/2009 6:54 PM

    AND p.s. not all women are emotional decision makers...or whatever...i'm totally a practical thinker more than an emotional thinker. (but i think most of you know this)

    AND p.p.s i miss you all!!!!

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  21. Anonymous1/30/2009 12:38 AM

    crazy?? or...intricate! Jerks??...not all sir. We function on a different plane.Cool post by the way. I love it when there are a gabillion comments.

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