# Gender imbalance in GD? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 6, 2004, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857 "2004-02-06T16:28:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/1 "2004-02-06T16:28:24Z")
Is there a gender imbalance in Great Debates? Most of the time I look around, and if I’m in a thread that isn’t specifically discussing an issue like abortion, I sense a major testosterone overload. Is this real, or is it just my perception? And if you also perceive a gender imbalance in GD, why do you think it’s the case? Does it other you? ---
**Author:** ![Tremmie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Tremmie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tremmie)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/2 "2004-02-06T17:09:41Z")
Its because winning an argument on the internet is considered legal proof that you have the biggest penis, which tends to not interest most women 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/3 "2004-02-06T17:15:24Z")
> [@Eva Luna](#): > > Does it other you? It other’s the HECK out of me. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/4 "2004-02-06T18:14:04Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > It other’s the HECK out of me. > > Enjoy, > Steven That’s what I get for multi-tasking. (hey, no fair picking on me! What, you never made a typo?) \*\*Tremmie: \*\* what, you don’t think large penises interest women? Well, men sure think they do. If only they knew the real story…personally, I love them for their minds. The ones who have minds, anyway. Although backrub skills count for something, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/5 "2004-02-06T18:22:17Z")
What you love large penises for their mind ! ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/6 "2004-02-06T18:34:32Z")
I obviously need to eat lunch, because my grammar is going downhill rapidly. Woe to the poor guy whose case I’m working on right now. (But you knew what I meant, I hope, right?) ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/7 "2004-02-06T18:56:14Z")
> [@Tremmie](#): > > Its because winning an argument on the internet is considered legal proof that you have the biggest penis, which tends to not interest most women 🙂 But what good is it if you win a GD argument, then, if no women are around to know it? If a thread falls in the GD forest and nobody reads it, it ain’t going to get you any nookie. Or do you just think all the women are lurking? ---
**Author:** ![jeevwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jeevwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevwoman)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/8 "2004-02-06T19:37:01Z")
I stay out of GDs mostly because they scare the crap out of me. They seem like they are mostly discussions that result in name-calling and misunderstandings. Hell, I’ve got a dad for that already. 🙂 It also makes me a bit sad to see that there are such racist/homophobic/etc. folks around in this day and age. And don’t even get me started on the witnessing!! And I don’t think that I am going to weigh in on the whole ‘loving penises for their minds,’ ok? **Jeevmon** probably doesn’t want it discussed in a public forum. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/9 "2004-02-06T20:02:35Z")
Testosterone makes us competitive. Thus, we try to show each other up by presenting jaw-droppingly well rendered arguments guaranteed to silence our critics and make all other Dopers respect our authoritay. Women seem to feel less of this urge for self promotion. I stopped going into GD for the most part- got me too worked up and made me want to smoke. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/10 "2004-02-06T20:06:27Z")
First off I’d like to ask for cite where the ration of male to female posters in GD is established. 😉 Secondly, large penises by default mean wee barins, or brains, I’ve lost track. Thirdly, Hi Opal. (Oh come on. 1.5 years and I’ve never pulled that one, I swear.) ---
**Author:** ![Magickly\_Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magickly\_Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magickly_Delicious)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/11 "2004-02-07T00:01:52Z")
I just read the first GD thread I’ve read in a long time. Lots of semantics and obfuscating meaning behind WAY too many words. I am very proud that I’ve been able to keep myself from just jumping in the middle of the threads with “All right, guys, whip it out and we’ll settle this once and for all!” :rolleyes: Yes, there’s a definite gender imbalance there. And it bothers me. ---
**Author:** ![Uncivil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ccd318/32.png) [@Uncivil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncivil)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/12 "2004-02-07T01:06:35Z")
> [@Eva Luna](#): > > Is there a gender imbalance in Great Debates? Most of the time I look around, and if I’m in a thread that isn’t specifically discussing an issue like abortion, I sense a major testosterone overload. > > Is this real, or is it just my perception? And if you also perceive a gender imbalance in GD, why do you think it’s the case? Does it other you? Yes, I’d say there is a real imbalance. I’d guess that women tend to be less inclined to debate things to death, and less worried about “winning” arguments that aren’t personal to themselves. Whether this is a cultural thing or a real difference between the genders I couldn’t say. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/13 "2004-02-07T01:29:41Z")
I’d say also that women have a better innate understanding of intent than do most men, so while women may read a GD post and say, “That’s stated badly, but I know what he meant,” men are likely to pounce on awkward phrases and nitpick semantics or go off on tangents related to _how_ someone said something. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/14 "2004-02-07T01:32:51Z")
In all honesty I think it’s because, out of the truly hateful people here on the SDMB, the majority seem to be men. Yes, there are some bitchy women but even the worst of them know when to stop. The jerky guys keep going and going and going. I kind of get the feeling they are really unhappy and they can’t beat on anyone in real life so they come here to vent. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/15 "2004-02-07T03:04:34Z")
Shouldn’t this thread be in Great Debates? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Uncivil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ccd318/32.png) [@Uncivil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncivil)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/16 "2004-02-07T11:05:59Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > I’d say also that women have a better innate understanding of intent than do most men, so while women may read a GD post and say, “That’s stated badly, but I know what he meant,” men are likely to pounce on awkward phrases and nitpick semantics or go off on tangents related to _how_ someone said something. I think you could be onto something there. I’ve just been involved in a long GD argument like this. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/17 "2004-02-07T11:23:16Z")
> [@SnoopyFan](#): > > In all honesty I think it’s because, out of the truly hateful people here on the SDMB, the majority seem to be men. Hmmm…I can refute that pretty thoroughly with little effort, so I’ll let you rethink that one if you like and come back with proof if you still believe it. > [@](#): > > Yes, there are some bitchy women but even the worst of them know when to stop. The jerky guys keep going and going and going. Again, I think I can show you more than a few cites where that is blatantly false. Like before, think about it and get back to me. > [@](#): > > I kind of get the feeling they are really unhappy and they can’t beat on anyone in real life so they come here to vent. I’m married with a kid. I can beat someone anytime I want. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/18 "2004-02-07T13:25:16Z")
My hsuband posts in Great Debates far more than I do, though I often read the threads there. Posters make some great points and interesting arguments, but I get tired of wading through the vitriol. I want to hear intelligent viewpoints–_especially_ intelligent, well-reasoned viewpoints that differ from my own–not petty name-calling. Promising threads so often degenerate into: “Conservatives are heartless, puppy-kicking bastards!” “Liberals are spineless, idiotic busybodies!” ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/19 "2004-02-08T03:11:14Z")
I like discussion. I don’t like “my cite is bigger than yours” or the silly namecalling that goes on in GD. If I’m going to get involved in a debate, I’m not going to talk to anyone who starts up anything like “All (people of x belief) are stupid!” That means the number of people I could actually talk to in GD is vanishingly small. Julie ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857/20 "2004-02-08T05:55:06Z")
In all fairness, I’m male and I’m not a conflict-seeker. I don’t participate much in Great Debates unless I see a poster who has absolutely no point to make. I appreciate reading the various points of view about politics and religion and sexuality but I’m more likely to avoid contributing to them because of the highly charged personalities than because I don’t understand the issues. I don’t want to be branded a “liberal” or a “heathen” or a “homophobe” simply because I pointed out someone’s spelling error, you know? 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-imbalance-in-gd/227857.md?page=2)