# No-No:s for adult men **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 26, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093 "2011-03-26T22:13:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/101 "2011-03-28T23:37:59Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > On the other hand, thinking of my two best friends, one is an avid tennis player and also does some sort of dance thing with all his free time, and the other is really into yoga and other fitness activities. So they have actually fun lives and simply choose not to fill them with video games. Jesus, could you be any more condescending? 10-1 says both of your friends play games at least a little (sports and video game play go hand-in-hand among the younger set), but they probably don’t discuss them with you because they know you don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/102 "2011-03-28T23:45:58Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I recently postulated elsewhere that this is the reason heavy metal and progressive rock audiences are predominantly male. Playing lightning-fast solos or extraordinarily complex music is a physical challenge with an aspect of competition. You rarely see women making lists of the best guitarists/drummers. I’d tell you not to stereotype but then I do seem to be in the minority among other female Rush fans. **Fuzzy** , you act like gaming is somehow mutually exclusive with enjoying other activities. That’s weird. I’m not aware of any hobby that makes it impossible for you to also play tennis or whatever. I’m a grad student, I run, I cook, I read, I write, I play video games. Jeez. And FTR, **scamartistry** , my grandfather was a WWII vet who watched cowboy movies and loved the hell out of his Playstation 2. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/103 "2011-03-28T23:57:10Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Jesus, could you be any more condescending? > > 10-1 says both of your friends play games at least a little (sports and video game play go hand-in-hand among the younger set), but they probably don’t discuss them with you because they know you don’t care. Yes. **The Devil’s Grandmother** asked me what I do with my free time, and I described it and the free time of two of my friends. When I said their free times are actually spent doing fun things I was contrasting them with mine, not with avid video game players. It wasn’t even remotely condescending. None of my close friends play video games regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/104 "2011-03-29T00:00:18Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > **Fuzzy** , you act like gaming is somehow mutually exclusive with enjoying other activities. No, I said my friends and I don’t play video games and **The Devil’s Grandmother** asked what we do instead, so I told her. I didn’t say we don’t play video games _because_ we’re doing those things, except in the most literal sense that it’s what we’re doing when we could otherwise be playing video games. **The Devil’s Grandmother** asked a simple question and I answered it without any condescension or assumptions of mutual exclusivity. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/105 "2011-03-29T00:04:50Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > No, I said my friends and I don’t play video games and **The Devil’s Grandmother** asked what we do instead, so I told her. I didn’t say we don’t play video games _because_ we’re doing those things, except in the most literal sense that it’s what we’re doing when we could otherwise be playing video games. **The Devil’s Grandmother** asked a simple question and I answered it without any condescension or assumptions of mutual exclusivity. I get it. Sorry for the misunderstanding. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/106 "2011-03-29T00:09:29Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I recently postulated elsewhere that this is the reason heavy metal and progressive rock audiences are predominantly male. Playing lightning-fast solos or extraordinarily complex music is a physical challenge with an aspect of competition. You rarely see women making lists of the best guitarists/drummers. > As to lists like the OP’s, and along the lines of the “no-no” comment, I’ll quote my dad: > > “Grown men don’t ‘go potty’.” Well you do see a lot of female violinists, and they do play lightning-fast solos and extraordinarily complex music. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/107 "2011-03-29T00:26:28Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Well you do see a lot of female violinists, and they do play lightning-fast solos and extraordinarily complex music. Exactly, real men don’t play the violin. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/108 "2011-03-29T00:48:10Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Well you do see a lot of female violinists, and they do play lightning-fast solos and extraordinarily complex music. They can only do it because the violin is so wee they don’t need much upper body strength, and their breasts don’t get in the way because of the way it’s positioned. Or the music makes their womb travel upwards, or something. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/109 "2011-03-29T01:04:08Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Jesus, could you be any more condescending? > > 10-1 says both of your friends play games at least a little (sports and video game play go hand-in-hand among the younger set), but they probably don’t discuss them with you because they know you don’t care. How is it condescending? Is it so inconceivable that there are people out there not playing video games? ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/110 "2011-03-29T02:18:37Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Exactly, real men don’t play the violin. Niccolo Paganini reputedly would cause the upholstery to become soaked during his performances. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/111 "2011-03-29T05:38:17Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Niccolo Paganini reputedly would cause the upholstery to become soaked during his performances. Then they finished the roof on the concert hall. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/112 "2011-03-29T05:52:41Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Exactly, real men don’t play the violin. Real men don’t do this. Real men don’t do that. Real men are afraid of pink. Real men don’t eat quiche. Real men are afraid of pussification. It may start as a joke, but it’s still bollocks, and it’s pissing me off more and more. Real men do whatever they want to. I’m sick of this crap that makes men out to be whimpering cowards, running scared from any hint of the feminine. Seriously, WTF? Are we so weak that we run from every bugaboo that the demagogue of the day conjures up, everything from Arabs under the bed to more than two colours in our clothes to intellectual thought? That’s no way to live, being prisoner of a thousand fanciful fears. Real Men are not slaves. It’s time to end the crap. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/113 "2011-03-29T06:51:13Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > Yes. **The Devil’s Grandmother** asked me what I do with my free time, and I described it and the free time of two of my friends. When I said their free times are actually spent doing fun things I was contrasting them with mine, not with avid video game players. It wasn’t even remotely condescending. None of my close friends play video games regularly. Sorry, that’s not what I got from your post at all. I read it as “They do fun things, as opposed to playing video games.” I’m glad you didn’t mean it that way, but that’s definitely how it came across. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > How is it condescending? Is it so inconceivable that there are people out there not playing video games? See above. Basically, I thought it sounded like he was saying video games couldn’t possibly be fun for an adult. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/114 "2011-03-29T07:25:54Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Every married adult about my age (35) that I know has at least one console gaming system at home. I’m 34, a married adult, and I’ve never owned a console gaming system or a computer game. I know many men my age who are non-gamers, too. I’d venture to guess about 40 % of my male friends belong to this group. We are guys who listen to music, play music, watch movies, read books, play sports, facebook etc. for fun, so no hard-core luddites or real intense adventurer-types “too busy living the life” here. ---
**Author:** ![scamartistry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@scamartistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scamartistry)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/115 "2011-03-29T14:09:28Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Pussification (which you can’t even spell) indeed. Impressive I like your spelling better than mine, thanks girlieman 🆒 New entry for the list: -Using the words “Epic” or “Fail” ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/116 "2011-03-29T16:35:58Z")
New entry: -Real men aren’t pussies who live in fear and cower and cry in the corner because someone else may disapprove of something they do. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/117 "2011-03-29T16:49:37Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > New entry: > > -Real men aren’t pussies who live in fear and cower and cry in the corner because someone else may disapprove of something they do. Exactly, I don’t care whether someone approves or disapproves of my actions. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/118 "2011-03-29T17:27:08Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > -Real men aren’t pussies who live in fear and cower and cry in the corner because someone else may disapprove of something they do. Last night I started looking at the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic due to the thread over in Cafe Society. Apparently the show has caused a schism in the sewers of the Internet. There are those who believe Men Must Be Macho and therefore this show and the people who like it are to be mocked, and they are fighting those who follow the quoted rule and find that they like the show. Being an adult man is about knowing your self worth. It’s not about what you do, but how you do it. ---
**Author:** ![scamartistry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@scamartistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scamartistry)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/119 "2011-03-29T17:47:30Z")
Wow this has turned into a feminist/weak-male thread. Afraid of cultures where men are men and females are females. Intresting ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093/120 "2011-03-29T17:58:20Z")
> [@scamartistry](#): > > Wow this has turned into a feminist/weak-male thread. > > Afraid of cultures where men are men and females are females. Intresting Obvious tactic is obvious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-no-s-for-adult-men/576093.md?page=7)