I don’t understand guys who think there are a series of tricks you should use to ‘manage’ women. (The same people who think women are easily managed by rules like ‘don’t call her for four days’ and ‘always admit you’re wrong’ also tend to think that women are unpredictable, vain psychopaths. I don’t know how you can believe both things at the same time.) You know the trick that works for me? Listening. And I don’t understand the way some guys talk about women. Generally I just don’t talk about dating stuff with other guys because I can’t take it.
You’ve just described half of the transgender women in America. Times have changed and femininity is deprecated now. To answer the OP about other MTFs: I don’t understand why femininity is held is such low esteem by so many of them.
Everyone should enjoy the opportunity to try both sides, like Teiresias, and see what they’re more comfortable with.
That’s a good one. It looks like bullshit now because we’re not living in savagery, in a daily kill-or-be-killed struggle for existence, although that does seem to be the worldview that produces such an attitude as you described.
What I don’t get concerning other men:
Watching and discussing sports, rather than playing sports.
(I have lost touch with my college frat brothers partly because of distance, but more because they get together to watch sports, and endlessly argue about sports trivia, whereas I prefer to go out and play sports – e.g. skiing last night and again later today.)
Being jealous.
(I guess I’m poly at heart, for I would not want to be a woman’s only lover, but even for people living a conventional monogamous life, I am astounded at how some men are distgustingly jealous and controlling of their partners over such simple things as who their partner talks to).
Machismo.
(A combination of tacky and scary. Some men never grow up, living their lives searching out conflict and then acting poorly.)
Homophobia.
(How in the world does a relationship between two gay men affect a straight man? It doesn’t. Homphobia is hateful.)
Bonding with men rather than women.
(Why are a man’s closest friends also men. I don’t get it. My closest friends include both men and women – my life would be greatly diminished life if I were to arbitrarily cut out half my close friendships simply due to anatomy.)
Cigars and poker.
(Ick. Nothing more needs to be said.)
Oy, what a thread.
Ever since high school, I never understood why other women would throw out all semblance of self-respect and dignity just to get attention from guys. Perfectly reasonable, intelligent women–women I respected-- would giggle like idiots, pretend to be brick-stupid, and treat other girls like utter shit in the interest of getting to sit on some boy’s lap. I am utterly convinced that the reason I didn’t get any action in high school is because I refused to play the “debasing myself” game. God, and you think it’s bad in high school, wait’ll you get to college! Fortunately there are gentleman who dislike this pathetic pandering just as much as I do. I married one of them.
In a related vein, I never understood “flirting.” I don’t understand why some women can’t just have a normal conversation with a man. They have to twirl their hair and express everything uncertainly and act a little stupid – all in the interest of getting attention (and it is absolute truth that a lot of guys fall for this, so I must say there has to be some kind of mutual reinforcement going on here.) When I talk to a guy, I talk to him just like I would any other human being. I state my opinion and I tell him if I think he’s wrong–and why. What usually results is I get a lot of respect, but not a lot of sexual attention. You know what? I prefer the respect. I don’t understand why any woman would choose otherwise.
I don’t get soap operas, celebrities, “Desperate Housewives” or “Sex and the City.” I really don’t get Sex and the City. Every time people talk about that show like it’s liberating females everywhere, I want to scream. I can’t watch it for longer than 30 seconds at a time. “OMG Samantha (or whatever) is such a feminist icon because she remorselessly uses men for sex just like men have been doing to us all this time!!!” Yeah, okay, whatever. I kind of dig dressing up and putting on makeup (though I don’t get carried away) but SO MANY things that women are “supposed” to be into, I just don’t find that exciting.
I don’t understand why women put up with men treating them like shit. This is honestly so beyond my ability to comprehend. You think after their tenth time making a sobbing hysterical phone call to their best friend about how miserable they are in their relationship, they’d get a clue. “But I’m so afraid of being alone!” I don’t get that either. This goes doubly for women who tolerate abusive partners. I don’t blame them, I don’t put the responsibility for the abuse on them, but I honest to god don’t get it. I was once very much in love with a man I was dating for three months. The minute he got violent with me, my feelings of love vanished and I kicked his ass to the curb. It was like turning off a light switch in my soul. I didn’t even have to deliberate. It was just like, “Oh, well, that relationship’s over now, isn’t it?” I fundamentally lack an understanding of why anyone could continue to love someone who would treat another human being–least of all YOU–in such an inhuman way.
Finally, I don’t understand women who don’t trust men. My guess is they hang out with the kind of men who love it when they act stupid and get off on treating them like shit and putting them down around their friends, I dunno. Even in cases where women have been abused by men, I don’t understand why it extends to not trusting all men. I would have to say by and large I trust men more than women. Men are significantly less likely to talk about you behind your back. If you did something to piss them off, they will tell you before they tell their 40 friends. Your average guy is not an abusive asshole or rapist–most of them are quite delightful and intelligent and fun to be around.
And related to this–I don’t get the “revenge” or “male-bashing” mentality… you know the musical “Chicago” and the song about how the jailbirds killed their male lovers? My mother and sister in law love that song. They think it’s a hilarious movie, that shows those guys really getting what’s coming to them. A lot of TV shows and movies play off this idea of women getting vengeance on evil males. To me it just reinforces two awful stereotypes – that women are vengeful hussies and that men are heartless and cruel. How is this positive, uplifting, or helpful to anyone?
Are you me? 
I don’t get “honour” killings. Like so much else macho, they sound so insecure. “My wife/daughter is daring to make choices of her own without my permission, so I’m going to kill her to prove a point.” Even ignoring the murder itself, it doesn’t make you look strong; it makes you look weak and desperate.
I might be you, given that I grew up in Oakville/Burlington/Toronto.
I don’t get guys who (literally) run in packs with other guys. I see this going on all the time in the summer. A group of two, three or more men will be jogging together through the park. Sometimes they are on bicycles. Perhaps the most perplexing activity I have seen multiple men participating in has got to be rollerblading. I’ve had a few good male friends in my life, but have never participated in coordinated exercise program related activities with other men.
Also, trucks, I like trucks. Trucks are cool, but if you’re going to buy a truck why on earth would you buy a purple one with pink decals. Or markings on it that specify it as a zqx-924 Off Road Monster 4X4 and have all sorts of pink, teal and baby-blue splashes, flames, and pin stripes all over it. Why would you ruin a perfectly good truck? How is there even a market for this kind of thing?
Furthermore I don’t get guys who have no sense of fashion or clothing. Um dude, you’re wearing a dingy sweatshirt with the print of a whitetail deer on it, acid washed jeans, and you have a moustache. Get back in your tacky truck, go home, shave, (or grow a full beard or something) buy a new pair of jeans, and put on a plain t-shirt with no advertising, logos or animals on it (your choice on color). Thanks, was that so difficult, now you don’t look like a moron. On the other hand such clothing is an easy way to identify you as such, never mind carry on.
I lived in Oakville, and I now live in Toronto, but I have definite memories of Peterborough, Whitby, and Oshawa. :: considers :: Maybe we’re not completely the same.
A real man has the confidence to put whatever he damn well wants on his truck. 
I’m a bit on the butch-girl side and don’t understand women who wear skin-tight clothing. I can’t stand to have my pants cutting into my waist and I don’t understand why someone would choose to wear a shirt that emphasizes their fat rolls.
I also don’t understand women who elect to have complex hair that demands hot rollers, curling irons, and coats of lacquer.
If I had to pick something, i guess it would be that I don’t really get the male fascination with cars. To me, a car is just functional. I don’t see the appeal of staring at pictures of them in magazines or talking about them endlessly.
And, women who are really into shows like Oprah, Tyra Banks, Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura, and all the “I’m having a baby and want to share my private parts with 12 zillion viewers” reality crap on TLC.
Honor killings in Middle Eastern culture are complicated to explain, but I’ll try explain some of the reasoning behind them. Okay, so women have this intense, inherent sexuality. It’s dangerous because it has the power to make men (and other women, but that’s not relevant to this issue) do things that are considered immoral according to their code of conduct. (i.e. In the situation of sex between a man and a woman who are not married [and not supposed to be having sex], the man fell victim to the woman’s sexual wiles, thus the woman is to blame. Sucks, don’t it?) So, why does this matter? The behavior of the women in the family reflect the reputation of the family as a whole, including the men. Thus, the men of the family (brothers, husbands, fathers, patriarchal cousins*) are responsible for making sure that women behave as they are supposed to. (There’s a weird contrast between women having this dangerous sexual power and them not being considered mature enough to handle a lot of “adult responsibilities.” It’s hard to explain, as I don’t quite understand it.) When a woman defies the wishes of her family and society, she brings shame upon the family. What is a family to do when this shame comes upon the family? Excise the member of the family that has caused shame. Somehow, this goes further than the idea of exile from the family, as shame supposedly still exists. Therein death is necessary. Cruel, brutal, and unfair, it is justified in the eyes of some of those who live in the culture.
*Traditionally, many middle eastern groups are patrilineal in nature. Not all cousins are considered “family.” It’s complicated to explain, so here’s a handy graph with explanation that does a good job of it.