# Things the opposite sex just doesn't get. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 27, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193 "2010-07-27T15:58:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/81 "2010-07-28T13:46:11Z")
Sometimes I don’t know how to tell you that you’re on my hair without ruining the mood. So those cries of ecstasy are sometimes fueled by a little pain. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/82 "2010-07-28T14:04:13Z")
Male here. You’re asleep. You’re tired. You’re not in the mood. No worries, I get it. But there’s work in the morning for me too. I’m tired & I need sleep too. Its just that to get there, I need to deal with my quilt tent first. So, pay no attention to the man beneath the comforter! My rubbing one out is not a personal Dis to you or to all women or to our relationship or to when/if/how-much I find you desirable. No, a freaking cold shower is Not going to get me to sleep. And, while this may be nice, but its just a pathway for me to achieve that gloriously seductive feeling that spreads across my mind and throughout my entire body… _ **SLEEP!!!** _ And if anyone should be jealous, as I hear you snore, it should be me. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/83 "2010-07-28T14:04:28Z")
^ information! Male, Look, it itches, I scratch. Simple. Yes I looked, and will look again…and again You got a problem, I give advice. I don’t do symphthy, especially since it usuallt is mostly your fault. Look, you look fine, we really need to leave. I make a decision, I stick by it. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/84 "2010-07-28T14:18:06Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > > [@corkboard](#): > > > > > [@niblet\_head](#): > > > > > > Guys, grown females are called women. Not girls. And if you get offended whenever I use the term boys for grown men, well I’m doing to prove a point to you. > > > > Sorry, I have to jump in here. All of the adult females in my office refer to themselves and each other as “girls”, as did all the women in all of the offices I’ve ever worked in, as well as the women in grad school. Women universally refer to themselves as “girls”. Not to mention my wife and her friends, and not just during their regular “girls’ nights out”. > > I agree, and would like to add my own personal objection: the casual term for an adult woman, “gal”, is so much worse than “guy”. It just doesn’t sound as good. “Guy” works as a word much better than “gal” does. I’ve tried to make the point many times, although nobody has ever found it insightful, but the word girl equivocates between two definitions. Sometimes it means young girl, where the sex opposite would be boy. Sometimes it is a casual term for a woman, where the sex opposite would be guy. It’s just a replacement for gal, which I agree is awful. It just happens to have an alternate meaning which refers to young females. But pretending that “that new girl did a great job” is equivalent to “that new boy did a great job” is asinine. The equivalent would be “that new guy did a great job” whether people want to be overly sensitive or not. Girl and guy are certainly casual and sometimes man, woman, or any other word is more appropriate but girl can always be the female equivalent of guy and it’s stupid to pretend it’s always opposite of boy. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/85 "2010-07-28T14:28:17Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Dear men: When I am sad or upset, I do not want your _advice._ I am a grown woman with a masters’ degree and I don’t need your amazing expertise. Yes, I do want you to blow sunshine up my ass - thanks for asking! Yes - lie! This annoys me about men too. It always amazes me that I’ve never met another man who found it frustrating. I don’t even want to be made to feel better. I just want to vent to a friend and get my frustration out. So for me it’s not even like “I just wanted you to _listen_” it’s like “you’re a good friend but there’s absolutely no way I would ever ask for your advice about how to run my business or deal with my family problems…”. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/86 "2010-07-28T15:10:06Z")
Male here. Dust? What dust? Yes, I know my pc is less than two years old. Why do I need a new one you ask? Well I need it because uhm… just because. ( This also applies to various power tools.) Just deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/87 "2010-07-28T15:47:23Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > I’ve tried to make the point many times, although nobody has ever found it insightful, but the word girl equivocates between two definitions. Sometimes it means young girl, where the sex opposite would be boy. Sometimes it is a casual term for a woman, where the sex opposite would be guy. It’s just a replacement for gal, which I agree is awful. It just happens to have an alternate meaning which refers to young females. > But pretending that “that new girl did a great job” is equivalent to “that new boy did a great job” is asinine. The equivalent would be “that new guy did a great job” whether people want to be overly sensitive or not. Girl and guy are certainly casual and sometimes man, woman, or any other word is more appropriate but girl can always be the female equivalent of guy and it’s stupid to pretend it’s always opposite of boy. I couldn’t disagree with this more, although I’m certain that neither one of us is going to be swayed by the other’s arguement. I just… really? I’ve never heard anyone make the arguements that you’re making. Holy cow, that’s just astounding to me. Do others feel this way? (Heh, I typed whey for way.) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/88 "2010-07-28T15:51:28Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > 1. When men are 13 years old, they’re called “toys.” When we turn 30, the codeword changes to “tools.” A PS3 or XBOX is not a “tool.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/89 "2010-07-28T15:58:17Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > A PS3 or XBOX is not a “tool.” 😛 And since I missed the edit window, let me add that I see nothing wrong with calling them “toys,” video games and electronic stuff are awesome, chocolate is way overrated, and the only thing I got once a month was either intense pain that made me cry quietly, or no pain and vaguely disgruntled about having to deal with the bleeding. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/90 "2010-07-28T16:04:59Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > > [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > > > I’ve tried to make the point many times, although nobody has ever found it insightful, but the word girl equivocates between two definitions. Sometimes it means young girl, where the sex opposite would be boy. Sometimes it is a casual term for a woman, where the sex opposite would be guy. It’s just a replacement for gal, which I agree is awful. It just happens to have an alternate meaning which refers to young females. > > But pretending that “that new girl did a great job” is equivalent to “that new boy did a great job” is asinine. The equivalent would be “that new guy did a great job” whether people want to be overly sensitive or not. Girl and guy are certainly casual and sometimes man, woman, or any other word is more appropriate but girl can always be the female equivalent of guy and it’s stupid to pretend it’s always opposite of boy. > > I couldn’t disagree with this more, although I’m certain that neither one of us is going to be swayed by the other’s arguement. I just… really? I’ve never heard anyone make the arguements that you’re making. Holy cow, that’s just astounding to me. Do others feel this way? (Heh, I typed whey for way.) Actually, I think **Fuzzy** is spot on. hijack: > [@Count Blucher](#): > > Male here. > > You’re asleep. You’re tired. You’re not in the mood. No worries, I get it. But there’s work in the morning for me too. I’m tired & I need sleep too. Its just that to get there, I need to deal with my quilt tent first. > > So, pay no attention to the man beneath the comforter! > > My rubbing one out is not a personal Dis to you or to all women or to our relationship or to when/if/how-much I find you desirable. No, a freaking cold shower is Not going to get me to sleep. > And, while this may be nice, but its just a pathway for me to achieve that gloriously seductive feeling that spreads across my mind and throughout my entire body… SLEEP!!! That’s why my wife and I have an understanding- middle of the night needs can be addressed in solo fashion if desired, no questions. We both understand that sometimes, you just want to get the rocks off without the additional time and wakefulness necessitated by waking the other person. In the morning one of us will tell the other “I rubbed one out last night, didn’t want to wake you”. It’s all good. /hijack ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/91 "2010-07-28T16:30:28Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > I am tired of my life being one non sequitur. To go all nihilist for a second, isn’t that the entirety of each of our individual existences anyway? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/92 "2010-07-28T16:43:47Z")
The fact that I have a BOB does not make you less of a man. Nor do I want our time together to feel like my time with BOB. BOB fulfills a physical need - what you and i have is not just physical and is on a much higher plane. NOTE: Everything i have posted here is all based on past relationships, and do not reflect on my current one, where happily, i’m dating someone who gets me better than i get myself most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/93 "2010-07-28T17:19:41Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Male here: > > 1. Men never raise the seat because we’re that confident about our aim. Men who don’t raise the seat were not raised properly. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/94 "2010-07-28T17:59:08Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > > [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > > > > [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > > > > > So if I’m going to refer to an adult female casually, what am I going to call her? A chick? It seems to me that the only options are either the lame “gal” or sexually-laden words like “babe”. > > > > I quite like “lady”. “Oh yeah, **Electric Warrior** , she’s a cool lady.” Or “Hey dudes and ladies, come check out this Youtube video of my cat.” > > Agreed. ‘‘Lady’’ is hard to find offensive or patronizing. Wait. Wasn’t there a male U.S. politician a few months ago (6+ or so) who had his ass handed to him on a plate when he referred to a female politician as a lady? Seems a lot of people at that time said his use of the word was patronizing … I thought it was no big deal, but others thought it was an issue. Does anyone else remember this? A U.S. Senator, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/95 "2010-07-28T18:08:28Z")
Male here. Her: Where do you want to grab dinner? Me: I don’t care. You pick. Her: Hmmmm, I don’t know…what do you feel like? Me: I honestly don’t care. Anywhere is fine with me. Her: Pizza? Greek? Bar food? Mexican? Me: Any of those are fine. Pick one. Her: Ok, between Mexican and Greek…which one? (I flip a mental coin.) Me: Greek. Her: Are you sure? I kinda want Mexican. But if you want Greek, I suppose we can do that. (Head explosion.) ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/96 "2010-07-28T18:10:14Z")
Heh. My husband does that, so I’m not so sure that one’s gender-specific. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/97 "2010-07-28T18:10:20Z")
> [@zeldarae](#): > > > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > > > No woman I’ve met thinks Aqua Teen Hunger Force is funny. But me and my guy friends enjoy it. > > I not only like Aqua Teen Hunger Force but I record Robot Chicken everynight to watch when I get home from work. I can’t be the only woman that likes these shows. :dubious: You are decidedly not. I love the show, and quite a few women I know do, too, including many who love love stereotypically girly shows. I never really thought of most of the Adult Swim shows as being preferred by one gender or the other. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/98 "2010-07-28T18:12:12Z")
As this seems to be heading to the bathroom… The \*\*default \*\*position of the toilet seat is the upright. You only lower it if you need to and return it to the original position when you’re done. Why can’t women understand it? …besides, it’s good feng shui. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/99 "2010-07-28T18:26:56Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > Male here. > > Her: Where do you want to grab dinner? > > Me: I don’t care. You pick. > > Her: Hmmmm, I don’t know…what do you feel like? > > Me: I honestly don’t care. Anywhere is fine with me. > > Her: Pizza? Greek? Bar food? Mexican? > > Me: Any of those are fine. Pick one. > > Her: Ok, between Mexican and Greek…which one? > > (I flip a mental coin.) > > Me: Greek. > > Her: Are you sure? I kinda want Mexican. But if you want Greek, I suppose we can do that. > > (Head explosion.) To continue: Me: No, Mexican’s fine. I don’t care. Her: But you just said you wanted Greek. Me: It’s fine. I don’t care either way. Her: Why are you being so difficult? Me: I’m not being difficult! It really doesn’t matter to me where we eat tonight. Her: Now you’re getting angry. Me: **sigh** I’m not angry. Do you want to go get Mexican now? I’m starting to lose my appetite. Her: Oh, great. You’re really mad now. Maybe we should just stay home. Me: No, I’m okay. I want Mexican. Mexican sounds great. Let’s go. Her: Okay. which Mexican place do you want to go to? _Repeat until it’s 11:00PM and everything’s closed._ Women, why do you do this? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193/100 "2010-07-28T18:32:11Z")
In my experience, men can do the restaurant dance as well, but only when they’re in a group of more than 3. Then, no one is bold enough to suggest a place but sure willing enough to criticise any choice actually put forward. But when with 3, majority rules barring diet restrictions, and 2 can usually find something they both like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-the-opposite-sex-just-doesnt-get/548193.md?page=6)