I'm a slow learner. I'll admit it. Or maybe not that slow a learner.

I'm a 240 pound, six foot tall (white) forty year old man. And I just sort of wander about my life, day to day, hither and yon, and nobody really gives me shit. Nobody shushes me when I try to talk. Nobody cat calls me (though...maybe once in a while would be nice, honestly. Just once, okay? Seriously...). People are polite to me on the phone and in person. When I say something, folks generally don't argue or voice their disagreement.

No. My life isn't PERFECT. And it's not without problems.

But most of the time, folks treat me with respect. It hasn't always been that way, of course. When I was younger, people did treat me with less respect. People did shush me. People weren't always polite.....so maybe that's why it takes some of us guys to realize how much easier we probably have it.

I never did get catcalls though. That never happened. *sigh*

Women, however...I'm seeing it more and more...you live in an alternate universe. See...the older I get, the more gray distinguished hair I have. The more pronounced the differences I personally understand in how men and women are treated. The more I can go about my day and people treat me pretty respectfully.

These days I can barely stand listening to women talk about your casual days without getting pissed off about something that you just mention casually that would never, ever, EVER happen to me. I don't know how you go about your days without punching two or three people in the throat.

For example...nobody on the phone at a cable company would say to me "I don't think you know how to read contracts" and they certainly would NEVER say "you should have your husband read it."

Or during a job interview they don't bring up kids. Like at all.

And if I call a company to say some service I ordered wasn't right, nobody argues with me telling me how wrong I probably am.

Like, when I'm having a discussion in a meeting...nobody SHUSHES me like a friend of mine told me about.

See...I can't even imagine these things happening to me.

And the more I hear about this sort of stuff brought up more or less casually the more it drive me nuts.

So... a few years back our non-profit group had a booth a HUGE biker rally to educate people about renewable energy. Not ONE person in three days said peep to me against renewable energy. Not one!

Then my female associate shows up. I leave her alone at the tent, this adult woman, for FIFTEEN minutes while I get food, and three people come up to her and try to tell her what a shitty thing renewable energy is.

You women....you live in some weird alternate universe where people say things to you I can't even IMAGINE saying to me, and it's really starting to piss me off.

Argh.

I'll have to make sure to tell my boys about this.

