What stereotype about your gender do you dislike the most?

[David Jerome]

For me, it's that men don't ask for directions. I hate that stereotype, because it's utterly stupid. I have NO problem asking for directions, nor do I see it as the least bit embarrasing to do so. I've never met a guy who refused to ask for directions either. I can understand why it would be embarrassing for some guys to cry at movie or something...but asking for directions?

While this stereotype has been around for a while, in cheap jokes by hack stand-up comics, or cheesy sit-coms, I recently saw a comercial with Charles Barkely of all people, using this same dumb cliche. It's for his "Lose weight like a man" comercials, where he starts of saying that men may not like directions, but take this (dieting) direction, and you, man, can lose weight.

I nearly puked all over my TV screen. Really, Charles? Not you too? Not Mr. "I am not a role model", the one time badboy of the NBA, reduced to diet comercials and corny jokes about men.

*sigh*.

What about you guys?

 

[LinkH]

I've had the directions conversation with my wife. If I sort of know where you are going, but aren't sure, and it takes a lot of time to stop and get directions, or if I think I haven't passed the road in some new area, but my wife isn't so sure, she may want me to ask for directions when I don't want to. It isn't a pride or embarrassment issue for me. I don't have a problem asking someone for directions. If it seems like a lot of people don't know how to give directions-- as is the case in cities where most people don't own cards, there is not much point in stopping.

In my wife's country, if you ask which way is a certain place, they say "that way" without telling you the subsequent turns that follow. Or they say follow a certain bus number. If you do that, the bus driver freaks out and tries to get away from you, especially if you stop behind them at stops. I've done it before. It used to frustrate me that it seemed like the entire nation does not know how to give directions. I'd get in the car to go somewhere and ask for all the directions before we left and she seemed unable to explain in advance. She said wait till we get there and she'd tell me where to go. I remember getting a little upset with her about it once when we were first married, but since there were so few, and in certain parts of town everything looks a like, and there is an obvious lack of street signs-- and no one else in the country seems to be able to give directions, I can sort of see why she had trouble with answering me in a way that satisfied me. Eventually, I just told her to let me know well in advance when I had to change lanes to turn, and if she did that, that seemed to take care of most of the problems.

 

[I Art Laughing]

That because I'm a man I'm not emotional (or have emotions) and that I cannot articulate my feelings (or that I'm inarticulate). And that if I can articulate my feelings that that makes me less masculine.

 

[dallasapple]

I dont "dislike" any of them..I despise them...and I despise them equally..What I despise the most is stereotypes MAGNIFIED like PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) in women is automatic even though the majority of women have NO "pre-menstrual " conditions and that some people can actually confuse things such as multiple personality disorder with symptoms of PMS...or a woman who fits the profile of a litteral psychotic its deemd as "PMS"..

Thats just one of the exaggerations of a female "stereotype" I despise the most..

And for the men?...I have all sons..and Im disgusted at the stereotypes that MEN THEMSELVES promote about men that cast a pretty low standard and expectation on my sons as "just how men are wired"..its not dislike..its complete disgust I feel ..my sons would be lumped in with what is deemed as "God designed" and its pathetic and sickening...and called "natural" ..

Dallas

 

[LinkH]

I dislike the stereotype that any man will have sex with an attractive woman if she throws herself at him, or always think lustful thoughts about women. I was looking at commedian clips on the Internet. In one clip, the commedian was saying that men always see women and think crude things. I was thinking, speak for yourself, dude.

 

[JaneFW]

The stereotypes about emotion, like Dallas said. Some of the comments I read here - from some women as well as men - are that women are entirely fueled by emotion, which is uncontrollable at times, particularly during their period, and that they can't be trusted because of that. Just utter garbage. Also, the general stereotype that women are fluffy headed, illogical and too girly to be trusted to get anything right. Ugh. I saw something recently written by a man that said that women should be restricted to only certain areas of life/education/work (like they used to be, back in the "good old days") and that anyone holding an opposing point of view must be a communist. I had a good laugh at that one.

 

[JaneFW]

And for the men?...I have all sons..and Im disgusted at the stereotypes that MEN THEMSELVES promote about men that cast a pretty low standard and expectation on my sons as "just how men are wired"..its not dislike..its complete disgust I feel ..my sons would be lumped in with what is deemed as "God designed" and its pathetic and sickening...and called "natural" ..

Yeah, I hear ya on that.

I have never forgotten my husband saying to me "you know what dogs men are .." (I won't repeat the example he gave me) and I thought "ah, no actually, I didn't but thanks for telling me."

 

[JaneFW]

This also bugs me. This woman has now lumped all women in with her belief that "men are stupid" based upon isolated examples of men, yes, being stupid - with women, who were also being stupid. This is what turns genders against each other, and only accelerates the finger pointing in each direction.

 

[Avniel]

That all men have wandering eyes.……not true and annoying

 

[Anessa14]

I don't think I can pick just one.
buuuuuuutt.. stereotypes, generalizations and cliches become that because they are repeated behaviors.
my husband won't stop and ask directions. I got him a Garmin GPS when they first became available.
I can cry at a Hallmark commercial, but I am also responsible for a division of workers, finances and quality care that I manage well.

 

[CrystalBrooke]

I hate that I can't ever be genuinely upset about something without being asked if it's close to "that time of the month". Believe it or not, I can just be angry about something or have my feelings hurt without my period (or my pregnancy hormones) having anything to do with it!

Other than that, I'm not really that annoyed by stereotypes.

 

[mkgal1]

I hate all stereotypes (the ones assigned to men, just as much as the ones assigned to women). IMO....it causes us to see things through the wrong lens, and miss out on what's actually true in situations (and see people for who they are).

ITA with you, Crystal......when I'm genuinely upset over something, and the response it something like, "Geez....it MUST be that time of the month!" that is completely ignoring any other options. The obvious one would be that maybe the person responding about what "time of month" it is, may be missing that THEY are the reason for my anger. It's dismissive denial.....and it would be upsetting ANY time of the month (and even after one has has surgery for "that").

 

[Sailor_A]

The stereotypes about emotion, like Dallas said. Some of the comments I read here - from some women as well as men - are that women are entirely fueled by emotion, which is uncontrollable at times, particularly during their period, and that they can't be trusted because of that. Just utter garbage. Also, the general stereotype that women are fluffy headed, illogical and too girly to be trusted to get anything right. Ugh. I saw something recently written by a man that said that women should be restricted to only certain areas of life/education/work (like they used to be, back in the "good old days") and that anyone holding an opposing point of view must be a communist. I had a good laugh at that one.

This exactly. I hate the one that any woman who gives any opinion someone does not like must have pms! lol! According to some guys there are girls that have this every day .

Also that because women display emotion they must be illogical... right....

 

[makeitwork]

i hate it when people say to me your a stay at home mom, aren't you bored? or what do you do all day?
what i do in a day it would take some people a week.

 

[WolfGate]

i hate it when people say to me your a stay at home mom, aren't you bored? or what do you do all day?
what i do in a day it would take some people a week.

My DW would give that a big

 

[Lilymay]

For me, it's that men don't ask for directions. I hate that stereotype, because it's utterly stupid. I have NO problem asking for directions, nor do I see it as the least bit embarrasing to do so. I've never met a guy who refused to ask for directions either. I can understand why it would be embarrassing for some guys to cry at movie or something...but asking for directions?

While this stereotype has been around for a while, in cheap jokes by hack stand-up comics, or cheesy sit-coms, I recently saw a comercial with Charles Barkely of all people, using this same dumb cliche. It's for his "Lose weight like a man" comercials, where he starts of saying that men may not like directions, but take this (dieting) direction, and you, man, can lose weight.

I nearly puked all over my TV screen. Really, Charles? Not you too? Not Mr. "I am not a role model", the one time badboy of the NBA, reduced to diet comercials and corny jokes about men.

*sigh*.

What about you guys?

I will back you up on the stereotype about men and directions. I work in a little store and have men (and women) stop all the time asking for directions.

 

[mkgal1]

I will back you up on the stereotype about men and directions. I work in a little store and have men (and women) stop all the time asking for directions.

I'm the one in our family that doesn't want to ask for directions. Like Avniel said....a lot of people don't usually know how to give the directions.....I can't remember past, "go down there....take a right"....and now, thankfully, there is GPS (ONSTar can be wrong---I don't trust them, either).

 

[All4HISglory]

Mine would be that im delicate.

I dont like being viewed as having to be handled carefully.

Although I enjoy being cared for and thought of, it gets annoying when I get pushed out of the way from moving a table or carrying bags etc.

Im prior Army and I worked hard to beat stereotypes of women in uniform. I carried my own weight plus some. Im still the same way today.

Im working on stepping aside but if a mountain is in my way, its like second nature to attempt to move it. Not wait on a stronger vessel first.

 

[Lilymay]

I'm the one in our family that doesn't want to ask for directions. Like Avniel said....a lot of people don't usually know how to give the directions.....I can't remember past, "go down there....take a right"....and now, thankfully, there is GPS (ONSTar can be wrong---I don't trust them, either).

GPS's can be wrong too. I had a car full of guys stop to ask if I knew how to get to a certain place.... that was like 2 hours away. Just their luck I KNEW EXACTLY the place and how to get there (it was close to my hometown stomping grounds growing up). They were on the right route, just going in the wrong direction. They were going north and needed to go south. One route, that is all they had to stay on from my store to where they wanted to go. But they stood there and actually fought with me for 10 minutes because their GPS was telling them to go north. They chose to believe their GPS and pulled out continuing to go north. Wonder if they ever made it to where they were going...lol.

 

[mkgal1]

GPS's can be wrong too. I had a car full of guys stop to ask if I knew how to get to a certain place.... that was like 2 hours away. Just their luck I KNEW EXACTLY the place and how to get there (it was close to my hometown stomping grounds growing up). They were on the right route, just going in the wrong direction. They were going north and needed to go south. One route, that is all they had to stay on from my store to where they wanted to go. But they stood there and actually fought with me for 10 minutes because their GPS was telling them to go north. They chose to believe their GPS and pulled out continuing to go north. Wonder if they ever made it to where they were going...lol.

Oh no......maybe THEY have the wrong kind of GPS

That's what happened with OnSTar.....it told us one time to go west, when I just ignored it and went east. West was the opposite direction we needed to go, fortunately it was a straight shot from there. Another time with OnStar, it told me to take an exit from the freeway that wasn't there.......nor was there one prior to it for 10 miles....or after. Lifetime updates are great.....especially in California where roads change often.