HA! Sounds like cowboy hubris. Ain't but a scratch ma'am. As for the tick, I've yet to hear about a bruise, swelling, or broken bone causing Lyme disease.
And then there are the girls. I'm not letting them off the hook on the proving grounds of who's the most popular queenbee in the schoolyard. We humans are a silly lot, aren't we? And the benchmarks for proving our worth to the world are so ridiculous.
If that behavior was a natural part of human emotional makeup, it would already be installed at first programming. I don't know whether it's a cultural imparative handed down through the millennia, but certain traits were always considered "top form" in order for the species to survive. Woman have always been the caretakers and nurturers, like it of not; but men have had to prove their worth as hunters and protectors of the tribe against invaders or huge carnavores. We haven't advanced far from the cave, have we.
I teased my husband about how men would be perfectly happy living in caves. He said "Yeah, but we'd have to coolest toys and gadgets." Priorities. Men have different priorities than women do.
Laughing my butt off at this one, C.J.! It is so true! I can take a nasty fall on the mountain and come away with blood and bruises every where and have a stiff upper lip. If my wife sees one of those nasty old man runaway eyebrow hairs and wants to "pluck" it, I run the other way as fast as I can!
Your article on masculinity was so funny to read. As Head of an Elementary School with a campus, I didn't find that our boys kept injuries a secret at all. I'm not talking about simple bruises, but anything involving blood and the boy went to the teacher and tence to the nurse. It wasn't any different in Middle School either. Maybe High School age was a little more rugged.
I don’t pretend to know about all high schools, Sandy, but ours must have been pretty rugged. I tend to think it was perpetuated by the coaches at ours —maybe even peers as I heard it said more than once in the background at a wrestling match, “Hey, buck up, ya big baby!” (whatever that means). Admittedly, I don’t know whether the voice was a coach, a parent, or a stranger in the stands … it would figure into how the students felt about showing emotion about pain.
I know the high school in my school had some coaches who had that attitude, but after a few accidents that turned out to be more serious, the coaches were read the riot act and threatened in some way, so they had a medical person at every game. Riverdale did not want law suits. LOL
It's been late in life that I've begun to make my peace with our insect brethren. A dose of malaria in my thirties may have delayed the reconciliation n. But I think it was learning about the not physically inviting earwig that made me appreciate beauty and gentleness in ugliness.
Thank you for your thoughts about bugs, Bob, but the post is actually about a teen girl’s observations on masculinity and how it injects itself so easily into young boys.
I do value your opinions and I would love to hear your thoughts on that —.
I can relate, just not with ticks. Haven’t had that encounter. But yeah, broken bones, sprains, bumps, bruises, cuts. But get into mice & rats and I have problems.
Did I ever tell you about the time when I was a child I had a tick in my hair? I wore my long hair in braids when I was a child and my father and I went hunting for dandelions in the country When we came back home, my mom checked my hair and found a tick! But she knew how to get it out. I really don't remember what happened after she took out that tick!
This cracked me up. It’s wild how toughness often shows up in bruises and broken bones, but one little tick can undo it all. Says a lot about how masculinity is both armor and illusion.
Your observations were fun to read. I was the only girl cousin for 8 years in our family, and then as a teenager, and young adult, had to figure out why I was not allowed to be one of the boys. I have some of the same types of memories from my brothers and cousins. Also, as an adult woman now, I think that masculinity and femininity can both be so FUN to be around, until it is smelly and nonsensical. =)
Thank you for restacking this post, Robert Cosmar! 💋💋💋
Thank you, Kathleen and Connie, for the restack!
Or how they turn into infants if they have a cold…..
Interesting observation, Ilona! 💕😊❤️
Spiders for me. Ohhh 😳🫣
Oh Dee! Me Too! They’re creepy-crawly!
😂🤣😂
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂❤️
HA! Sounds like cowboy hubris. Ain't but a scratch ma'am. As for the tick, I've yet to hear about a bruise, swelling, or broken bone causing Lyme disease.
And then there are the girls. I'm not letting them off the hook on the proving grounds of who's the most popular queenbee in the schoolyard. We humans are a silly lot, aren't we? And the benchmarks for proving our worth to the world are so ridiculous.
Why does there have to be a pecking order or a need to prove how brave or fearless or immune to pain we are?
Live and let live should be the order of the day …
Thanks, Sue!
If that behavior was a natural part of human emotional makeup, it would already be installed at first programming. I don't know whether it's a cultural imparative handed down through the millennia, but certain traits were always considered "top form" in order for the species to survive. Woman have always been the caretakers and nurturers, like it of not; but men have had to prove their worth as hunters and protectors of the tribe against invaders or huge carnavores. We haven't advanced far from the cave, have we.
Not too far from the cave … we have language now and better tools and weapons but everything else remains the same.
I teased my husband about how men would be perfectly happy living in caves. He said "Yeah, but we'd have to coolest toys and gadgets." Priorities. Men have different priorities than women do.
Toys and gadgets? Hmmmm … a blow up doll? (Ewww, did she really say that?)
The devil made me say it …
More along the lines of little black boxes that go "phfzzt buzz!"
There is a lot of truth to this, C.J.!
Thank you, Kevin. Just my observations though and not based on everyone else.
Laughing my butt off at this one, C.J.! It is so true! I can take a nasty fall on the mountain and come away with blood and bruises every where and have a stiff upper lip. If my wife sees one of those nasty old man runaway eyebrow hairs and wants to "pluck" it, I run the other way as fast as I can!
That’s hysterical! Now you have me laughing my butt off!! 🤣😂😁🤣😂😁
Your article on masculinity was so funny to read. As Head of an Elementary School with a campus, I didn't find that our boys kept injuries a secret at all. I'm not talking about simple bruises, but anything involving blood and the boy went to the teacher and tence to the nurse. It wasn't any different in Middle School either. Maybe High School age was a little more rugged.
I don’t pretend to know about all high schools, Sandy, but ours must have been pretty rugged. I tend to think it was perpetuated by the coaches at ours —maybe even peers as I heard it said more than once in the background at a wrestling match, “Hey, buck up, ya big baby!” (whatever that means). Admittedly, I don’t know whether the voice was a coach, a parent, or a stranger in the stands … it would figure into how the students felt about showing emotion about pain.
Thanks for your thoughts and input, Sandy! ❤️😊
I know the high school in my school had some coaches who had that attitude, but after a few accidents that turned out to be more serious, the coaches were read the riot act and threatened in some way, so they had a medical person at every game. Riverdale did not want law suits. LOL
That would have made sense at our high school, too.
It's been late in life that I've begun to make my peace with our insect brethren. A dose of malaria in my thirties may have delayed the reconciliation n. But I think it was learning about the not physically inviting earwig that made me appreciate beauty and gentleness in ugliness.
Thank you for your thoughts about bugs, Bob, but the post is actually about a teen girl’s observations on masculinity and how it injects itself so easily into young boys.
I do value your opinions and I would love to hear your thoughts on that —.
Thank you!
I can relate, just not with ticks. Haven’t had that encounter. But yeah, broken bones, sprains, bumps, bruises, cuts. But get into mice & rats and I have problems.
I guess we all have some type of phobia.
It would sure seem so, Ken! My phobia was spiders, even though I was a tomboy. My brothers would find one and chase me with it. How I hated that!
Then years later, I put them in poems!! ??
🤣😂🙏🙏😁
Did I ever tell you about the time when I was a child I had a tick in my hair? I wore my long hair in braids when I was a child and my father and I went hunting for dandelions in the country When we came back home, my mom checked my hair and found a tick! But she knew how to get it out. I really don't remember what happened after she took out that tick!
These days, there’s the worry about Lyme Disease. Back in our day, they were just like creepy spiders —really icky! We just wanted them gone!
This cracked me up. It’s wild how toughness often shows up in bruises and broken bones, but one little tick can undo it all. Says a lot about how masculinity is both armor and illusion.
You called it, Josh. Everything else is macho but a tick is creepy! I like your explanation of “both armor and illusion” … perfect!
Thank you, Josh
Perfect
Your observations were fun to read. I was the only girl cousin for 8 years in our family, and then as a teenager, and young adult, had to figure out why I was not allowed to be one of the boys. I have some of the same types of memories from my brothers and cousins. Also, as an adult woman now, I think that masculinity and femininity can both be so FUN to be around, until it is smelly and nonsensical. =)
“smelly and nonsensical …” That’s hilarious, Alisha! I can relate!
Thank you for sharing your memories and thoughts! 💕❤️😁😊
This was my pleasure, C.J. =) <3 I appreciate your response, too!
💕❤️💕😊😊
Thank you for restacking this post, Lisa Riesner! I'm glad you enjoyed it.