Guys just want to have fun
Posted on March 31st, 2006 by catalyst into the Uncategorized categoryI apologize for the light blogging, but I am in New York for a friends wedding and kind of busy. Anyway, to continue with our "What's wrong with guys" theme. Here's another article in the Washington Post about the growing gender gap between men and women.
Money quote:
Justin goes off to college for a year or two, wastes thousands of dollars of his parents' money, then gets bored and comes home to take up residence in his old room, the same bedroom where he lived when he was in high school. Now he's working 16 hours a week at Kinko's or part time at Starbucks.
His parents are pulling their hair out. "For God's sake, Justin, you're 26 years old. You're not in school. You don't have a career. You don't even have a girlfriend. What's the plan? When are you going to get a life?"
"What's the problem?" Justin asks. "I haven't gotten arrested for anything, I haven't asked you guys for money. Why can't you just chill?"
This phenomenon cuts across all demographics. You'll find it in families both rich and poor; black, white, Asian and Hispanic; urban, suburban and rural. According to the Census Bureau, fully one-third of young men ages 22 to 34 are still living at home with their parents — a roughly 100 percent increase in the past 20 years. No such change has occurred with regard to young women. Why?
My friend and colleague Judy Kleinfeld, a professor at the University of Alaska, has spent many years studying this growing phenomenon. She points out that many young women are living at home nowadays as well. But those young women usually have a definite plan. They're working toward a college degree, or they're saving money to open their own business. And when you come back three or four years later, you'll find that in most cases those young women have achieved their goal, or something like it. They've earned that degree. They've opened their business.
But not the boys. "The girls are driven; the boys have no direction," is the way Kleinfeld summarizes her findings.
RSS feed for posts
March 31st, 2006 at 1:53 pm
IF MEN AND WOMEN COMPARED NICKNAMES: If Laura, Suzanne, Debra and Rose go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Suzanne, Debra and Rose. If Mike, Charlie, Bob and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla, Peanut-Head and Scrappy.
EATING OUT: When the bill arrives, Mike, Charlie, Bob and John will each throw in $20, even though it’s only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller, and none will actually admit they want change back. When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.
MONEY: A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t want.
BATHROOMS: A man has six items in his bathroom: a toothbrush, comb, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from the Holiday Inn. The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify most of these items.
ARGUMENTS: A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
CATS: Women love cats. Men say they love cats, but when women aren’t looking, men kick cats.
FUTURE: A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
SUCCESS: A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can
spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
MARRIAGE: A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t. A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change and she does.
DRESSING UP: A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants,
empty the garbage, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail. A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.
NATURAL: Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. Women somehow deteriorate during the night.
OFFSPRING: Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Any married man should forget his mistakes. There’s no use in two people remembering the same thing.
March 31st, 2006 at 2:45 pm
“The girls are driven; the boys have no direction,”
This is because the girls aren’t to proud to ASK for directions.
March 31st, 2006 at 7:16 pm
Don’t you males out there get offended at this kind of thing? Doesn’t it make you mad?
And oinvu4uraqt, while your contributions are kinda funny…..they make me a little sad, too. The day I start believing all these things is the same day I give up on men altogether.
C’mon, boys….don’t you think you deserve better than these generalizations? I’m asking you on behalf of all XX-ers….prove ‘em wrong!
April 1st, 2006 at 12:12 am
those were hilarious. i lol’d so hard.
April 1st, 2006 at 9:14 am
I just found an image I thought you guys would like. I couldn’t figure out how to insert it so here’s the address:
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=sojomail.display&issue=060401#2
April 1st, 2006 at 10:12 am
Great article Larry,
And to think all this time we’ve been blaming CBC.
Damn you March Madness…you have deceived me no longer.
April 1st, 2006 at 10:38 am
Jiminy,
No we don’t get offended…yet another gap between men and women (thank God).
April 1st, 2006 at 2:41 pm
JimCreek-
just makes me glad I’m not attached to a woman who degrades men as a group… most women are somewhat different from each other although most American women I meet are so into NOW that they don’t have any capacity to think outside of NOW. I personally feel, that due to the fact that women are much better at fast paced, multi-task lifestyles, then most men, they tend to fit-in better with modern american society… the go-go-go, rush here then there over and over.
this is probably why modern american women are busting their ass getting degrees and houses and men are just trying to shoot the breeze and see how it all turns out. Men don’t have a reason to gather anymore. I just ordered chinese delivery from a restaurant 4 blocks away… for starters!
April 1st, 2006 at 4:04 pm
Jiminy,
It doesn’t offend guys or make them mad because we either don’t hear what girls say, or we do but don’t care. Being male is really that simple.
April 1st, 2006 at 4:33 pm
The not hearing is a learned behavior.
What Magledon says about modern women being so NOW is true when they are in public … when in private, like at home with hubby, that strong, secure, independent, hear me roar NOW woman is suddenly needy as in honey, the car is making a funny noise or take out the trash … I for one, see it as duplicitous and manipulative … hey babe - how ’bout you fix the car, mow the lawn, trim the hedge, cut down the tree and dig out the stump, etc. Nah - they still play the damsel in distress game to manipulate men - and men learn to tune them out …
Men always have to be strong, decisive, wage earners, etc. We need a NOM …
April 1st, 2006 at 9:17 pm
oinvu4uraqt,
That was great. Check out a funny old story by Dave Barry on the difference between men and women:
http://www.laughandlift.com/laugh323.html
I share the concern for young men today, but I identify with them in one regard: we men do not have the same appetite for “offenses” apparently. We seem to enjoy a good joke on ourselves, even when it is a put-down. I don’t fully understand why. Perhaps it is because once upon a time an offense required a man to put his life on the line to save his reputation. Apparently, dueling was driven out of fashion, along with the aspiring self-made man.
April 2nd, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Self-made-man is an interesting term I haven’t heard in a while. Maybe more and more males are learning about all the horrors these self-made-men committed in the last few centuries. Whenever I here the term self- made-man, I think about the happiness of being a rich, well off cat with a plush lifestyle at age 50 and money to donate to art salvaging or something.
Then I realize how many people this self-made-man had to manipulate, abuse and mistreat, and I realize being a self made man in America is almost tantamount to sin itself. Maybe I’m just not a good little capitalist.
(Personally I think alot of people born since the 1980’s are not interested in capitalism) I’d personally rather go through life with enough provisions for my goals and intersts without hurting others in the interim.
I have family members who are self made and I wouldn’t want their conscience, thats for sure.
Needless to say, these are my points of view without any proof but as they say “the proof is in the pudding” and I’ve tasted enough life in America to know what’s going on with us guys. I think most men in this country are terribly confused due to the poor choices our leaders (religious and secular) have made and I feel that until there is a goal or movement to stimulate us forward, you’ll allways have these 26 year old dudes hangin’ at mom’s until something strikes their heart.
For some unfortunately, it is Al-Quaeda and for others it’s catching the Daily Show every day! At least there are options? o.k maybe a little out of context but ppl will understand if they care too.
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:27 pm
Thanks, Larry. That is hilarious! I make fun of men because I can’t live without them and men enjoy a good joke, so here is my favorite. If you don’t like it, don’t read it twice. We all need to lighten up and have a sense of humor about it. That is what makes our world so interesting…and I woudn’t change men for the world!
A Perfect Story
Once upon a time, a perfect man and a perfect woman met. After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding. Their life together was, of course, perfect. One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve, this perfect couple was driving their perfect car (a Grand Caravan) along a winding road, when they noticed someone at the side of the road in distress. Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help. There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on the eve of Christmas, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle. Soon they were driving along delivering toys. Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated and the perfect couple and Santa Claus had an accident. Only one of them survived the accident. The mind numbing question is: Who was the survivor?
The perfect woman survived. She’s the only one who really existed in the first place. Everyone knows there is no Santa Claus and there is no such thing as a perfect man. Women stop reading here. That is the end of the joke.
Men keep’a scrollin’…
So, if there is no perfect man and no Santa Claus, the perfect woman must have been driving. And that explains why there was a car accident. By the way, if you’re a woman and you’re reading this, this illustrates another point: Women never listen, either.
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:30 pm
Okay, one more favorite and then I quit…I promise!
Here, Have Some Chocolate
Current mood: hungry
Hormone Hostage
The Hormone Hostage knows that there are days in the month when all a man has to do is open his mouth to a woman and he takes his very life into his own hands.
This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver’s license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, or significant other.
DANGEROUS: What’s for dinner?
SAFER: Can I help you with dinner?
SAFEST: Where would you like to go for dinner?
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.
DANGEROUS: Are you wearing that?
SAFER: Gee, you look good in brown.
SAFEST: WOW! Look at you!
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.
DANGEROUS: What are you so worked up about?
SAFER: Could we be overreacting?
SAFEST: Here’s fifty dollars.
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.
DANGEROUS: Should you be eating that?
SAFER: You know, there are a lot of apples left.
SAFEST: Can I get you a glass of wine with that?
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.
DANGEROUS: What did you do all day?
SAFER: I hope you didn’t overdo it today.
SAFEST: I’ve always loved you in that robe!
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some more chocolate.
April 3rd, 2006 at 7:05 am
While I’m willing to consider this as a growing trend, I hardly consider her research to be accurate when they say the project is only a few weeks old. Not exactly conclusive, and there’s a lot of blanket generalisations going on. However, I do think there is some truth in it, otherwise we wouldn’t get the “art reflects life” TV shows like “Free Ride”, in which a recent college grad moves into his parents’ garage. Instead of going to work, he spends all his time trying to win the heart of the girl who is engaged to an ego-centric “self-made man”. Is this irony or commentary/satire on the young men of today?
I lived at home with the ‘rents until I finished college because I had to pay for it myself. Staying with them was their only way of helping me out. Also, my last girlfriend dumped me so she could get her MBA instead of settling down. Can I blame NOW?
Another generational shift has been the cost of living. In some parts of the country, it is nearly impossible to do things like buy a home as a 20-something. It’s almost necessary to mooch off parents to save money. I’ve know plenty of young couples who’ve had to move back in with parents to be able to buy their own home. I think the apparrent apathy is a by-product of the tremendous financial hurdles to living the typical American dream. It’s easier to not try.
Here’s a thought: Children are the product of their parents. Are they to blame for their kids’ inability to succeed if the parents are the ones who created the “loving” environment that produced this dilemma? If I may quote Red (the Dad) from “That 70’s Show”: Maybe they just need a boot in the ass.
April 3rd, 2006 at 11:59 am
maybe not everyone wants the “american dream” when they see that the bi-product of it is alot of people in other countries getting screwed by our trade policies?
the american dream is a fucking mightmare
April 3rd, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Magledon,
Would you please write to me personally at the address below, I’d like to ask you a few questions:
larrytaylor007@comcast.net
Thanks.
April 3rd, 2006 at 3:53 pm
So … do you like your martini’s shaken, not stirred?
Do you introduce yourself as “Taylor, Larry Taylor”?
When you get up to give a sermon, does the organist play the 007 theme song?
I’m more of an Elvis type, myself …
;)
April 3rd, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Guys just want to have fun, remember? 007 gets more girls…:)
April 3rd, 2006 at 7:07 pm
Hey you guys are real funny. Does the name “goldfinger” mean anything to you?
April 3rd, 2006 at 7:30 pm
LOL
April 3rd, 2006 at 10:20 pm
magledon,
your comments resonate with me, and i find my own viewpoint concerning the “american dream” to be very similar. i think there is a growing movement towards cynicism, of course, not nearly as extreme, however, there is a desire to want to oppose civilization. Specifically, in the case of a lot of occidentals, a kind of materiastic prison exists and is forced on us– some of us are trying to go beyond the confines of this lifestyle, however.
america’s success is built on a web of atrocious crimes of the worst kind, and this can be seen throughout history. we no longer live in a democracy, and one of the best ways for young people to persuade change is with their dollar. i think in some people, this causes a withdrawal from what society expects and creates an environment that does not foster the superficial aspirations of a “self-made man”.
many of us have come to recgonize the cost of our way of living, as americans, and the side effects caused because of our consumer driven lives of excessive materialism.
too put it simply, i think there is a growing movement of young people, who are deciding not to participate in a system that is rife with malfeasance and venality. The consequence of this, is a lot of young people trying to figure out what they actually want to do with thier lives, outside the context of the “american dream”.
Sometimes it takes awhile to realize your dreams when you have been influenced by the voice of american media in the most pervasive manner since birth.
April 3rd, 2006 at 11:29 pm
L.A.rry-
Um I dont really want to have a “chat in the chapel” so to speak with you. You see this is our church and in this church everything is in the open and people like me can be vulgar and somewhat obnoctious and not have to worry about you smackin’ us in the ass with a belt.
Micah-
Um Ditto
sometimes people want more than a pipe dream
April 4th, 2006 at 11:16 am
Well, I don’t want to devalue your comments about the American Dream and your perspective on the economy, but I think those of you who have such a hard time with it are probably in the minority. The rest of young America is even more materialistic than previous generations and there’s lots of market research and money being spent to prove it.
I brought this topic up at lunch with coworkers, of various stages in life, and all quickly agreed that the most prominent factor is most likely financial. If you go straight to work out of high school, the best you can hope for is a tradeskill job, but most end up working retail or some other low paying job. Those who do go to college end up with burdensome loans such that even if they do get better paying jobs, they’re hardly better off than those that didn’t go to college. Getting a really high-paying job usually means living in the city where living expenses are even higher. In addition, people aren’t taught to be savers these days and fall victim to large credit debt. Is it any wonder that we’ve raised a generation that is unwilling to leave the nest simply because it costs too much?
April 4th, 2006 at 11:27 am
Not leaving the nest is safer…it’s a long drop to the ground if you can’t fly.
April 4th, 2006 at 11:48 am
Magledon: it can’t hurt to email Larry. But I understand your hesitation. I’ve had plenty of chats with pastors and I find that we often end up just talking past each other. Pastors sometimes live in a little bubble and forget how to communicate with people outside of the church.
As for comparisons of this generation to the Baby Boomers. I think the Jury is still out.
Let me just say that it wasn’t a Generation X President who had sex with an intern in his office. And it wasn’t a Generation X President who misled America into war.
Thus, I’m not convinced the BabyBoomers are so great, and I think our generation will do just fine.
April 4th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
FICM,
i agree.
however, i still think there is a growing trend of young people who are deeply concerned with the moral consequences of attaining the “american dream”, and have come to understand the cost of that lifestlyle.
miniority? yes, but the influence caused by those who have decided to successfully live off the grid/outside the box has created a ripple effect and should be considered significant.
quality water, air, sunshine, fire, food, and shelther, is all that we need to live. anything more than this is superfluous.
poverty in pocket means richness of experience. when you live in the hands of God, and give everything up, and place all your faith in Him — this is happiness, fulfillment, satisfication, etc.
personally, i do not feel that the “american dream” is in agreement with the message of Jesus, and to choose to live such a lifestyle is to remove yourself from His hands.
there are many who are aware of the consequences of their actions, as americans, but very few who actually do something about it –however, this minority of individuals is growing, and in my opinion, eventually, will create momentous change–especially in the young.
i think once people finally abandon their material ambitions and dreams, it is very easy to live a humble life filled with happiness, joy, satisfaction and fulfillment. and as Jesus taught, it is also a lot easier to recognize the kingdom of God in our lives.
the “american dream” is superficial and without substance, there is no meaning or purpose behind it.
while most people are stuck in their parents home because of financial reasons, in some people, i think something deep is stirring within them; they are trying to figure out how to manifest their true dreams, or trying to find out what their dreams are for that matter. sometimes these dreams do not involve big houses, cars, families, money, careers, and lots of meaningless objects/possessions.
April 4th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
Consider: middle-aged, educated, rapidly approaching 6 figures, and your company goes through a merger or is acquired, with an outsourcing program … cashed out, with just 6 months of unemployment benefits …
Gen X will be middle-aged someday - and sold out to increase profit … tell me your perspective on the ‘American Dream’ then …
There will be a Gen X president someday - and the power will go to his [i]head[/i] too …
April 4th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Micah, I don’t disagree with you at all. I don’t think your analysis explains why this is a growing trend, but it does give us a golden opportunity to present the Gospel in a culturally relevant way that appeals to those who have become disillusioned with materialism and the American Dream. Jesus didn’t necessarily preach against having wealth (remember the parable of the talents?), but he did preach against letting wealth being your first priority in life. He did preach about social justice and I think that gives the Gospel message a huge appeal in the developing counter-culture.
April 4th, 2006 at 5:12 pm
I guess I taught history too long. You may be surprised but historians are not partial; they judge ALL generations. Watch your back.
April 4th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
“watch your back”???
Is that biblical?
I don’t blame any one entity or group for the situation this county has put it’s youth into.
Consider that in France people my age are rioting in the streets just because French politicians are considering going with an american style hire-fire system like we have here.
To be born american is, in my opinion, a burden. I believe that people who are born here and educated here have a duty to protect it. By protect, I mean defend the Constitution. That little peice of paper that thousands of men and women have sworn to defend and lost their lives doing so. I’m not self righteous but i have to say that being surrounded by christians all my life, I have to say that I have met very few who actually are concerned with what is at stake. And then all those people vote for Bush just because he “talks like me”, “has talked to god”, or “Pat Robertson say’s he’s great”.
I’m sick of christians saying “god will work it out” instead of standing up for what is right!
We live in a country primarily run by “christians” in public office who stand in front of churches and ask for money for their campaigns to fight the gays while putting us in debt 9 TRILLION DOLLARS. We live in country where our leaders profess to fight for moral clarity and compassionate conservatism while people who are born dirt poor, and I mean DIRT POOR, ( just get lost in mississippi and you’ll see) are given little or no chance. Our religious leaders profess to care for the people when in fact they more concerned about building more campuses and driving newer cars. Somewhere along the way Capitalism, hijacked christianity, and single handedly enabled millions of theologians and pastors to forget the single message of Jesus Christ!
Wake up and realize that the little people have nobody right now. Nobody! Not even City Bible Church.
People don’t even vote anymore in this country.
April 4th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
Sure it is:
“See, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16 ISV)
The contemorized version is: “look dudes, there’s people out there who are just waiting to stab you in the back and put the screws to you … don’t do anything to ‘em, but don’t turn your back on ‘em either.”
What I suspect Larry means is, every generation has its good samaritans and its robbers …
And - I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the anti-christ will come from Gen-X
April 4th, 2006 at 8:31 pm
magledon,
nicely said.
April 5th, 2006 at 11:34 am
You gotta be kidding me John$$$… I mean John444.
Are you a space cadet or an actual astronaut?
You a Tim Lahaye fan, buddy? If you say the messiah is coming then lets discuss in this forum, why you think IT will come from Gen X. I’m guessing it’ll be a girl cuz they are so cunning like serpents. LOL…
April 5th, 2006 at 11:51 am
Now, don’t get bent out of shape when someone jokes about “the anti-Christ”. The few times Paul mentions this, he describes the anti-Christ, or the spirit of the anti-Christ, as someone who denies that Jesus is the Son of God. That’s all. There is no Biblical connection to Revelations or the “End Times” with the term “anti-Christ”. I don’t know how this so-called doctrine got started, and I’ve only seen it misused to make money writing books and movies about things that are pure conjecture.
It’s like the difference between an agnostic and an athiest. An agnostic doesn’t necessarily believe in a particular God - an athiest denies the possibility that God exists. You may or may not believe in Jesus or who He says He is, that’s fine. Denying that He is the Son of God, by Paul’s definition, makes you an anti-Christ. Take the word for its literal meaning: opposition or denail of the idea of Jesus’ Divinity. But it doesn’t make you an Apocalyptic Monster.
The purpose of Paul’s warning was to make sure Christians stayed true to the message and truth of the Gospel, that Jesus is the Son of God. Sadly, Christians would rather talk about some nebulous evil rather than talk about the wonderful fact that God became human to restore us back to Himself.
April 5th, 2006 at 11:52 am
Snakes are like girls. You cant touch them until they think you won’t hurt them. If you move to fast you scare them away. Men are like babies…they’ll touch anything.
April 5th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
You shouldn’t make me laugh when I’m drinking coffee, Mag …
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve written people saying Tim LaHaye is a wing-nut … whatever I believed about the anti-christ, trib, and all that, was years ago, and I couldn’t tell you what I believe about it these days - though probably have some alignment with preterist thinking … i.e., when the scriptures talk about the soon-rise of the anti-christ, soon destruction of the temple, I look back to 70AD …
One of my dear old friends said about it all that it would be absurd to tell one of the early believers who wound up being fed to the lions that they weren’t going through a tribulation, etc … and so he concluded, and I think it’s wise:
Revelation has happened, is happening, and will culminate. God knows I’ve lived through a trib …
But John$$$ is really funny to me. If there is one thing I am not about, it’s $$$.
Goofball.
Jack