by Hannah Twery, contributor
If you’re a human being, which I presume you are because you’re reading this, you have probably made a sly remark about the opposite sex proclaiming them to be crazy, weird, insane or all of the above. I’ve done it on multiple occasions. Hell, I probably did it an hour ago. If you say that you haven’t you are totally lying. Let’s face it people, we’re all crazy.
Men and women have never fully figured out how the other one works, and that’s why articles upon articles about figuring out the opposite sex exist in men’s and women’s magazines. Even though we don’t have one another quite figured out, is that really a good reason to call people crazy? Nowadays saying someone’s crazy or insane is just a brush off. It’s like saying “whatever,” you could go on to explain what you mean, but it’s easier to just say one word.
When we call the other sex insane for something they do, that’s a broad generalization that’s unnecessary. Do some girls get weepy and yearn for chocolate like it’s the most sought after thing in the world when they’re on their periods? Sure. Do all girls act like that? Most certainly not. Do all guys like to scratch their balls in public? I don’t think so.
Instead of saying stuff like, “All women are irrational” or “All guys just want to have sex,” maybe we should make it specific to whomever we are talking about. “Oh my ex-boyfriend only wanted to have sex and that’s why I dumped his crazy ass,” is better than the former. It’s offensive to have negative aspects of your sex as a whole generalized, and it just plain sucks.
Why exactly does it suck though? Because of these general statements that are perpetuated by the media and everyone else, we have preconceived notions about the opposite sex. For a lot of men, they attribute seeing a girl flying off the handle to her “just being more emotional than men.” Um, hello? That chick could have been having a really awful day and usually be composed. On multiple occasions I’ve seen guys who are just a total mess, hygiene-wise, and thought to myself, “Damn, guys (in general) are disgusting.” Not all guys are gross, maybe that guy in particular just sucked at personal hygiene. What I do know is that it’s not right to have opinions about sexes, or anyone really, without getting to know that person first. We’re all human, we’re all going to judge and make assumptions, but we should try our hardest not to. Making generalizations could inhibit our chances of getting to know people and possibly getting to the bottom of why we make such grandiose statements about the opposite sex.
Next time you want to say women are more emotional than men and men are angrier than women, take a second and think about it. Are all women overflowing with emotions? No. Some men are, some women aren’t. Are all men super angry? No. Are we all just people with our certain issues living life and existing on Earth? Hell yeah we are.
