It must mean something that all of the books I love are about little boys, right? I don’t mean that in a molest-y way. But Dandelion Wine, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay?
I read this quote from Something Wicked This Way Comes recently:
First of all, it was October, a rare month for boys. Not that all months aren’t rare. But there be bad and good, as the pirates say. Take September, a bad month: school begins. Consider August, a good month: school hasn’t begun yet. July, well, July’s really fine: there’s not chance in the world for school. June, no doubting it, June’s best of all, for the school doors spring wide and September’s a billion years away.
But you take October now. School’s been on a month and you’re riding easier in the reins, jogging along. You got time to think of the garbage you’ll dump on old man Prickett’s porch, or the hairy-ape costume you’ll wear to the YMCA the last night of the month. And if it’s around October twentieth and everything smoky-smelling and the sky orange and ash gray at twilight, it seems Halloween will never come in a fall of broomsticks and a soft flap of bedsheets around corners.
But one strange wild dark long year, Halloween came early.
I’ve never read that book, but the moment I saw “a rare month for boys”, it reminded me of The Dangerous Book for Boys, and I immediately went to download them both from my local library’s website. It used to confuse me so much to love these boy-based books and to have unlimited tolerance for male-centric movies and video games when my male counterparts are usually unwilling to even consider anything “girly”, and if they eventually are coerced into watching a girly movie or reading a girly book, it’s nonstop complaining and mocking. I don’t see a whole lot of difference between a football game and an episode of “Real Housewives”, but while I’ll tolerate the game, there’d be a riot if I tried to make my male friends watch the women.
But I watched something recently–I unfortunately have no idea what–where a woman talked about how women don’t just tolerate male-centric entertainment but actually embrace it because we’re interested in what the dudes in charge are watching. Isn’t that gross? I’m suddenly so annoyed now by all the hours I’ve spent watching my roommate play Halo, all the episodes of “Venture Bros.” and “American Dad” I’ve watched with Kamran, and all of the male-charactered books I’ve read. It’s all “The Bachelor” and Mrs. Dalloway for me from now on.
10 Comments
With the exception of MAYBE watching men play video games, none of this seems like “tolerating (or embracing) male-centric entertainment” to me. I hate that woman who said that. I don’t think women liking action movies or football is a sociological study; more interesting and disturbing is the way women doing what they want always has to be dissected and analyzed.
Also the men in charge have not been reading Ray Bradbury since it was forced on them via a high school syllabus whether the lead characters are boys or not, which is their problem.
I love this comment, but if you deny me embracing boy-centric books because I want to know what it’s like to be a brave young man, then I’m still stuck wondering why I love them. Whatever. I just identify more with boys than girls. And yet I don’t entirely identify with boys. Which is why I’m so neglected. THERE. I said it.
I’m still annoyed with boy stuff being okay for girls but girl stuff not being okay for boys.
Wait, why am I being singled out here?? I always check to see if you’d like to watch something else, gosh darn it. But yeah, I think that categorizing things as “boy stuff” and “girl stuff” is just perpetuating old stereotypes (though I’m sure there’s a genetic/hormonal truth to some of it). Aside from some of the really violent sports, like football, there are professional women’s leagues for pretty much all of them. It’s probably very likely that there are more men that are into sports than women, but the gap is closing. The draw of sports is in part the physical aspect, but my guess is that it’s mostly due to the competition. I suppose the question could be asked whether “boys” are more competitive by nature than “girls”, but that would have to take both hereditary and social aspects into account. I think we discussed that Swedish school (or was it a daycare center?) before, that basically treats both girls and boys equally. So boys are encouraged to play with dolls just as much as girls, and vice versa with the typical “boy” activities. I suppose the results of that program will give us a better view into how much nurture accounts for our personalities.
Anyway, videos games are a whole different story, since they encompass a huge range of unique experiences. Some games, like Halo, are competitive, and yes, they seem to be predominantly favored by the male community (in particular the 16 and unders). However, there are a lot more genres that are actually centered around storytelling and interacting with others cooperatively, that have bigger female followings. Studies from 3-4 years ago show that 42% of video game players in general were female, so you can hardly call it a “boy” activity. There are obviously divisions within that, such as the aforementioned first person shooter being dominated by males, more so than say Guitar Hero.
Why don’t guys typically enjoy shows like the Real Housewives? I have no clue, and am already too burnt out from trying do defend my precious sports and video games to really care. I, personally, don’t give a shit about some woman in Atlanta who acts like a pretentious child all the time, and thinks she’s still somehow superior to others because of how much money she has (obviously an educated guess on the plot, since I’ve never seen it). But why then do I care about some kid from New Orleans that can throw a ball pretty well? I don’t know. What I do know is that he presents himself as a mature adult who just loves his job, and strives to be better at it every day. Now why *wouldn’t* I pick that?
In the end, what does it matter if the things you enjoy fall under one category or another? I like playing Halo and watching Girls, and I couldn’t give a single f*ck what someone else thinks about that (except for my future wife, who of course will decide on all of the things I can and cannot do).
I love watching shoot ’em up movies. Matt does, too. So we watch them together.
He’ll also watch chick flicks with me. Complaining, but paying attention. Sometimes he’ll put it on when he has the remote, too…for me, of course. For me.
He even asks questions about Twilight. Seriously.
And Jack, I’m with you, too. I cannot stand any reality show about “Real Life.” So fake! And so catty.
Well. I think women are just interested in people, be they male or female. That’s my theory. We like to know what they’re thinking and why they do the things they do, whether male or female. Men are often more simplistic/basic. Which might be sexist, but whatever. And that said, a big hell to the naw on Halo and American Dad. You know I endorse The Bachelor, dumb as shit though it may be.
I also love boy-centric books, and I don’t think that necessarily comments on my male or femaleness either way, just that I like good literature! Look at Harry Potter, after all, it swept the nation and it’s boy centric. But there are lots of great girl centric ones too that are popular and both sexes read, like the Hunger Games and His Dark Materials.
And I refuse to watch the awful shows my husband watches (Cajun Pawn Stars, Gold Rush, gross), and I don’t subject him to Downton Abbey. But, he totally watched The Notebook with me and cried.
OMG he cried? I’m going to hold this over him forever now.
Sure, he’s sensitive.
Ha ha ha!
I think the difference in our house is that when Kevin puts on something dumb, I stick around and watch it with him. Sure, I could leave the room but I want to spend time with him and the cat so I stick it out. BUT if I put on something that I like (I watch some terrible shit… Teen Mom. Ugh, I hate myself for even admitting it), he has no problem leaving the room because he can’t stand it. So, I will usually turn it to something we can both enjoy so we can hang out.
Um…
should I feel… kind of… nervous?
‘Cause I feel kind of nervous.
A bit.
A little bit.
Maybe.
Umm. Did I use the wrong comment box? Damn iPhone.