Friday, September 21, 2012

It's Different For Girls

There are perceived differences between men and women, starting with "boys are better at math."  Many studies have shown that the perceived differences don't really exist.

But there ARE some actual differences between men and women.  Girls, for instance, see more colours than boys (which is why girl toys are often in pastels and boy toys in primary colours).  Anecdotally, I can tell you that boys and girls create differently ~ when I taught video game creation the boys would make predictable games; the girls were always imaginative and surprising.

And yes, girls do throw like girls.

So guys, if you want to improve your femulation, learn to throw the girl way!  It's learnable.  Just read the article backwards and practice.  It's just another of the hundred other mannerisms we need to get right if we don't want to stand out.






5 comments:

  1. Yes, yes, and YES! I get into the most ridiculous arguments with militant anti-gender deconstructors who act like not only are the categories "male" and "female" an artificial construct, but the very concept of testosterone and its chemical effects on the brain and muscular system are purely an invention of a patriarchy designed to subjugate half the population.

    Not only are there biological differences; I believe that those of us who blur the line a bit do so because of differences in hormones during the development stage. Maybe I'm physically weaker and more empathetic and artistic than my peers because I had a bit less testosterone and/or a bit more estrogen in the prenatal soup, hmmmm?

    So yes, there are differences. I say, vive le difference!

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  2. Girls do not see more colors than boys. Girls are just better at "naming" different colors than boys are. And men are genetically more prone to color blindness. But a male and a female with normal, healthy eyes see exactly the same number of colors.

    And I'd like to see you tell Ila Borders (who pitched professional baseball for the St. Paul Saints) that when she throws her 85 mph fastball that she does it "like a girl.

    Can you, "Sir," throw an 85 mph fastball?

    What's next? "Women can't drive?"

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  3. Meg -

    I liked the post regarding throwing like a girl. But "femulators" (as Stana calls us) should also be careful NOT to go too far - a perfect emulation can be just as much a giveaway as a very imperfect emulation for those trying to blend into the background.

    Last night, I was at a party where people were told about my female presentation before I met the group. (I had told my friend she could do this - she wanted to make sure both presentations would be warmly welcomed by the group.) Well, I had one interesting comment - one woman said my male voice went well with me in a nice top and a skirt (dressed as if I came from work). Although I took this as a compliment, I realize that to femulate well, I have to work on getting my voice and communication patterns into the female octave....

    So... It may also be our imperfections in presentation which help us from standing out. I figure that if I go after the most noticable items, the less critical ones will gradually take care of themselves....

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  4. Jamie, yes women really do have different color perception in the eyes.
    http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2007/07/14/do-women-perceive-color-differ-3/

    Of course there are exceptions. As noted above, I am physically weaker than most men and as you noted, there are women who are far more powerful (and coordinated) than men. But those exceptions are exactly that -- else we'd see just as many women as men in the more physically demanding sports. To say that being aware of basic physical differences is the same as believing "women can't drive" is to be ignorant of biology.

    WRT muscle mass and strength, we go to a study done by Maud and Shultz that compared the two in equal performance conditions:
    http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CC8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhighered.mcgraw-hill.com%2Fsites%2Fdl%2Ffree%2F0072461667%2F38472%2FGender_Differences_in_Performance_and_Training.doc&ei=ORxeUI-9LeObiAKupYDIAw&usg=AFQjCNHsZqQnjpFvWVj3hDj9_3d-923bjA

    They key phrase:
    compared 52 men and 50 women, all roughly 21 years old using a maximal power test on a bicycle ergometer. Their peak power was about 60% lower for the females when comparing absolute values.

    I cited peer-reviewed studies demonstrating that differences exist. Can you cite peer-reviewed studies, not just anecdotal examples of exceptions, that demonstrate otherwise? Don't just get defensive; do the research. And above all, don't get mad at the numbers. As I say, vive le difference! There is nothing wrong with some people being better at one thing and worse at something else; a diverse population of skills and traits is what makes us stronger as a species.

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  5. That's a "blog," Ralph. And that is just one study. There are dozen others out there that have not had the same results as the researchers highlighted in this one.

    Now you must have searched and searched to find that ONE study that fit your purposes. How many others did you ignore from over the years that disagree with it?

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