July 17, 2010 @ 4:55 pm · Filed by Mark Liberman under Language and gender
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Amusing inversion of gendered communication stereotypes:
July 17, 2010 @ 4:55 pm · Filed by Mark Liberman under Language and gender
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Michele said,
July 18, 2010 @ 7:26 am
I suspect that conversations as inane as the one the guys in this video are having only happen in the minds of screenwriters. Although it's a common scene (for young women) on film, I have never seen anything like it in real life. On the other hand, I do know some of those poker-playing women.
[(myl) We shouldn't blame the script-writers, since the stereotypes involved are ubiquitous in the self-help and pop-psychology literature over the past several decades.
Are the stereotypes "true" in the sense that they describe the way people behave all or most of the time? Surely not. Are they "true" in the sense that these types of communication, though rare, are more commonly associated with the gender that the stereotype assigns them to? I don't know, and I haven't seen evidence that anyone else knows either.
Are the stereotypes "true" in the sense that many people have internalized them, identify with them, and sometimes choose to behave (or avoid behaving) in the prescribed way? Maybe. For a fictional example, see the "Honey, I'm thirsty" exchange from White Men Can't Jump, discussed here.
Also, I think that "inane" is too negative. The key issue in that conversation is the (over-) interpretation of short answers or silence from a romantic partner. This is a common concern, and an occasional topic of conversation, among humans of all sexes and genders. I've certainly heard young heterosexual men discussing particular cases at tedious length, more than once. ]
Alex said,
July 18, 2010 @ 10:01 am
Is obsessing over the meaning of a single word really a gender-stereotyped activity? Rob does the exact same thing over the word "yet" in the movie High Fidelity.
Also, this video makes me hate everyone on earth.
George said,
July 18, 2010 @ 11:51 am
This is, at a minimum, a clear stereotype. It doesn't take very long to get it. And, I think this would be the case even were the women not playing cards and listening to a ball game.
Kam said,
August 3, 2010 @ 6:24 pm
Maybe the exact situation for the women is a stereotype (I'm a woman so I don't know about the men's), but I've heard similar conversations on the university campus where I work and it drives me INSANE. The frequent use of "whatever" and "like" as well as the uptalking makes them sound really indecisive and inarticulate . Yes they do analyze text messages like that. Even a smiley (or lack of one) seems to carry some hidden meaning.