Why guys are better than girls (not usually one to go down this road!)

This one goes out to Tim.

Who I've never met but who commented on my blog. "You should write about why guys are better than girls.. he he he.."

I generally consider myself to be a bit of a feminist. I drive my own car, I got my own bling, as the saying goes. That said there are a number of weaknesses to my sex that I'm just going to have to admit to and a number of strengths that men have that I envy.

First of all, men are pack animals. They have this mysterious ability to enter a room full of other men, strike up a conversation about cricket or football, and immediately assimilate into the collective culture of the room. I've got a few guy friends that you could drag to the funeral of a little old lady they never met that I barely knew myself and they'd still manage to escape the situation with a new golfing partner in tow. I haven't wandered out of any parties recently with a new shopping buddy booked for the Myer Winter sale (who weren't gay men). In fact many women if they don't know anyone there hide in a corner and criticise what they are wearing, and just pray for the event to end.

Second of all when men are upset they hide it so much better. They save face so much more easily thanks to their collective testosterone inciting anger (which reinforces the idea of gusto and manliness) rather than sorrow, and the social understanding that men just do not show emotions. They're not filled up with piles and piles of oestrogen that play havoc with their moods and turn them into fumbling sooks at the drop of a hat. In every performance they get first dibs on playing the strong role, the hero, the protector.

Thirdly men just have so much more physical strength than women and that's just plain handy. If you've ever been a single girl with no brothers and tried to move house by yourself you will understand what I mean by this.

Fourthly we're still living in a society where chauvinism still has a seat in the work place hierarchy, and men are still at the top of that food chain. I personally think although the feminine cause is great simple biology means there will never be a true equality. The men get to earn more money because they don't have childbirth interrupting the career flow, and while they do pay out for the wife and kids and other responsibilities, they get to spend any excess on themselves. Women who don't get the opportunity to earn their own money (usually because they conform to the idea of staying home woth the kids) don't get any excess for themslves, and if they do earn their own money via a career they encounter criticism (towards their choice to work over traditional ideas of maternity) and interruptions that make it more difficult for them.

Ultimately there is a choice women have to make about careers and children that men do not have to make by default. This means they will always have the slight upper hand in the general work environment.

Plus their surpreme ability to assimilate to any male group culture means they've got social networking down pat and get the good opportunities while chicks are in the corner wishing they were invisible. In research for this blog idea I stumbled upon this website - http://www.telluswhymensuck.com . A few favourites that various ladies submitted were:

"Because they are insecure...the future is for women. In about 300 years, they will be obsolete and kept alive in pods only for sperm/reproduction purposes. They are inherently useless and down deep are aware of this. This is why society strives so hard to control women-afraid of our inherent power. But don't worry girls, if not in our lifetime, we will nevertheless triumph in the end."

" Men are like dogs. They make a lot of noise. They demand a lot of attentioni. They'll suffer any humiliation for a piece of meat. They have no dignity.... and they stink!"

"Because I always get cheated on or treated like ass. So I just really think that men can go to hell. Every relationship i have ever had, sucked...well....maybe not all of them, because I remember in the first grade, my boyfriend did my homework for me. He was nice. His name was Brian Willing(go figure)."

Not sure I agree completely with these although I love the humour. There ARE nice guys out there and carrying on as though all men are evil is a little bit exaggerated. Still, there are some flaws I would invite my readers to consider:

- men don't put the toilet seat back down again and more often than not don't like to be told. Not just about the toilet seat. About ANYTHING.

- the pack mentality of the average male means they get white line fever and forget to smell the roses along the way

- many men don't like to talk about feelings and have those important conversations where meaning gets across. this is annoying because often meaning is misread, miscommunications ensue, and fights occur where no one knows why one is angry at the other

- the pack mentality of the male makes them really freaking annoying when they're in a room full of their mates.

Yet they feel so good when you cuddle them and any chick that tells you they don't like it when the guy takes on that protector hero role is a big fat liar.

Bottom line (and Sean, if you're reading this, thanks for this one): Men. "can't live with 'em... can't live without 'em "