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From: seifert@hammer.UUCP (Snoopy)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: Intelligence
Message-ID: <1343@hammer.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Jun-85 17:29:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: hammer.1343
Posted: Sat Jun 22 17:29:34 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Jun-85 07:57:02 EDT
References: <378@boulder.UUCP> <1174@sjuvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: seifert@hammer.UUCP (Snoopy)
Distribution: net
Organization: The Daisy Hill Puppy Farm
Lines: 78
Keywords: intelligence stereotypes martians communication
In-Reply-To: <1338@hammer.UUCP>

The following is being posted for Lady Godiva at Reed College.
Someone at Reed posted some copyrighted code, so Reed students are no
longer allowed to post directly.  You may reply to Lady Godiva at
tektronix!reed!purtell.
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In article <1338@hammer.UUCP> you write:
>
>There seems to be something significantly different in the thought
>processes of the two genders.  (yes, with plenty of exceptions)
>Is this not why we have so much trouble understanding each other?

   PLENTY OF EXCEPTIONS. I'm sorry I raised my voice there - but I just
despise any kind of stereotypes. 
   Actually a friend of mine told me of an amusing theory that another
friend of her's came up with to explain why men and women have so much
trouble communicating. It's called the "Men are Martians" theory and it
goes something like this:

     Men are Martians. They can't help it they were just born that way.
You all remember the TV show "My Favorite Martian"? Remember how he
would always raise his antennae when no one else was around? Well her
theory is that when women aren't around men raise their antennae and
communicate with each other in their own special language. Then when
women and men try to communicate, the men always understand each other
but just can't seem to get their ideas across to women. They just sort
of helplessly wave their feelers at you and walk away. This usually only
occurs in a relationship. After there has been a misunderstanding
between a woman and her boyfriend/lover/husband, and she tries to talk to
another male friend about it, and tell him about the really bizarre way
that her partner acted, he just says something like, "well that makes
perfect sense to me". The poor woman doesn't realise that of course it
will make perfect sense to another martian.
    (Please no flames about this - it's just comic relief.)

>An artist could have the same amount of intelligence as a UNIX
>hacker, but the spectrum would be totally different.

   I definitely agree. Personally, being an English major, former music
major, and with an immense interest in science, I find it very difficult
to date anyone who is either only a scientist or only an artist. But
it's tough to find someone who's interested and knowledgeable about
both. Not to mention who is also a Christian, politically liberal, etc.
etc.  I'd better stop before this sounds like a lonely-hearts ad...


      elizabeth g. purtell

      (Lady Godiva)

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(might as well be efficient and put my followup in the same article...)

Your friend's "martian" theory is the same sort of stereotype that
the "slightly different thought process" theory is, it's just a cute
version that isn't meant to be taken seriously.

Stereotypes are like kitchen knives.  Used properly, they are useful
tools.  Used carelessly, they can hurt.  Used as a weapon, they can kill.
Stereotypes are missused a lot.  That doesn't make them worthless, it
means we need to be very careful with them.

It's all too easy to go from "men and women think differently" to
"they think wrong, we will not pay attention to anything they have
to say."  What we need to do is to learn how to communicate with
people who think differently than we do.  We all have a lot we could
teach each other, if we could just find a common language.

Snoopy
tektronix!hammer!seifert

Tommy can you hear me?
Can you feel me near you?
Tommy can you see me?
Can I help to cheer you?
Oooh, Tommy?  Tommy?  Tommy?  Tommy?

	-Pete Townsend