The Evolution of Man?
Vanessa in Eureka, CA writes:
I want to know why men set things down whenever and wherever they happen to be at the time. Cell phone, keys, watch, and even things that can go into the trash. What is that? Why not just put it away or thrown it away?
He said: This is a good question Vanessa and I will be more than happy to clear this one up for everyone, including my wife. This was her take:
She said: Good question, Vanessa. I've been wondering that myself. My pet peeve is the receipts and other miscellaneous pieces of paper I find all over the place. If you don't need them, throw them away. If you do need them, how are you ever going to find them when they're disorganized like that?
He said: At first I thought to myself "Hmm... why the hell do I do that?" Then it hit me like a club swung from my fellow caveman. It's simple. We are hunter/gatherers. Our bearded, hunched over and rarely bathed brethren of the past worried not of these things. These quasi ancestors of ours had far more important things to deal with. These "men" supplied the meat and shelter and left their counterpart to cook the meat and tend to the dwelling. The "nesting" females had their very important role. Times, of course, have changed and we don't have to worry about being some giant reptile's lunch anymore. Don't get me wrong, we're trying to evolve but we have a lot of programming to undo. Not to worry, some of us have overcome the hurdle of putting down the toilet seat (yours truly, I might add). Maybe in another century we'll learn how to put the dish IN the dishwasher.
Comments
Men set things down whenever and whereever they happen to be at the time, because they were conditioned that way from childhood. Boys believe mothers and sisters exist to clean up after them. If you don't uncondition them early in manhood, it's a hard habit to change.
Posted by: Andrew Bird | December 20, 2007 01:15 PM
So I'm doomed to a life of clutter because I married an older man?
Posted by: She Said | December 20, 2007 02:31 PM
You are so correct Andrew. My husband does everything just like his mother. He never really leaves things around the house but, he tends to keep everything. There are so many things that he was conditioned to do from his mother, but then again there are so many other things that I feel like I need to condition him on as well. After three years of marriage I feel like we finally have it all worked out!!
Posted by: Renee' Sanders | December 20, 2007 02:58 PM
Many girls are conditioned to take care of (cook for, clean up after, serve) their fathers and brothers, so it's natural that we nurture our mates in a similar manner, whether we are aware of it or not. It's subconscious. We don't even know we're doing it until we start complaining, only to realize that we've perpetuated the problem ourselves.
Posted by: She Said | December 21, 2007 09:40 AM
Surely you're not talking about us.
Posted by: He Said | December 21, 2007 02:46 PM
No, baby. You're perfect.
Posted by: She Said | December 24, 2007 10:24 AM