Seen this on reddit and thought it was an interesting question that largely is not talked about.
It is largely an issue that gets sidelined and hidden because people don’t want to talk about it or accept that it exists. Hopefully this gets some traction to break that marginalisation.
Oh, when you put it like that, I filed that under “people are people” catagory in my head long ago.
See, as a guy, we’re expected to uphold a certain silence of our emotions. If we’re sad at a funeral, we’re expected not to cry. If we’re worried, we’re expected to suck it up. If we’re frustrated we’re expected to get over it.
And women will say “oh, guys just don’t have any connection to their feelings”. Except, it’s not all women. Thats what I mean by people are people. Each individual person has a certain unique viewpoint, and it’s defined by personal experiences. Which means every single one is different, but in groups they may share certain opinions.
The confusing part is when women tell you that you need to open up and express your feelings. Because roughly half genuinely mean it. Half of them want you to explore your emotions. But half of them SAY they want that…until you do it. Then they just say you’re supposed to be a MAN and bottle this all up. Despite 20 minutes earlier begging for us to let them in.
And as a man, you don’t know which one you’re talking to. DOES she genuinely want to hear your dreams, and problems in life? Or does she just want to mock you for (insert whatever trauma you’ve had here).
Every individual person sees life through their own lenses, and the vast majority cannot fathom the concept that their views are not the “correct views”. That there are no “correct views”. There are only “compatible views”.
Me personally, I need a woman who’s more traditional in some views, but more open to other views. That doesn’t mean someone who wants an open relationship is a bad person. It just means they’re not compatible with me. I want monogomy. But I’ve seen both men and women look at an incompatible person and deem them to be a bad person, or immoral. I just see them as different people. Two people who want open relationship? Thats fine. You both consented. The only people I think are bad people are those who put their own views in front of others, and demand the whole world revolve around those views. And unfortunately that feels like it’s the vast majority of people.
So I just crack a beer, file it away as “people are going to be people” and forget the whole thing.