Friday Poll

These past few weeks dealing with women at Mr. P's school have reminded me why I don't have a lot of close female friends.

No seriously, I have really good female friends, but I tend to be ultra-cautious, having been burned one too many times by women who purported to be my friend, but then had no trouble turning around and stabbing me in the back.

I used to be just too damn nice for my own good. Then I finally wised up and haven't let a whole lot of people in. Oh I can chat with anybody and be friendly, but there are only a few people I consider to be my true friends.

Do you think that women's reputations for being catty are deserved, or are men just as bad but nobody seems to notice?


Oh, and Hubba-hubba has labeled me an incoherent, rambling pinko for my previous blog entry. "Did you really have to comment three times in a row?" Listen, I was eating my breakfast and typing at the same time. Thoughts came to me between bites. Then I told him, "It's my blog! If I want to type 20 comments in a row, I can do it!"

Comments

dgm said…
Oh man, last year I was so sick of a lot of the moms at my daughter's school. Thank god she graduated from there. The cattiness on the blacktop every morning--OY! (Having said that, though, I did meet several moms who were really nice and funny and laid back, and I'd call them my friends.)

So is the reputation for cattiness deserved? Good question. I used to think not, but the behavior of a lot of adult women I've seen both in real life and on the Internets makes me think it is deserved. Sure, I know quite a few women who aren't that way but they don't outnumber the ones who are. And that's just sad.

Of course, I know some men who are that way, but honestly in my experience the cattiness and judgeyness and mean spiritedness extraordinaire seems to come from women more than men.
5:53 AM
Jess T said…
Women deserve it!
6:00 AM
Heather Plett said…
I've met catty men too. But probably not as many.
6:39 AM
Awesome Mom said…
You know I have never really seen that much cattiness. Maybe I am lucky in my friends but I have managed to have great friendships with my female friends. Maybe it is because I pick people that like to avoid drama.
6:47 AM
J said…
I think people are people, and there are catty men and catty women. I think men tend to be more 'catty' with other men, though, so we don't see it as much.

Oh, and regarding the comments on your other post? Way to get the comment number high, hon!
8:25 AM
Ted said…
If by catty you mean back-biting, then yeah, men do it.
9:01 AM
Maternal Mirth said…
Good question ... I think women are catty for one reason: they are insecure. They live in a society that bombards them with images of unrealistic women (in most cases). I am thin and I guess I fit "the image" and women are more likely to assume I am a bitch, I am bullemic, I have no brains, ect. Men are more likely to have an actual conversation with me.

I cherish the women friends I have because most women I meet now, don't even give me a chance.

Also, a lot of women I know are still single, so there's the compition for the FEW good men out there.
9:49 AM
dgm said…
If women are catty, does that make men doggy?
10:52 AM
Nance said…
In my own experience, I've found men to be far less judgmental and far less "catty" than women. Men don't hold grudges as often as women. Women seem to lug around the histories of people forever. Men are more "mover-oners"--they tend to forgive and forget more readily, I think.
12:40 PM
Cherry said…
Oh there are definitely catty (and judgy) men out there, but I think women tend to fit the bill more.
1:13 PM
Hope said…
I tend to avoid drama as well, but I think it's really more about the gender difference. Most men that I know don't go to the emotional, irrational places that some women inhabit.
Oh and by the way, I think if we lived in the same zip code, we'd be friends.
5:56 PM
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