Essay On The Opposite Sex

Although most civilizations were once male-dominated, today it is judged politically incorrect, often offensive, to make even the slightest distinction between the sexes. Law suits are often made against individuals for sexist misogynist, or anti-feminist remarks, even against remarks made in light humor. Yet, despite all of our political and social steps towards blurring the line between the sexes, the line remains and, in many respects, is wide as a canyon. As a female, I myself have made notice of two characteristics pertaining to the majority of males that stand in incredible juxtaposition to the female sex.



The common stereotype of American society often portrays females as passive and submissive. Males are generally seen as aggressive and dominant, a stereotype which is obviously the aftertaste of this culture's patriarchal roots. Although this stereotype is within great accordance to how males traditionally wish to view themselves, it is a far cry from reality. I've learned that as much as men like to "talk the talk" they fail to "walk the walk" simply out of their fear that women will make them stumble. So instead of being forthright with their discontent, they leave little subtle trails of adolescent-like rebellion, such as failing to empty the trash or leaving their clothes on the floor, to secretly assert their masculinity. For some reason they think that despite our heightened acuity and intuition, we females we'll be oblivious to their obvious acts of passive aggression.



If we were to act submissive at all, it would be only to spare men the pain of watching their delusion of masculine grandeur, which apparently means so much to them, crumble before their eyes. If a female were to actually shatter the facade, the typical male would not know what to do. It would mean that he would actually have to openly face the myriad of emotions that the traditional stereotype has trained him to keep bottled up inside. For so long it has been ingrained in the minds of males that to show their sensitivity and insecurities to others is a feminine quality and a sign of weakness in males. For a female to deny that there is a side to males that is actually sensitive and desires intimacy is a sign that she has never been in a situation where she has been able to witness this side that they usually only show confidentially to a member of the opposite sex. For a male to deny this side's existence is a sign that he's lying to himself, for whatever his reasons.



Sometimes I find it hard not to have at least some sympathy for their immature charades, for the simple fact that males are only trying to behave in the manner in which they've been told to behave since their childhood. It would be unjust of me not to make some effort towards having compassion, for I would equally give my compassion to my fellow females who are still tragically stuck in a state of servitude. Whatever the reason for  these apparent differences, we should discard the old preconceptions and help men realize that we women are simply the smarter of the two.