2008 Woodie Awards
Gender Bender
Who is more easily distracted?
Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Female Perspective
Another way to phrase this question is: Who has not grown up? That would be men, or rather, boys. In elementary school, boys would always be the ones on the edge of the chair, waiting for recess to begin. They would be the first ones out the door and the last ones back inside. Even now, boys wait on the edge of their chair, if they haven't fallen asleep yet, for the end of class so they can go tackle each other or throw a frisbee on Cheel Lawn. You rarely, if ever, see a girl get up in the middle of class and run out the door. The only things that really quenches a guy's attention is video games and sports. On the other hand, women pay attention to specific detail, they don't stop and stare at every set of boobs that walk past, and they have attention spans that are longer than two seconds. Women are always accused of doing too many things at once. But we're amazing at multitasking, while guys aren't.
Male Perspective
Before I make a statement for either side of the argument one must consider what the object of distraction is, because what may be distracting for a male may not be distracting for a female and vice versa. Women are by nature very distracting for men. Men's eyes wander when an attractive women passes, which may or may not lead to the male accidentally walking straight into something. But women also become distracted when they see designer shoes. My worn down brake pads will back me up, when I say that I have seen a woman walk into the road admiring an article of clothing. So, let's ignore the trivial things that distract us, and only consider distraction as a tendency to change focus quickly.
With all of this in mind, we must consider the question at hand. Distraction, who is the bigger victim? I can say that without a doubt the answer is… guys. Now, do not get excited thinking that I am on the side of women here, because I am not. I think that the ability to change focus in an instant is completely advantageous. Back thousands of years ago, when mankind was still taming the wild, wouldn't it be a good thing to notice minutia among chaos? One second, you may be talking in front of a camp fire, and the next you would be attacked by a bear. The ability to detect the little clues that you may be in danger was necessary. It seems that over the millennia, this quick focus change has evolved into ease of distraction, perhaps as a carryover. But guys, do not despair. It is alright to be easily distracted, not that all men are. There is a second advantage to distraction, you do not become focused on one thing for too long, and while this may be a bad thing in some situations, it ensures that you are always focused on new and interesting things or people.
Another way to phrase this question is: Who has not grown up? That would be men, or rather, boys. In elementary school, boys would always be the ones on the edge of the chair, waiting for recess to begin. They would be the first ones out the door and the last ones back inside. Even now, boys wait on the edge of their chair, if they haven't fallen asleep yet, for the end of class so they can go tackle each other or throw a frisbee on Cheel Lawn. You rarely, if ever, see a girl get up in the middle of class and run out the door. The only things that really quenches a guy's attention is video games and sports. On the other hand, women pay attention to specific detail, they don't stop and stare at every set of boobs that walk past, and they have attention spans that are longer than two seconds. Women are always accused of doing too many things at once. But we're amazing at multitasking, while guys aren't.
Male Perspective
Before I make a statement for either side of the argument one must consider what the object of distraction is, because what may be distracting for a male may not be distracting for a female and vice versa. Women are by nature very distracting for men. Men's eyes wander when an attractive women passes, which may or may not lead to the male accidentally walking straight into something. But women also become distracted when they see designer shoes. My worn down brake pads will back me up, when I say that I have seen a woman walk into the road admiring an article of clothing. So, let's ignore the trivial things that distract us, and only consider distraction as a tendency to change focus quickly.
With all of this in mind, we must consider the question at hand. Distraction, who is the bigger victim? I can say that without a doubt the answer is… guys. Now, do not get excited thinking that I am on the side of women here, because I am not. I think that the ability to change focus in an instant is completely advantageous. Back thousands of years ago, when mankind was still taming the wild, wouldn't it be a good thing to notice minutia among chaos? One second, you may be talking in front of a camp fire, and the next you would be attacked by a bear. The ability to detect the little clues that you may be in danger was necessary. It seems that over the millennia, this quick focus change has evolved into ease of distraction, perhaps as a carryover. But guys, do not despair. It is alright to be easily distracted, not that all men are. There is a second advantage to distraction, you do not become focused on one thing for too long, and while this may be a bad thing in some situations, it ensures that you are always focused on new and interesting things or people.
Be the first to comment on this story