Ann Althousea href=”http://althouse.blogspot.com/2007/05/when-women-take-classes-in-tennis-wine.html” has an interesting post /aon why men don’t like organized adult courses in tennis, wine tasting, sailing etc. a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/fashion/17Dating.html?ex=1337054400en=0e38747d89428207amp;amp;ei=5124partner=permalinkexprod=permalink”The emNYT’s/em article /a Ann referred to had a wine buyer and manager explain why men didn’t attend his “important” events as readily as women:br /br /blockquoteHe offered this explanation for the disparity: “It’s argued that women are better tasters of wine than men. A higher percentage of women have more taste-bud receptors.” So maybe they are getting more out of the class. But, echoing others who lead classes, he added: “It may also come down to the fact that men think they know more about wine anyway, so they don’t need to learn more about it.”/blockquotebr /br /Ann sees the negativity towards men in the explanation and states:br /br /blockquoteBut it would be so easy to turn that around and present the male side as positive.br /br /Men prefer to look at something they have decided to do and figure it out on their own. They like to observe, analyze, and discover. They accept the risks and enjoy the excitement of trial and error. They don’t like sitting around having someone tell them what to do, and they aren’t intrigued by the prospect of meeting women who spend so much time doing something they loathe./blockquotebr /br /One of Ann’s commenters stated that she was “channeling Dr. Helen” in her “defense” of men’s attitudes and hey, I’m not complaining. It’s good to know that others are picking up on the negative depictions of men in the media and speaking up. br /br /But what I really wanted to say in this post is that if you want to know where the men are, just look around. Go out in the world and see what men might be interested in–if you are really looking for guys, don’t go to a class geared for women and their interests and wonder why the guys don’t show. This week, I saw the college campus loaded with males (of all ages) drinking beer, the gun range with more men than I could count, and the Apple store at the mall loaded with guys looking for computer equipment. Now, if you are a woman and these hobbies do not appeal to you, than think how a guy must feel when walking into a wine tasting class where the instructor caters to the needs of women and sees his male students as “know-it-alls.” Is it any wonder that men don’t show up for class?
