I Win, You Lose
Geraldine Laybourne ('The NY Times Has No Idea "What Women Want" ') was not too pleased with John Tierney's recent piece in the NYTimes ("What Women Want"):
Tierney’s conclusion was women don’t like to compete. Hello?
So, she imagines writing a "Dear John" letter from which I lift this excerpt:
You understood how talented and accomplished women are but quickly made it into a liability instead of an asset. Please don’t put us in old boxes.
We’ve been in the workforce, on the athletic fields, in the military in full force for about 30 years. We’re doing really great. We love to compete — using our ideas, our energy, our skills. But the curious thing is we compete differently. It’s not the be all and end all for us to have someone lose. We actually get significant joy out of seeing a team win, a supplier win or even an entire industry win.
I am but a slow-witted guy when it comes to stuff like this, but I like this idea she suggests that women like to win because women like to see other people win, but that men like to win because men like to see other people lose.
Okay, so this isn't a fully developed thought, but it appeals to me. I know I should have all sorts of insights since I'm gay, which various people think means I have insights into how other various groups think, but in fact I don't have any keen insights that leap to mind.
I did try it out this weekend with some friends of the female persuasion while we were at a Memorial-Day picnic-type affair, and they seemed to think it was rather obvious.