Dumb things people say

[prairiewindmomma]

I wouldn’t be bothered by it if it was all good natured jousting. Sometimes it is—you have to know the tone and context and person. Twenty years ago it was more benign to have this sort of convo—but in the last few years it’s gotten dark and toxic. Not only does the speaker often have a rigid idea about what the man should be like, but also the woman. It’s when I bump up into that rigid toxicity that I am bothered by it. People should just be able to be people—drive and wear and do what they want. 
 

My mom has always driven a truck—it makes sense when you are on a farm and are hauling home feed bags or pulling a trailer from time to time. It is her truck. The amount of nonsense she hears and grief she is given about her truck is just flat out stupid. But what is worrisome to me is that they lately all repeat the same stupid lines. They are hearing that from somewhere as part of a “culture war” and repeating it.  
 

I am so glad we moved away and out of that. If my girls want to drive trucks and hunt to fill the freezer, great. If my boys want to  bake cookies and watch PBS, great. Let people be people. 

[Corraleno]

The anti-minivan thing is so bizarre to me. The first I heard of it was when a friend who was adopting 3 kids said she was going to get a minivan, and a male friend went on and on about how uncool minivans are and she needed to get an SUV instead. WTH? I only have 2 kids and I freaking loved my 2005 Odyssey.  I actually would have loved to replace it with another Odyssey, but couldn't justify the cost since I don't have kids to haul around any more, so I got a Subaru. But if money was no object, I'd have bought another Odyssey.

DD has a Prius, which she was happy with until her boyfriend, who doesn't have a car and relies on DD 100% for transportation, started trying to convince her to sell it and get something "cooler." At one point she asked me if she could trade it in on an Alfa Romeo, and I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants. I suggested that maybe the boyfriend should get a job and buy his own car instead of trying to get her to spend her money on a car that he prefers. If he's too embarrassed to be seen in a Prius, he can always take the bus!

[Scarlett]

46 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I wouldn’t be bothered by it if it was all good natured jousting. Sometimes it is—you have to know the tone and context and person. Twenty years ago it was more benign to have this sort of convo—but in the last few years it’s gotten dark and toxic. Not only does the speaker often have a rigid idea about what the man should be like, but also the woman. It’s when I bump up into that rigid toxicity that I am bothered by it. People should just be able to be people—drive and wear and do what they want. 
 

My mom has always driven a truck—it makes sense when you are on a farm and are hauling home feed bags or pulling a trailer from time to time. It is her truck. The amount of nonsense she hears and grief she is given about her truck is just flat out stupid. But what is worrisome to me is that they lately all repeat the same stupid lines. They are hearing that from somewhere as part of a “culture war” and repeating it.  
 

I am so glad we moved away and out of that. If my girls want to drive trucks and hunt to fill the freezer, great. If my boys want to  bake cookies and watch PBS, great. Let people be people. 

Yeah, I don’t think it was toxic…..Dh was amused.   I certainly am not bothered by it in the least. Perplexed if it really was a slam to manhood…..which Dh says it was.  

[fraidycat]

15 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I don't know what type of car the op has, could it be a size thing? My oldest son in 6 foot 4 inches, he can't drive the Toyota  Carrola my daughter has  because his head hit the ceiling and he had to hold his head on an angle and get a stiff neck. 

I'm only 5'8" and find my DD's car (not a Corolla) cramped to fit in comfortably. DH & DS look comical in it with their long legs and torsos and they are only 6'ish. We affectionately refer to it as The Clown Car, because we look like clowns all spilling out of it if we all ride in it. 😁

Edited May 2, 2023 by fraidycat

[Scarlett]

1 minute ago, fraidycat said:

I'm only 5'8" and find my DD's car cramped to fit in comfortably. DH & DS look comical in it with their long legs and torsos and they are only 6'ish. We affectionately refer to it as The Clown Car, because we look like clowns all spilling out of it if we all ride in it. 😁

What year is it?  Ours is 2015 and Dh does fine in it.  

[Vintage81]

4 hours ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

It has to be a Ford truck for sure and Honda Ridgelines are just an insult to humanity. 

 

This made me laugh…both my MIL and FIL have Ridgelines and I kind of agree with your DS. 🫣 I used to drive an F150…I have an Expedition now. I’m not really tied to Ford in particular, HOWEVER, those Ridgeline are not “trucks”….the tops “look” like trucks but they are like on a car chassis, or something. It’s weird. I live in Texas and I’m surrounded by big cars, so they just look kind of puny. 🤣

Regarding the Prius…sorry Scarlett, but I just don’t think the Prius is a very good looking car. I’m into the aesthetics of cars, and it’s 😬. The look of a car matters to me, along with lots of other things too. There are so many options out there, so it’s just not something I’d pick. Not sure what that dude meant though. 

[fraidycat]

12 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

What year is it?  Ours is 2015 and Dh does fine in it.  

It's not a Toyota. It's a little Pontiac something or other. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

[rebcoola]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

The anti-minivan thing is so bizarre to me.

I do hate minivans. I hate the look but more hate the way they drive.  They dont get that great of gas mileage and yet feel underpowered for the size.  While some have enough storage I dont like how the storage is setup.  

I love a good station wagon but apparently no one else does since they have pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur.

Right now we have a truck, tdi jetta and a motorcycle.  DH commutes on the motorcycle gets 65 mpg and the insurance is basically nothing. We use the truck for hauling, towing or the rare occasion we have all 5 people and the 2 dogs. I drive the Jetta. 

Its a really great mix but we were yelled at on the road in the truck.  They yelled "f*ck off trumpers" so I guess just owning a truck makes people think you align a certain way.  

 

[Lady Florida.]

1 hour ago, Scarlett said:

What year is it?  Ours is 2015 and Dh does fine in it.  

Dss/ddil have a 2011 Prius. Dss is 6'1" and fits fine with some spare leg room.

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

The anti-minivan thing is so bizarre to me. The first I heard of it was when a friend who was adopting 3 kids said she was going to get a minivan, and a male friend went on and on about how uncool minivans are and she needed to get an SUV instead. WTH? I only have 2 kids and I freaking loved my 2005 Odyssey.  I actually would have loved to replace it with another Odyssey, but couldn't justify the cost since I don't have kids to haul around any more, so I got a Subaru. But if money was no object, I'd have bought another Odyssey.

 

We had an Odyssey that IIRC was right around a 2005. DH loved it. Now he drives a manly man pickup, but he still quickly tells anybody who's interested that the Odyssey was the most comfortable and best driving vehicle he's ever owned.

[Indigo Blue]

2 hours ago, Corraleno said:

If he's too embarrassed to be seen in a Prius, he can always take the bus!

Amen!! 

[Indigo Blue]

2 hours ago, fraidycat said:

I'm only 5'8" and find my DD's car (not a Corolla) cramped to fit in comfortably. DH & DS look comical in it with their long legs and torsos and they are only 6'ish. We affectionately refer to it as The Clown Car, because we look like clowns all spilling out of it if we all ride in it. 😁

My very tall son had to rent a car while his was being repaired once. To his dismay, there were only a few choices at the time. He ended up driving a Nissan Versa. He doesn’t live in my state, and I didn’t know how small a Versa is. Later I saw a Versa at a stop light and I gaffawed out loud at the visual image of ds getting in and out of that car. He wasn’t happy. We teased him about his “Vice Versa car” for awhile. 
 

Nothing wrong with Versas! It was just funny. 

[saraha]

So I was talking with dh today. He worked in the office part of a factory. I told him about the original post. He went on a long time about young pups and old dogs and said basically any conversation between two men, in his experience, is open to some level of man upping. He said it’s usually the younger guys who throw the first comment. Unless it’s a room where two guys want to both be seen as the top dog, then they will trade barbs. It was a really interesting conversation. He said not every conversation with every man includes a jab, but he would never be surprised by a jab in any conversation. He said in a lot of instances, it’s literally a part of the greeting, like “Hey Smithfield, how you doing? Did you decide to bring your wife’s purse to work today?” Indicating to Smithfield’s new briefcase…

i was surprised at how often it happens in his life, but he said it’s never done if one of the ladies who works in the office are around. He said on the shop floor, it’s all the time. He said most guys don’t get upset about it, just the thing.

[Murphy101]

I’ve decided that if a man tells me his manhood is that fragile - I’m going to believe him bc who am I to disagree?  

Same goes for women who act like their femininity is going to disappear if they do supposedly masculine things. 

I admit it’s a concept I find difficulty respecting or taking serious. 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Murphy101

[73349]

22 hours ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

Are you offended and correcting him? Geez what a snowflake, tree hugging, woke thing to do 🤣🤣🤣

Exactly. People expect you to jab back, or to defend yourself, but it's so much funnier to lean even harder in the direction of the tease.

E.g.

Guy 1: You still driving that li'l girly-girl Prius?

Guy 2: Yup. The steering wheel hasn't turned my fingernails pink yet, but maybe [wife] will let me upgrade next year. *winks*

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by 73349

[SKL]

1 hour ago, 73349 said:

Exactly. People expect you to jab back, or to defend yourself, but it's so much funnier to lean even harder in the direction of the tease.

E.g.

Guy 1: You still driving that li'l girly-girl Prius?

Guy 2: Yup. The steering wheel hasn't turned my fingernails pink yet, but maybe [wife] will let me upgrade next year. *winks*

 

Or "I only drive this when I'm going to get my nails done."