Monday, June 30, 2008
There is a male advice columnist!
Tracy commented and noted a link to a male advice columnist called Help Me Harlan. Today his letter from a girl starts out with, "I don't understand men. I met this guy on the internet..." My "reply" post may have been a bit tounge in cheek (I said may have) but Harlan's reply proves the point. He doesn't mention this guy she met or her lack of understanding of men. What he does is berate her and lets her know she was lucky and why. The advice was straight to the point and practical with the only emotional aspect pretty much telling her she'll get over it.
I remember reading Ann Landers all the time as a teenager and I'll admit I sometimes do see resoponses from female advice columnists that are like this - but for the most part females approach everything from an emotional point of view and a guy is going to approach stuff from a practical point of view. Men are also more short-sighted - I've never known a woman to follow, "Hey y'all watch this" with a trip to the hospital or dying. When I have been suprised and had to agree with a woman advice columnist it's usually because she had the foresight of a long term consequence I wouldn't have thought of.
I remember reading Ann Landers all the time as a teenager and I'll admit I sometimes do see resoponses from female advice columnists that are like this - but for the most part females approach everything from an emotional point of view and a guy is going to approach stuff from a practical point of view. Men are also more short-sighted - I've never known a woman to follow, "Hey y'all watch this" with a trip to the hospital or dying. When I have been suprised and had to agree with a woman advice columnist it's usually because she had the foresight of a long term consequence I wouldn't have thought of.
