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 Addendum                                     Issue# 17  -  26th March 2002
 URL: http://www.adden.tr.cx/
 Author : Steak, the agrophobics society no-show
==================== Women, men and consumables ============================

It is said that Sigmund Freud once threw up his arms in disgrace and shouted
"WHAT DO WOMEN WANT?!" I sometimes feel myself saying this to myself, so
I spend ages pondering, thinking, trying to work out the opposite sex, but
but alas instead of an answer to this nagging question, it is often only
failure I discover at the end of my thinking.

Some men will say that women are the downfall of our society, some will
say that they are stupid as shit, some women will say that men are all
chauvinist pigs, some will actually think that women are in some way
Superior to men *cough*feminists*cough* and some men will think that
they are superior to women. So what do I believe, most people will
just say to themselves "I'm never going to understand the opposite sex
so I'm not going to try" That’s not good enough for me, I want to understand
and I don't think it is that hard.

I was awake for the entire night talking to phoenix at our friend spuds
(old) house once. And apart from drinking coffee (a favourite pastime of mine)
we spent the night watching films, phoenix smoking, me watching and talking.
One of the subjects we came across was the subject of this file, The
opposite sex. And even though we did not come to any conclusion, we did
agree on the fact that despite what the popular media, advertising, the
opposite sex of ours and conditioning will tell you. Women and men are
actually quite alike.

However I am still not quite convinced, biologically we are almost the same,
well compared to most other organisms (not orgasms) we are the same. I
think we both have almost the same type of brain structure so naturally
we must kind of have the same type of psychology, reasoning and problem
solving? no?

Yet being in a long term relationship now and one where I have been living
with a member of the opposite sex for a while, I have had the opportunity to
try and understand the opposite sex more than I have done in the past. And
I have noticed a few things.

Women take things very seriously compared to men. Something that can seem to
mean nothing to men can be the most important thing to a woman. Women see
this as a good thing, I believe this is why women often feel that men do
not care about things and are lazy. Men see this as a bad thing and sometimes
feel that women are over dramatic and over sensational and are persecuted for
just trying to get on with there lives

A perfect example of this are clothes and shoes. Men cannot see what
the amazinginess is with owning many different shoes and clothes. I have one
pair of shoes, big clunky ones, boots even, that are good for many things,
going for walks, going out, running kicking things/people, stamping on glass
and cans, throwing at sisters, and after all that they still only have one hole
in them. On top of all that they are amazingly comfortable. I would not need
another pair of shoes, and if I had some would probably not even ware them.

Women however think that clothes and shoes and other little accessories
are rather important. When men see a leather handbag in the window of a
store, they see a little bag that some rich women is going to pay lots
of money for. A woman will see something that defines her character, will
output her personality into the outside world.

But that’s ok, we males do it too. We just do it on different things. I reckon
that women will see the same thing in that handbag as I will see in say
a GeForce3 card. I feel that that card will define my character, when
people see that they will think, "sas that hoopy frood, for he has a
respectable video card, he must be one all-together all-right kind of guy,
I wonder what counter strike would look like on that"

The reality of this is that a GeForce3 does not define who I am. It may make
people feel jalousie of me (which is something totally different, and not
necessarily a bad thing) but just like the hand bag that you women want,
it will in no way define our character, it will not define who we are. We
want it because we feel it will tell the outside world who we are, it will
not. That felling comes from the inside. We have to show the world what it
is we feel about ourselves in our thoughts, our feelings and our actions.
We must stand up for ourselves, we must be who we are, not some person that
feels that we can define our character with consumables.

I realize that I am being a little bit hypocritical here. I am a very
acquisitive person, I know I am and there is nothing can do about it
if I see a cool looking piece of hardware feel I must have it, rarely
do I get it, but when I do get it, I don't really feel much better.
straight away and that disappoints me, It takes a while, I appreciate 
it more in the long run

This is where it really pays off, it doesn’t define me, it doesn’t
make my struggle against those who would squash me any less hard, it does
however do some very important things,

Number one, it makes people jalousie of me. It’s a hard thing to admit but
that is what we all want right? to feel superior to other people. To feel
like we have succeeded in some way over everybody else. The nice feeling
we get when somebody says "you bastard, I want that" that’s worth it.
if you ask me =]

Number two, the usefulness of it. the way it makes our life easier
if that means we can carry more stuff in our fancy new handbag then
so be it, if it means that I can now watch DVD's on the TV through my
computer than so be that to. When making a purchase I feel that I have
to justify it to myself, how will this benefit my life how will it make
things easier.

Its when we just buy things for the hell of it that we really become
stupid as shit.

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 Addendum                                     Issue# 16  -  26th March 2002
 (C) Steak March 2002
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