dirty socks on floorSometimes I really feel bad for women. Not because of gender discrimination and unequal pay for doing the same job. Not even because of the rampant sexism and misogyny that occurs on a daily basis in nearly every sector of this planet.

Nope.

Sometimes I feel bad for women because I’m convinced that MOST women are masochists. It manifests itself in women’s insatiable desire to understand why men do the things that we do. It’s as if every decision, big or small, that a man makes must have some deeper meaning. Or at least deign to make sense.

Poor women.

Especially since I’d say that a solid 75 percent of the non-sensical things that men do have very little reason or thought behind them. For instance, the ever elusive answer to the age old question: why won’t you put the toilet seat back down? Now, I get the impression that women think this is some counter-counter-revolutionary practice and stand that men are taking against the loss of space in our shared homes and some wayward attempt to reassert our manly authority. The truth is, we just don’t think about it. At all really. Could I put the toilet seat back down? Sure. Would it be an imposition? Not at all.

 

Will that simple fact that I can do it and it isn’t difficult or complex make me any more likely to actually do it? Nope. And for no good reason. But women need a reason because surely, there must be SOME reason why after repeated requests to complete this simple task it goes undone.

 

Or what about leaving clothes on the floor. Admittedly, this one is a bit ridiculous. I know that I’ve left clothes on the floor, noticed them, thought to myself that I should probably pick them up, and then continued about my day … without picking them up. And I’m no slob. In fact, I’m a certifiable neat freak. But I’m prone to occasional bouts of laziness. Or defiance against the moral gods who insist that since I know better I should do better.

 

Take that moral gods.

 

I can’t lie. It’s a very valid question any time I’m asked, “why didn’t you pick those clothes up?” My answer is always, “I don’t know.” Which is actually true. I don’t know. We’ve ascertained that I know better yet, I just left them there anyway. Which frustrates any woman because, if you know better, why in Sam Hill WOULDN’T you just pick the damn things up?

 

That's another valid question that will unfortunately be met with a less than satisfactory answer. Yes ladies, I know. But imagine how much easier your life would be if you just accepted that, quite frankly, we just do stuff. Without reason. If you want a deep reason we can tie anything to our childhoods and perhaps lack of hugs. I can do that for you but it's not honest.

 

Sometimes, we just … do stuff. And don’t think twice about it.

 

Why? Who knows? Definitely not me.

 

So why are you trying to figure it out?

See? Masochists.

 

Image via ARendle//Flickr