13 Male Habits the World Could Do Without
Posted by: YourTango.com
Filed in:
guys
8:00AM, Wednesday May 27th 2009
Guys, we love you. You make our hearts swoon, you’re the fathers of our children, you are advisers, companions and friends, but there are certain gender-specific things you do that drive women nuts. For example, leaving the toilet seat up? We know this is a clichéd male complaint, but seriously. It’s rude. Your momma raised you wrong if you find it hard to flush and lower before leaving the bathroom.
With sweet smiles on our faces and love in our hearts, we present a list of habits, fashion decisions and other things you do that the world would (most likely) be better off without. We, here, at The Frisky have listed but a few. Now, YourTango.com has a few of their own to add to the list.
1. Scratching yourself in public.
2. Whistling at us. This works for getting a dog’s attention, not a woman’s.
3. Making dangerous gentleman’s wagers (this includes credit card roulette
with our “joint” bank account and eating five pounds of steak to prove a point).
4. Refusing to dance when sober… then refusing to leave the dance floor when drunk.
5. Wearing any the following: cut-off jean shorts, socks with sandals, sandals with unkempt toenails or Crocs.
Want to read the rest? Visit YourTango.com or check out these related stories:
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EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 08:14 am: [report]
oh wow lol
A toilet seat is was not painted blue or pink last time I checked, we need them up, ladies need them down. How about whichever adult walks into the bathroom and finds it in whatever position adjusts it to their need =).
As for scratching and whistling, I am sure some men do it, maybe more often than not but I have never known a guy who did either. Maybe I live in the wrong part of the country or just haven’t seen this phenomenon. If they do, obviously they are both habits that can be done without.
If there is no man that looks good in relaxed fit jeans then there is no woman that looks good strolling through target in pajama pants, crocs and some sort of hair tie or clip. Just because your hair is physically up doesnt mean shoppers can ignore the lounge wear outing.
Perceptible
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 08:33 am: [report]
Yay! My BF doesn’t do any of these!
I just knew he was a keeper!
retro chic
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 08:34 am: [report]
ECM, haha, so true about the Target (anti)dress code! Like their in their own livingroom. But, seat and lid on the toilé, please. Airborn cooties, you know.
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 08:37 am: [report]
yea…well if a woman wants to invent a mechanism that senses what sex the occupant is that is entering the bathroom and adjusts the seat accordingly then bravo. Unitl then I stand by my answer. Whoever needs it up or down, suck it up and adjust it.
retro chic
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 08:38 am: [report]
I think Perceptible has a prototype in the works now—I’m one of her investors.
GreenAura
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 08:59 am: [report]
I think there should also be a list of Female Habits the world could do without. Here’s a few to start….
1) Being a “detective”. Women are always searching for deeper answers to a simple issue. That must drive men nuts!
2) Following trends. If you like something, then cool, but don’t stop liking it just because Vogue says its out. And don’t start wearing/doing something just because its “in”. Always wear/do what you genuinely like!
3) Gossiping. It’s juvenile, generally mean-spirited and overall, its none of your business. Besides, the more you focus on the problems of others, the less you address your own.
4) BEING SO INSECURE! Whatever your shape, color or style, you are gorgeous! True beauty starts within, so start channeling your inner goddess!
5) Being so damn competitive with other women. Our female predecessor’s didn’t work so hard for equal rights just so that we can start hating and trying to take out each other! Love your fellow woman just as you love your fellow man!
Riley
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:00 am: [report]
Agree with ECM on that.
It takes 2 seconds, you should always look where you sit and you are going to wash your hands anyway (I hope).
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:14 am: [report]
Thank you Riley.
Great list Green. On the point of being a detective, I always find it funny when a story about finding a girls phone number (who is not even confirmed to be a mistress or FWB but just a phone number) on a boyfriends phone starts with “so I was browsing through HIS phone, call logs, pics. Even when I am with someone and totally committed, I don’t enjoy feeling like I am passing through customs and having my electronics inspected.
retro chic
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:18 am: [report]
Riley, it makes sense your answer is guy-centric. We’re not talking about the obvs shake droplets eveywhere in a 2-ft radius. But, the ref was for the evap and micro-spray from flushing by ALL parties concerned, and that goes into the air and sticks to things. Twas a universal bio-hygienic solution, that’s all. The seat up/down thing is really a silly passive-aggressive power thing for men.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:22 am: [report]
Bah to all of you, urine is sterile.
vanya
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:28 am: [report]
But faecal matter is not.
bogart4017
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:30 am: [report]
Scratching in public, etc…sounds like you are referring to college age males who havent completed their home training. I don’t know anyone like this. As far as the toilet seat goes usually if you were raised with a mother and or a sister there isnt a problem. Ditto if you are like me a started very early on (age 19) as a live-in lover or fiancee. You lower the lid in a dead sleep!
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:35 am: [report]
@vanya: Do you know someone who takes a crap on the seat?!?
sam04
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:36 am: [report]
Dude, you’re missing the point. She’s not saying the SEAT has to be down but the seat and LID. That keeps the germs contained when you flush instead of spraying them about in the bathroom and settling on your toothbrush.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:40 am: [report]
@sam04: Mythbusters busted that myth.
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:41 am: [report]
retro
I strongly disagree that it is a silly passive aggressive power thing for men. It may be just that some assume if the person after them needs it down and is female, they may just lower it.
shelleatualive
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 10:17 am: [report]
My addition:
keeping underwear after it is tattered and torn… and getting mad when we throw them away
retro chic
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 10:19 am: [report]
greenaura, great list 100%, esp 1 and 5. Issues are simple because men are simple. *They* will even tell you that, if they’re honest. And, our rights are in the riptide of the Bush years. We’re struggling enough to regain lost ground—let alone being able to advance. Men know about supporting each other from team sports and a trait I appreciate a lot. It’s a healthy attitude/approach to adopt. Men would be more on-board with us too, I think.
Thanks, sam04 and bogart4017, it’s not a gender thing (or shouldn’t be), just a haz-mat and one. A sensor that ECM suggested could work well—not unlike those kitchen trash cans with the auto-sensor lids! Just wave your…
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 10:25 am: [report]
agreed on the sensor but I wont even start to attack the “men are simple” comment.
Shell, you have to admit though, if you are planning on throwing it out and ask him, if he says yes then throw it away, if he says no then why push the issue and insist? So if there is some comfortable tattered bra that you like and you BF/SO chucked it without asking, you would be “oh thanks so much sweetie, I was just hoping you would trash my stuff without asking it today at work, such an angel”
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 10:26 am: [report]
pardon the spelling…
Arsenic
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 11:17 am: [report]
I’ll throw my 2 cents into the mix:
Think about it:
A) Women use the bathroom more than men (generally speaking)
B) Men need the seat down to poop - this with A means that the majority of the uses of the toilet are with the seat down
C) The consequences of forgetting the toilet seat is up = falling in (super gross)
D) The consequences of forgetting the toilet seat is down = getting some piss on the seat (Not so bad, its YOUR piss after all- just wipe it up)
E) C is worse than D
QED: logically it makes more sense to keep it down.
(Why yes, I live with engineers. Why do you ask?)
Riley
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 11:18 am: [report]
Thank god for Myth Busters, even though it is an annoying show after 10 minutes.
If I know a woman is behind me (at a get together etc.) I’ll drop the seat down. I think you read too much into it to deem it a passive/aggressive power play strategy. I’m sure there are much more effective ways than the toilet seat blitzkrieg offense.
retro chic
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 11:47 am: [report]
“Thank god for Myth Busters, even though it is an annoying show after 10 minutes.” Haha, MB… The scientific last word. I dare you to lick your own BR walls 10 minutes after you did 1 or 2. Also, strategy requires consciousness and would be more effective. P/A does not, and is not. Besides, this is all taken too seriously. I’ll take the gender thing out of it. Everyone should just find a way to do the better thing, not just the easiest thing, in all things. Btw, like the word “blitzkrieg” but have no idea what it means, tho I suspect it’s some over-the-top word that I might use, too!
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 11:49 am: [report]
Agreed…
Arenic
Did you take into account the amount of instances the facilities are needed for number 1 rather than number 2?
If you need it up or down and it isnt already that way, make it so lol
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 11:51 am: [report]
blitz= Lightning krieg=war big thing in WW2. I think we all just need the toilets made in japan that have laser light shows and fountain routines.
retro chic
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 11:57 am: [report]
Second that, and how about the outdoor BRs in France where the entire compartment self-cleans with a one-woosh “douche.” Here, we may have to settle for separate BRs until then.
Riley
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 12:04 pm: [report]
Blitzkrieg was a tactic to quickly punch a hole in an enemy line in WW2 using mechanized force, kind of reckless abandon style. So yes, it was an over-the-top word. Fun to use though, you’re right.
It has to be the scientific last word, most of the myths are just too dumb to warrant any real attention.
Humble Bee
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 12:23 pm: [report]
Greenaura and Retro, those are great points. Men do stick together more often than women. Women can be so catty and competitive while men are just like, oh you won, cool bro. How about writing a list of men’s traits that women should have or we wish we had. Men can be so careless and at times that’s cool because you don’t want to blow things out of proportion or overthink them. I find myself having such a good clean fun time with my brothers buddies, than my own girlfriends. They all just want to be heard and try to impress you but once you get to talking they open their Vogue magazine and ignore your as$. I’m digressing, but anyway, I think men have more likeable qualities that we should focus on. I find women not only competing with eachother, but dumbing men down for little things like leaving the seat up, or scratching their balls. I used to get annoyed by little things too, but I’ve learned to pick my battles and argue over things that are worth bringing to their attention.
Lynn
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 12:24 pm: [report]
I’m with Arsenic on the toilet thing.
Also, growing up with only brothers, I feel like I should say that boys are often messy. Unless you wipe the toilet off every few hours, there are liable to be some pee sprays, hairs, and dirt stuck on. That is disgusting. The seat, on the other hand, is much cleaner than that 99% of the time.
(I’m saying this only with my experience with my brothers as boys. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a toilet with the seat up since I moved out of the house 6 years ago, my boyfriends and friends have always had the courtesy to put it down, so I don’t know if that is true for a house full of adult men or not!)
raneforst
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 12:39 pm: [report]
Toilets are so ugly with the seat up. Less ugly with the seat down and least ugly with the lid down. The lid stays down at my house (why do you suppose they come with lids anyway?) because of aesthetics, hygeine (ewwww spray flush) and most of all because my cat likes to put his toys in water. This way they only end up in his water bowl.
I have never dated a man who wouldnt put the seat down after I asked…...perhaps the passive-aggressive thing isnt so far off the mark?
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 12:40 pm: [report]
I agree that BOYS can often be messy but for adult men who have aim and have not grown up as a pollack, we can use it with the seat up and the next person can do what they wish. =)
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 12:42 pm: [report]
Im sure some men do lower it if asked and some may take issue. Not saying that all men raise a toilet seat rebellion, just saying…
If a man asked you to always raise it for him after youre done, would you do so ladies?
writergirl
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 12:52 pm: [report]
I don’t care if you put the seat down or not. Just get everything where it is supposed to go.
And no, ECM, it is not only my son who is messy (he’s five) but my husband. The two of them couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if it was flashing neon pink for them.
Why some men are like boys I have no idea, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that most males seem to have some form of ADD.
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 01:14 pm: [report]
I will brush that last stereotype aside and comment that I am sorry to here that, neither of them can pee correctly. Well those men or boys or whoever aside, some of us can use the restroom without stippling. For those of us who can…its a non issue.
GreenAura
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 01:20 pm: [report]
I wish I had one particular trait that my husband has. If we argue, once the last word is said, he moves on, I dwell and bring it up hours later. That has to be so annoying to him!!
LiciMama
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 01:49 pm: [report]
There are so many things that can go wrong near a bowl full of water that has fecal matter in it. Toothbrushes, hairbrushes, cell phone can all easily drop in. Close the lid and get over it. Its not a big deal. And while I agree that not all men use it as a passive-aggressive “I’m a man and don’t have to put the seat down” many do. I close mine so that my dogs dont drink the water from it.
p.s. mythbusters is entertainment science, not tried and true tested and vetted hard fact.
vanya
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 02:10 pm: [report]
Licimama, don’t forget the toys that fall in on accident or are thrown in by a sibling! LOL!
Our seats & lids are kept closed, with those toilet locks on them. Toddlers just seem drawn to the bowl like it’s a water play table just their height (which it might appear to them to be), and neither my husband nor I care to have the dog drink out of the bowl.
Plus, it’s a safety hazard, since a young toddler can topple in and drown.
vanya
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 02:14 pm: [report]
@ CheeeeEEEEse - they’re too young for it to be intentional, but our toilet-learning toddlers can be a bit messy when they have bowel movements, especially if they’re trying to be independent and wipe themselves while trying to remain steady on the seat.
vanya
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 02:17 pm: [report]
Thanks to the aforementioned toddler, my comment was submitted too soon. Yes, we clean it up every time, but I was referring to the spray from the bowl. I find mythbusters to be flawed on occasion, and I’ll just agree to disagree with you on this.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 04:48 pm: [report]
@vanya: I was talking about human beings, not children.
Tarvold
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 04:57 pm: [report]
What’s with all the men bashing?
I subscribe to this blog because of all the insightful posts about so many things. But then, once in a while, I come across a post like this, along with the comments, and I wonder to myself why I’m not reading nomarriage.com instead.
sam04
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 04:57 pm: [report]
I always suspected children weren’t human!
becktasm
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 05:04 pm: [report]
Well, it seems like since we moved in together my boyfriend has become completely incapable of doing his own laundry or rinsing off the dishes in the sink. He hasn’t even loaded the dishwasher in 6 months. Those are some habits I could do without.
sam04
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 05:11 pm: [report]
@becktasm: Was he overly tidy before you guys moved in together? I think some people just have a different idea of what’s acceptably clean. It’s not always that the man is a slob and the woman is a neat freak. My ex always did the cooking so I did most of the cleaning without complaint. But, chrrrist, when he made the bed he expected me to shriek with joy. It’s a duvet, dude. It’s not a complicated task.
retro chic
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 05:14 pm: [report]
Aww, Tarvold, don’t go away mad. Come on in, the water’s warm… the seat and lid have been left up for you.
becktasm
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 05:15 pm: [report]
@sam04:
No, he was never all that tidy, but I never was either. However, now that I’m doing the manual labor, he’s suddenly a neat freak. I don’t mind doing the lion’s share of the domestic duties, since he works more than I do as well as takes more credit hours (we’re both in school), and I don’t want to live in squalor, but I get pretty sick of hearing “Baby, do I have anything to wear for tomorrow?” eeeeevery single night.
And I do all the cooking. He’s lucky I love him.
sam04
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 07:30 pm: [report]
@becktasm: For real! I think one of the hardest things about living with someone is balancing the domestic duties.
IrishErin
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:04 pm: [report]
Most excellent. My boyfriend NEVER leaves the seat up. In fact, he never leaves the LID up. Neither of us do. Both seat and lid down please. We’re both freaked out by the sight of exposed toilet water while brushing our teeth etc. Match made in OCD heaven.
DancerNinja
wrote on May 27 2009 @ 09:20 pm: [report]
I trained one ex to put the lid down. I hate the thought of spraying toilet water and fecal mater everywhere, myth or not. Plus, I’m clumsy enough to drop things in there AND my cat would crawl in. The last ex did it anyway, awesome.
EastCoastMale
wrote on May 29 2009 @ 08:57 am: [report]
Tarvold
It is not that anyone is male bashing, just that the site is geared towards women so of course you are going to have more opinions from women here than men and no matter how much I, or you or any other male object to or argue a certain point, most likely we are going to be the minority on certain things.
smiling
wrote on May 30 2009 @ 11:45 pm: [report]
My ex and I used to have the toilet seat argument over and over until one night I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night and therefore I did not turn on the light. Imagine my shock and surprise when I sat on the toilet and my butt splashed in the water. My screams for help brought him to the toilet with me nicely stuck in it. Wow talk about embarassing. He never left the seat up again he even urinated sitting down after that.
Love Muffin
wrote on May 31 2009 @ 11:17 pm: [report]
The only thing I can find to agree on is the dancing one aaaand the scratching yourself in public. I mean, he doesnt scratch his nads or anything so it doesn’t bother me. I live in my own home but when I visit him, it’s my boyfriend and his 4 yr old son. I feel that in a house of men, if their seat is up…I make sure to put it back up. But if he is at my house then it better be down. I am looking forward to living under the same roof soon. I will just get my own bathroom then LoL.