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in front of the TV, I get in a zone and just don’t
hear anything else,” he explained.
“Oh,
that’s OK,” I responded. “My boyfriend does it all the time.
It’s a guy thing.”
“Really?”
he asked, genuinely surprised that I think this is a chromosomal
condition.
“Yes,
really,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”
A
few years ago — maybe, just a few months ago — I would have
considered being ignored for the TV rude, but this football season I
became aware: Some things are simply “guy things.”
We
all know there are major differences between men and women, but I
didn’t see just how different the sexes are until the day of Super
Bowl XXXIX.
The
day began normally enough (except for the mounds of munchies in the
newsroom). But by early afternoon, I started to see major
differences between the men and women at work. I needed an editor
and most of our editors are men. I found them huddled around a
single TV, staring deeply at it. “Ah!” they moaned in unison.
“No way!” they yelled a few seconds later. They were
all-consumed by the 17-inch monitor.
“Hey,
can anyone edit this for me?” I asked the group.
“Hi,
guys,” I tried again, “Does anyone have time to edit this for
me?”
Still
no response. They were mesmerized. I watched them for a few minutes,
amazed by the power of television. Finally, I tapped one editor on
the shoulder and asked, “Can you edit this for me?” I stuck out
a tape and script.
“Sure,”
he said without so much as a glance. He stuck out his hand and I
placed the tape in it. That’s when I realized some things are just
guy things.
Women
like to meet for “girl time.” We get together for manicures,
coffee talk and shopping. We dress up for parties and match our
shoes to our bags. We spend money on make-up and accessories.
We
bond by talking, listening and consoling each other without always
giving advice. We turn the TV off when friends come over and feel
connected by talking, touching or looking at each other when we
speak. We cry for no reason and match our underwear to our outfits.
Women
do things men will never understand, and that’s what makes us
different and special. So while the TV hypnotizes the men in my
life, I now wait patiently for the game / show to end, knowing they
can’t help what they are. They are men, and some things are just
guy things.
KHNL
News 8’s evening newscaster Melisa Uchida is a Boston University
graduate.
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