posted
This attaches itself to my thread about my moron buddy who fell 50 feet and managed not to break anything (though all were convinced he did, including him, until the xrays and CT said otherwise).
He's laid up on the trail. Two painful, near-busted limbs. Can't walk or really move. Shivering from hypothermia.
STILL manages to say to the girl in his hiking groups, "Hey, you have nice legs, you know that?"
I don't get it.
At a TIME LIKE THAT?!
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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What's more, I can say with absolute certainty that he would have carried the thought to fruition if the opportunity had presented itself. Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Would you believe he wanted a chance to heal his prostate before visiting the hospital?
Shock, for men or women, make them do the strangest things, and think the wierdest things are important.
You are right. At a time like that he should not have commented on her legs. He should have asked for his covers to be raised higher, and when she was doing that, stared down her hanging cleavage.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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You were obviously showing him concern, and you couldn't very well smack him . Plus he figured you were impressed at his bravery, and the comment would further impress you by showing that he could deal with the pain.
I'm frankly shocked it didn't work.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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Well, do you have nice legs? Did you appreciate his discovery of the fact? If so, arrange to drop him off more high places.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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my father was trying to interest me in getting to know the "cute" male nurse in the ER over the 4th while I was strapped to backboard, neckbrace, in agony and having panic attacks -
go figure . . .
all i wanted was out of the stupid backboard and a toilet - and he wanted me to look at cute male nurses Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Maybe he's just seen one too many movies where the hero manages to maintain a witty presence while faced with certain doom and was merely trying to lighten the mood...
I know that's what I do in perilous circumstances. Sometimes it even works! Other times, of course, I only manage to infuriate everyone who thinks I should be taking the situation seriously. I am, I just don't see why I should have to lose my good sense of humor because something bad happened. Posts: 1295 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Mack, just remember that the mere sight of your legs helps wounded men forget their pain long enough to compliment you on them. There's no mystery involved.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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You know, Mack, in a conversation that so obviously focuses on your legs you think you'd have the decency to show us more of your sweet, sweet 0|0 Give the people what they want! Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Yeah, I want to see, too. I have to admit you're looking rather the sexy wench in the last couple pics you've posted. A teeny, tiny, eensy, weensy pic of you in some shorts won't hurt anything will it? Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I'm not effing preening! It doesn't matter which person's legs. Could have been Patrick's! It's the seeking for an explanation of behavior! Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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For an honest analysis of why your friend said it, it has been my experience that men and woman when in great stress often slip out of their social personas. I would bet that he always thought your legs were the bee's knees but out of friendship forbore telling you this because it might strain your friendship. But after a terrible fall, he just became 'injured guy' not 'mac's platonic friend,' and the sentence came out. Usually stuff like that is true opinion--I tend to trust people under lots of stress, because for most stress seems to make people more honest. Happy, Mackillian? Morbo
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You're in a club. There's a woman with beatiful legs sitting next to you. A thug-like man approaches you, carrying the still-bloody head of his latest victim. He says, "You looking at my girl?" This is probably a bad time to say, "Heck yes! Look at those legs! I mean, WOW!"
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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But a response like "Man, even that severed head is checking out your girl" is perfectly appropriate.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Tom, you win the award for smoothest compliment of the week for this one:
quote:Mack, just remember that the mere sight of your legs helps wounded men forget their pain long enough to compliment you on them. There's no mystery involved.
<would love to see legs that make a man forget he has fallen off a 50 ft. cliff>
Posts: 2112 | Registered: Sep 1999
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A good look at your legs made him leap off a 50 ft. cliff, then the fall made him hallucinate that you have nice legs. Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I think he just didn't want you to worry about him, so he was showing that he could still joke around. That's definitely a man thing. He could have started bawling, and then he would have felt that he'd blown it. But making jokes, especially when seriously hurt, is heroic.
I can't remember who said this: people will still think about the most off-topic things during times of great stress—like noticing how nicely the birds are singing while walking across a battlefield full of dead soldiers.
Posts: 519 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Actually, there is a physiological reason for this, although it's a bit complicated. MRIs of infant brains of both sexes show the presence of three major glands: the cry gland, the poop gland, and the drool gland. As we age, the developmental progression differs between the sexes as follows:
Poop happens. It's a fact of life. Everyone always retains the poop gland, throughout development.
As for the cry gland, environmental pressures lead to its regression in most men, thus resulting in Sports (in which not crying is seen to be a sort of achievement, which validates their disorder). In women, the cry gland usually remains intact. Some women and men master voluntary control of the cry gland, thus leading to Histrionics (a social disorder).
The drool gland generally evolves into the talk gland in women, thus enabling a successful defense mechanism in times of stress.
It, however, remains the drool gland in men. It just does. Mack, he was drooling -- it wasn't his fault, as it's his hardwiring.
It's kind of like how cats cannot resist pawing a piece of string dragged past them. Little cats, big cats, wild cats, domesticated cats: doesn't matter.
Men are like lions: can never ignore a little tail going past.
This winter, my mother passed out b/c she has a brain tumor (non-malignant, but still...). She did a face plant and broke all the bones in her nose, lost some teeth, split her lip in half, and bruised her cheekbones and jaw. I flew all night and went right from the airport to the hospital. I was exhausted and lost it when I saw my mother. I usually throw up when I'm hit with a huge emotional shock and this time was no exception. I didn't want to wake my mother, so I ran into the hallway where a nurse saw what was happening and gave me one of those containers. Throwing up always makes my eyes tear like crazy. I rinsed my mouth out and went back to see my mother. She was awake and she motioned for me to come close so she could say something to me. Here is what my mother said to me: "Kira, go fix your makeup and brush your hair."
I knew then that she'd pull through.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
I totatlly get it. I'd probably do about the same thing in his place.
What should he have done, rolled around and cried about the pain? That wouldn't have done any good. The thing that I'm not seeing here is that this wasn't just some useless act of bravado, but a useful part of being a man. When you're in pain, whining about it and letting that pain control your actions can be a bad thing.
Here's an example. At one point, I was part of a trust fall situation where you fell backwards off of a six foot high platform and were caught by a team of people. One of the people doing this didn't keep his elbow in (he didn't get tied up because he had injured his wrist and swore he'd keep his elbows in). Anyway, he nailed one guy right in the nose, turning it into a bloody mess. The guy could have freaked out at the pain and not caught the other guy, but he didn't. He took the shot and kept his place, all out of instinct. That's a large part of what it means to be a man.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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And what if a woman did the same thing? I mean, I know quite a few women who would suck it up and keep the catch, even with a bloody nose. I suppose it's all part of being a woman. Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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