Conspicuous absence

Ann Althouse has some fun with a NYT article on why men aren't found at adult education classes:

You want to explain the behavior of the people who are not doing something, so... why not ask the people who are doing it? Talk to the women and the educators who attract them to find out what's motivating the men who aren't there. [...]

But it would be so easy to turn that around and present the male side as positive.

Men prefer to look at something they have decided to do and figure it out on their own. They like to observe, analyze, and discover. They accept the risks and enjoy the excitement of trial and error. They don't like sitting around having someone tell them what to do, and they aren't intrigued by the prospect of meeting women who spend so much time doing something they loathe.

Funny stuff. When trying to understand why men don't take classes, they talk to women who do. This is a journalistic technique I call "conspicuous absence" -- a piece that goes on at length about a type of person, while not actually talking to that type of person.

(This is a lesson I am learning in business, too. It is often most valuable to talk to those people who aren't your customers.)

Ann may be on to something with her alternative take on male learning. For me, I like the idea of classes, but often find myself bored by the reality.

When I research a topic (usually something techie), I prefer to do it on my own. I know what my priorities are, what I am trying to accomplish, and can browse a lot of sources to pick one which suits the need. I have more "ah-ha" moments, which triggers some pleasure center in my Neanderthal male brain.

Hell, it's probably the same part of brain that holds the hunter-gatherer instinct. Scan for clues, pick up a trail, follow it through the brush, and (hopefully) get a payoff at the end. «Snort, grunt»

A teacher would have a hard time replicating that experience. The great ones do, I suppose.

Comments

[andrea]

I'm a female here in Sanfran and I'm way more apt to tackle a topic the "male way" as you are. And I'm married (to a man)and have 3 kids. Go figure.