girls think this. guys think that.

After a long discussion on ‘feelings,’ my boyfriend kept referring to what he was dealing with by generalizing. Guys deal with this. Guys think this. I wanted to scream at him. I am not interested in what other guys think or say. I want to know how he, as an individual, thinks and operates. Why do I care what the other billions of men typically do in a situation?

Now I don’t want to take my anger out at him, but I find that people often fall into the trap of generalizing. Even that statement was a generalization! I generalize because I don’t want to own up to what I am feeling. It’s easier to cast my feelings on a large group rather than isolate myself. If I say that girls generally need affirmation, it means that I, specifically, need affirmation. There may be women that do not need as much affirmation as I do, and some may need more. So why do I say it? Why can’t I be my own person? Why do I have to be generalized?

Now that I realized generalization is a pet peeve, I constantly worry that I am going to generalize myself. I correct myself when I start saying it. I glare at my boyfriend when he says that guys enjoy winning, or guys like sports. But we will keep working on it!