So, how do we see each other...

[Luck]

I don't particularly care as long as it isn't too insulting. It's only human to have a double standard, and as much as I dislike that, I can't really help it(having countless double standards myself).

Do x receive y.

 

[Åzurε]

I think there's a difference between treating a boy like a boy and a girl like a girl, and having a "normal" double standard. They're physically and (due to that) psychologically different. It doesn't mean there's nothing beneath that layer, but it does necessitate that we look at each sex differently.

Objectification of a person ignores other facets of their being, and honestly it saddens me that some people want that for themselves. As for people not having a choice, yes they do. They always have a choice. The results and effectiveness of the choice varies, but it's always there. People who are stereotypically male or stereotypically female, or promiscuous in general, always have a choice to stop doing that. I find it hard to believe they didn't get the "be yourself" message. That's being pushed by the media constantly. A person can be influenced, but they can also break influences. It's not always easy, but they always have a choice.

 

[twocows]

I generally try to judge people on an individual basis rather than stereotype them based on their sex. I care more about what kind of person someone is than about what's in their pants.

 

[Bloo]

Basically, I feel as if males act in a derogatory way to females, although there are many males who can resist this feeling toward females. Not all males are like that, as society is growing in a way where gender is beginnning to become, needless to say... unrelated to how human beings treat eachother.

 

[Father-nature]

This is simple, boys think some girls are *****es and some are weird and some are pretty etc etc, or some boys just hate ALL girls or loves all girls, same with women.
Because, no one is alike, you cant say.

Well me, i'm a boy, i like some girls, and some girls i hate. If they are nice to me i am nice to them, if not then i don't pay attention to them. I am not a normal guy compared to others. I have friends, girl friends to. They are not some things, to me.
I respect them just as much as anybody.

 

[SIN1488]

I think a lot of them probably think a GF is something desirable to acquire, which is why they say things like "I need to get a GF" or "My friend got a GF and I want one too".

A lot of them are probably still in that stage where they really care about fitting in, and so they think if they don't "have" a GF then they are uncool. I'm not saying all of them are like that, but I really doubt a lot of them are really trying to get a girl to like them because they want to be in a real meaningful relationship.

And since a lot of them are still going through puberty, they probably want to go out with a girl because they think they can and will...... well you know. :P

lol, I didn't even answer the main question:

So everyone, what are your thoughts and experiences about how the people in your life treat their counterparts of opposite gender?

Well, there's a whole spectrum of guys that treat women and girls differently. On one side you got the guys that love going to places like Hooters, strip clubs, etc. Those ones are usually the ones who will whistle or hoot and holler if a fine women goes by them. I'm sure most women don't like them, but at the same time I'm sure some like the attention. Exhibitionists? lol

Then you got the ones that seem to treat women like total jerks, yet for some reason a lot still like them.

Then in the middle you got guys that will treat women the same as anyone else. If they are already friends with them, then they will joke around with them just like their guy friends. And if they are strangers, they would treat them like any other strangers.

Going further to the right down the spectrum..... You got guys who will treat them better and respect them. These are usually the ones that will try to pull that romantic stuff. I don't really know about that romantic stuff personally :S

And lastly, the guys who practically worship the ground under women and or girl's feet. Some women or girls might like being treated like a princess or something, but at the same time some would probably be weirded out by that. Those guys are probably clingy too, and I know a lot of ladies don't like that.

 

[bna_li]

I've always viewed women as these mysterious and incomprehensible creatures. In truth, we're probably not that much different. We feel emotion the same way, and our opinions about issues in life are not wholly influenced by gender. But I do find that it's so much harder to understand a woman's end game than a guy's. Guys are simple to read, as opposed to girls, who seem to be much more subtle and complex.

I've always disliked the stereotype that all men are pigs, because it simply isn't true. I don't think men are any more prone to idiocy than women, women just hold that stereotype in high esteem because they mature earlier than men. I also don't think that more men are jerks than women are *****y.

All opinion.

 

[Amaruuk]

Almost all my close friends IRL (at least locally) are men. None of them have that 'animal' way of reacting to women. They all just react to people as people, and not as one gender or the other, and value that viewpoint. That's how I like it. I do feel, though, that there is some truth to men being more down-to-earth and 'simpler' in a sense, and women tending to be more complicated. I think that's part of why I feel more comfortable with male friends. When I was a kid, all the girls where I was were so strung up on gossip and pointless social hierarchy that of course I gravitated towards boys, who weren't into that frivolous sort of stuff. Obviously it's not all-encompassing, as there are plenty of down-to-earth chicks and men with secrets and power issues.

There are situations, too, where other women can give me a sort of threatened feeling (whether intended or not), much like a gender reversal of most of the animal kingdom, where males are the ones forming rivalries over a female. This doesn't happen much anymore, though.

Overall, I think it goes both ways. On one hand, we humans are just another species of animal, and it's no surprise that it's ingrained into us to react to things in certain 'primitive' ways at times. On the other hand, we are a species that has evolved the capacity to look beyond all that and see other individuals with a much more complex and sophisticated understanding than other animals can. The difference is that some people choose to use this human-invented approach while others simply do not.