Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Where do they get their data?

Les Jones has a post up commenting on a study that claims women talk three times as much as men. Where does he get that? I mean, am I particularly verbose? No, not really. It's not like I natter on about things, like that icky fart joke he threw in. I wouldn't go on about that except to comment on how tacky it is. Although it is funny, when you think about it. Seriously, though, I think this claim of excessive verbosity is just plain sexist. When a guy talks a whole lot about very little, he's an orator; when a woman does the same, she's just chatty. Is that fair? I ask you. (No, it's not. There's your answer.) Besides, if we did talk more (and I'm not conceding that we do, mind you,) it'd only be because we have more to say. (Word count of this post: 159, to Les's count of 53. Tweren't easy... ;) )

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

When I see you or James Lileks do this wordcount thing and make it work out right without stuttering, it's like watching magic. Thanks for the chuckle.

Keith

Anonymous said...

A few observations on that study.

1. The person was paid good money to conduct it.

2. And most likely had a college edjumacation.

3. All they had to do was open the "duh" file. It was there the whole time. ;-)

Anonymous said...

I could tell you were strugglin there tam. Dont worry about it. I know how those statistics got that way...its all those darned sorority girls (and their ilk).

I swear to god if you taped one of their mouths shut, they would explode from the built up gas pressure.

The real ratio is much more like 2:1

Anonymous said...

Clearly, my sister was part of the survey. She could skew and such statistics waaaaayy higher than they should be.

Todd said...

Huh? Did you say something?

Anonymous said...

I don't see any "good" or "bad" about who talks more. IMO, generally, women find more things in which to be interested. More of what I'd call "social stuff". Women's conversations involve a lot more question and answer than most of the guy-stuff.

A guy generally tends to omit what to him is extraneous. "I have a cousin who..." The same guy's sister, talking about what that same cousin did, would include a bunch of genealogy.

I'm ignoring politicians and preachers, of course. :)

No big deal...

Art

phlegmfatale said...

You know, my grandpa would make his kids sit in the car for hours while he walked the high street and shot the shit with all the local geezers. If a woman did that, she'd be the most wanton gossip, but when he did it, it was merely an exchange of information. The distinctions are more than a little suspect, in my view.

Vogrin said...

Huh.

Anonymous said...

I have enjoyed few things as much as our companionable silences over cigarettes and sci-fi.

Anonymous said...

Shut up.

HollyB said...

Funny, Women are more verbose?
I beg to differ.
Just a cursory glance at the comments section of your blog would prove that study false! Most of the comments are from guys.
And in the areas of Sports in the homes I grew up in, men can out-talk women anyday on any sport, ad nauseum. I'm not anti-sports. I like Hockey, especially the Stars and the Coyotes. I love watching my Texas Aggies whale the tar out of anybody. I enjoy some of the Olympic sports.
But GOLF? Give me a break! A golf course is nothing but the waste of space that could be a wonderful shooting range! How can anyone with a funtioning brain stand to watch someone else play golf, for hours?

Anonymous said...

Women wouldn't have to talk so much, if men would just listen to them the first time.