Writer's Block: Department of Stereotypes

[badatapologies]

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This is a tough one for me, given my history. I guess what I usually do is try to split the difference and just ask for inaccurate directions.

Comments

[laminator-x.livejournal.com]

This old trope comes from the intersection of two gender-tendancies: One is that men are more predisposed toward navigating by Sun-position and dead reckonning, while women are pore predisposed toward using navigating using sequences of landmarks. anthropologists theorize this owes toward ancient divisions of hunting vs gathering along gender lines.

The second being the much talked about in pop-psych books differing perspective on asking for help, though I suspect that is more of a cultural bias rather than biological differential.

[shegeek1000101.livejournal.com]

I do both. Hmmm....

[laminator-x.livejournal.com]

As do most of us. I've certainly never met a woman who thought the Sun sets in the East or a man who couldn't understand turning left at the third stoplight padt the car-wash. These are just broad tendancies across whole populations. Induviduals will be (ahem) all over the map in terms of navigational style.

For myself, I enjoy the challenge of finding my way in unfamilliar territory, exploring and joyriding my way home. OTOH if I've got other people along and time is any sort of factor I don't hesitate to ask directions when needed.

[shegeek1000101.livejournal.com]

Good points. What I was kind of referring to is that although I am a fairly feminine natal woman and don't consider myself transgendered at all, I do see the world and think in a very male way. People around me do tend to notice that and wouldn't be surprised that I would use a guy method to navigate. What usually happens is just that I set a point in my mind of which way I'm supposed to be going and head in that direction, keeping track of where that point is even if I have to make turns. To get back, I do remember landmarks and use them in case my point of reference gets lost.

[wasabi-poptart.livejournal.com]

I hate asking for directions.

Furthermore, if a guy I'm with attempts to do so, I impune his manhood.