Friday, June 4, 2010

3 reasons men are better off keeping quiet

There's this old saying by Ben Franklin where he says, "I'd rather be the dumbest lot on earth than the smartest person with no one to share it with. Considering one of my hobbies is learning, I'd like to share my wisdom.

Now it doesn't matter that I'm right or wrong, I'd just like to have a discussion about what I learn, be it political or sports or whatever. It's kind of like my wife coming home with a good story to tell, and she wants to tell it to me. I usually listen with open ears. If I don't she gets ornery with me.

Yet later on I'm watching the news and I say something like, "The oil spill in Florida is a travesty, but the media continuously gets their facts wrong." So she gets all mad at me instead of discussing. So I decide it's better to just be quiet and be a good husband that way.

Yet the satisfaction department stays empty that way.

I've decided there are three types of discussions I have with my wife
  1. I agree with my wife
  2. I pretend to agree with her
  3. I say nothing and let her talk away
The reasons I've decided I can't have a two-way discussion with her is because she
  1. Finds fault with my opinions
  2. Disagrees with me
  3. Doesn't care what I have to say
Now if I did that to her I'd be up in a heap of trouble. She'd be angry. Yet I've learned from my own dad that it's better for me to appear to be the inferior dummy and to let the wife stand on a pedestal and look good. It's her world.

Or, as some old wise person once said: It's a man's world, but women run it. Or, to keep the squeaky wheel quite it's best to keep quiet and let it squeak.