"Guys and Dolls":

Amazingly Different, but Exactly the Same

My topic today is the age-old battle of the sexes. We think we're so different from them, the other kind. So different in fact, that we believe we will never understand those weirdos. The question is, how different are we really? When it comes down to it, we have a lot more in common than we realize, or maybe than we care to admit!

Take emotions, for instance. Emotions are one of the biggest walls between guys and girls. Girls often have a hard time hiding their feelings, and we can't get guys to show them enough. They both feel the same peer pressure. Girls are considered "soft" and "feminine" if they cry at a movie, while guys are admirably "strong" for being able to conceal what's really in their hearts. The common ground is this: they both need to find a happy medium, and listen to their own instincts instead of what society dictates. Girls, if they didn't act so emotional, would be considered "cold," but a guy who cries at even the most touching scene is a "wimp." Girls, don't feel like you have to be a walking water faucet to seem feminine; and Guys, if you're trying to be a "real" man, you have to start by being human.

Next we'll look at the family. The old stereotype of the family structure is out. Woman was a housewife - maid, mother, one-car taxi-service, full-time food bar. Man was the supporter - had a job, came home and did nothing but eat and lounge, a dad, the sole decision maker. Woman said, "Yes, dear," like it or lump it. Everything has changed now. Man isn't the only full-time worker in the house anymore. Since the little wife isn't at home all day, man finds himself helping more and more with the housework, and finding more and more of "his" decisions are turning into "our" decisions. Husband and wife have more in common now than ever before. If you really want to find a mutual ground, you will - you just have to know where to look.

For us teenagers, we're learning new rules for a new game. At school, the expectations are always changing, but they're changing for both guys and girls. We both have the same pressures to get good grades, be a good athlete, and still be "cool." Girls wrestle and play football. I'm still waiting for guys to start playing high school volleyball. At home, the division of labor is beginning to change. The hard line between guy chores and girl chores is beginning to fade. Girls mow lawns, take out trash, and work on cars; guys wash dishes and help clean house.

While most parents are full-supporters of this new system, some of the more rigid old-timers prefer to stick to the old way. They just can't accept life in the new world. They believe housework and food preparation are women's jobs; men should stick to bringing home the paycheck and home improvements. In the days when women can change a tire as quickly as a man, and a man can whip out a meatloaf as well as a any woman, these out-dated beliefs have to go. Men and women are becoming more and more similar, and as long as we don't lose sight of the good parts of our differences, these changes will be positive ones. So, ladies and gentlemen, seek the common ground, keep track of your individuality, and enjoy the competition!