Men And Women

Humans are subconsciously obsessed with perfection. I am not joking. We are always looking to even things out - from sexism, racism to simply between two individuals. Allow me to elaborate.

I happened to catch a Mandarin talk show on TV showing a mix of young people, news reporters and the hosts engaging in a debate on sexual equality. The show trumpeted shamelessly for the spirit of democracy and free speech, though, it was obviously feeding off sensationalism for its viewership. I am usually alright with that, having been used to the like of "Nip and Tuck" (the pre-surgery psychological evaluations were purely intoxicating) or "Boston Legal" (James Spader was attractively incorrigible!). In fact, this one seemed mild in comparison.

One of the segments showed the man in the street being interviewed for their opinions. The age-old question was: do you think man and woman are equal in our society? And the answers, at times sent me into uncontrollable giggles, yet proved to be insightful. One lady replied with a resigned look, "Of course, man and woman are equal! I am only saying that to console myself!" Yet others claimed about the inequality in the working arena and career opportunities. But then again, you can't deny, by any count, that women are better at dealing with people; that is why it is said that they make better CEOs. As one of the guests pointed out in the show, statistic shows that a lot of the top management in US corporations comprises of women. Going by the cold, hard figures and the well-known fact that women are better CEOs, doesn't it all means that a woman's abilities and contributions are well recognised in our society? It was a pity that the show didn't provide the figures for the local commercial sector. Or maybe I have missed it. But what does this all add up to? That the women being interviewed are pushing for much more than what they are entitled? That it is only typical of a sceptic like me to think that way? That if given the chance, women would walk all over the men? Or like all humans, they were only looking for perfection or in this case, the myth that one day, man and woman will be equal.

PS: I have to confess; I think men are, to this day, the superior gender, or rather that is what we like to think. And it is only for the benefit of all, especially for the women to think likewise. The men naturally enjoy being a man taking care of the woman of his life and their offspring. The women naturally enjoy being a woman who is pampered and feels that she is well taken care of by a man. Everything happens for a reason, especially if it has been going on for ages.