Wednesday, November 01, 2006
I hate man-places
Women will know what I'm talking about. Man-places are places that sell man stuff and the environment is usually hostile to women. Service stations are the worst. First, they condescend to you. Secondly they take advantage of your ignorance and screw you on prices. Third, if you're actually stuck there waiting for your vehicle the waiting area is usually uncomfortable, if not downright gross. Crappy chairs, magazines from the last century and maybe a vending machine. Their actual costs always exceed their estimates by at least 30%. Having your car repaired is a hateful experience from start to finish.

Another man-place is the automotive store. Here I've found that the dudes who help you are usually pretty nice, but you don't want to step more than 10 feet away from the counter where they sit because you'll be forced to encounter other men shopping there. You know, the ones that give you that look that says "What the hell are you doing here? You couldn't possibly know what the hell you're up to. Where's your man, anyway?"

The farm and tractor store and the farm co-op are just as bad. Once again the people who help you treat you like a toddler, and if there's a man anywhere in the store they will help him before they will help you.

Car sales lots are man-places, even though they want to sell to women. And they're the worst liars.

In town there is one gas station I used to avoid like the plague because it was the hang-out for do-less men. Just to pay for your gas you had to run a gauntlet of men sitting on their asses staring at you as you made your every move. Ick. Fortunately for them they made a pay-at-the-pump upgrade so now I buy my gas at the pump and leave, skipping the whole gauntlet thing.

Honestly, it seems that wherever men congregate en mass the environment becomes hostile to women. Why is that?

I will acknowledge that there are woman-places too. I'm thinking hair salons, clothes stores, Bath and Body...But the women in those places aren't hostile to men. I might believe that they're condescending, but no hostility. So what's the deal? Am I projecting? Am I the only woman that feels this?

Are there any man-places I'm forgetting?
Written at 1:42 PM by Highlandgal.
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