An easy (and, I guess, common) thing to do on a blog is to
rant about the things that the author does not like in the world or about
people. There is usually a long, sometimes seemingly endless, list. I have such
as list, and I will be carrying on about many of the things on it, so it is a
good time to bail if you wish. The thing that I would like to emphasize, though,
is that I will really be complaining about one thing, in its many
manifestations. This is behavior, mostly but not exclusively by males, that is
seen as characteristically, stereotypically, and likely accurately, male.
This often is violent or overtly aggressive toward other
people (see: January 6, 2021 + much violent crime) but also is often sublimated
into going fast, often in cars but also in / on other vehicles, for no apparent
reason. If asked to explain why they do it, it is usually described as fun or
exciting. This is very common and in fact admired; note the popularity of both
NASCAR and the “Fast and Furious” movie franchise. I guess it is actually fine
as long as it doesn’t hurt, or have significant potential to hurt, other
people. One example I always think of are the fisherman on the lake on which I
had a house in Kansas. It was a small lake, and it didn’t take more than a
minute or two for fishermen to get from the public dock at one end to the
shallow inlets where they fished down by our end. Especially with the 200HP
motors on them. Really fast, but really short trips. Other boats on our lake,
and on other bigger lakes also do this all the time, towing water-skiers or
running jet skis around and around in circles. What struck me about the fishermen
in particular was that, when they got to the end of the lake in just a couple
of minutes, they cut their gasoline engines, started their electric trolling
motors, and quietly moved around in the shallows fishing for the next couple of
hours. But they must have saved at least two minutes compared to going more
slowly, two minutes more time for quiet fishing. And, of course, they added on another two
minutes on the other end. But harmless, I suppose, although loud, and creating
huge wakes making the lake difficult to swim or canoe or kayak on.
I suppose jet skis are the same; their only function is
enjoyment for the riders, but they really mess up the water. At least power
boats towing water skiers are helping someone do something that actually requires
skill and physical effort; I admit to a prejudice in favor of activities that
actually require or help build some muscle and fitness and effort (canoeing,
kayak, biking, hiking). The activities that are “just fun” for the people doing
them regardless of how they affect others are often done on purpose to harass
others – think of jet skiers “buzzing the beach”. Or, for that matter, folks
who play their car radios really loud with the windows open (the rest of us
mostly just hear the booming bass line) or have their motorcycle mufflers
adjusted to make really loud noise. Sometimes this is all a reflection of
immaturity, and this immaturity is to a degree “natural”; human brains are not
fully developed into the mid-20s, and the last part to develop completely is
the fontal lobe, controlling “executive function” and what we might generally
call judgement. This is different from being smart, or even knowing a lot – it
is being able to integrate the information you have and make a wise decision
based on it.
Why did you drive into that busy
intersection where you then had a crash? What were you thinking?
Thinking?
So that can be dangerous, despite the fact that it can also
be normal for young people (mostly male) because of their incomplete brain
development. But the problem is that for many, such behavior persists, long
past the mid-20s, into middle and even old age. How do we explain this?
Arrested development? The counter influence of a culture that glorifies
violence and war (mostly, it must be said, for the profit)? The counter
influence of substances, particularly alcohol? Does it matter?
It matters little if kids are just acting out and testing
limits and don’t really cause difficulty for others, just sometimes irritation.
It matters a little if people acting out do intrude on the life and activities
of others, and a lot if it creates danger to them. And worse if it actually
harms others.
I first thought that the question was why we accept such
behavior as ok. Now I realize that this question doesn’t mean anything. I just
wish the norm for acceptable behavior (at least for males) was not aggressive, violent, mean, and stupid.
