Book clubs (split)

[ChrisOH]

You see, somewhere along the way, we men have decided that reading books, and studying science and math, well . . . that's sissy stuff. Real men don't sit around reading books. Real men play in sports.

I belong to a men's book club at the local library, and apparently that is so unusual that one local news station did a feature on us at this month's meeting. Almost all of us in the club (12-14 men) have been to other book clubs, but they were almost always all women (although they were never specifically promoted as women's clubs -- it just wasn't seen as a "guy thing", something we're working to change).

If anyone wants to see the video, PM me and I'll send you a link -- since yours truly is interviewed in it, I'd rather not give online trolls and troublemakers any fodder.

[Fat Man]

You see, somewhere along the way, we men have decided that reading books, and studying science and math, well . . . that's sissy stuff. Real men don't sit around reading books. Real men play in sports.

I belong to a men's book club at the local library, and apparently that is so unusual that one local news station did a feature on us at this month's meeting. Almost all of us in the club (12-14 men) have been to other book clubs, but they were almost always all women (although they were never specifically promoted as women's clubs -- it just wasn't seen as a "guy thing", something we're working to change).

If anyone wants to see the video, PM me and I'll send you a link -- since yours truly is interviewed in it, I'd rather not give online trolls and troublemakers any fodder.

NEWS FLASH!!!

Men reading books! Story tonight at 6:00 PM!

Yeah! I can see it now! Men reading books, has become so unusual in the USA that any story of men reading books has become a newsworthy event.

OK, I'm going to send you a PM right now, and I promise, I will keep the link to the video a secrete because I certainly don't want to give any of those zoo-tramps out there any ammunition that they could possibly use against us.

I'll be looking forward to seeing the video and I promse to keep my big fat mouth shut about what I have seen.

[recovering_fan]

Almost all of us in the club (12-14 men) have been to other book clubs, but they were almost always all women (although they were never specifically promoted as women's clubs -- it just wasn't seen as a "guy thing", something we're working to change).

Well, thanks for THAT info. Were the women in the mostly-female book clubs in favour of having you there? Or did they frown on it?

You can probably guess why I'm interested in knowing. The reason is, if they were in favour of it, then I'm so there.

The only only hang up I'd having about going to something like that is that I might be perceived like the guy in that Bud Light commercial, who sticks around at his girlfriend's book club simply because there is Bud Light.

(You guys all know the one I'm talking about? It's hilarious, but I don't want to offend anyone by posting the link.)

--RF

[ChrisOH]

NEWS FLASH!!!

Men reading books! Story tonight at 6:00 PM!

Yeah! I can see it now! Men reading books, has become so unusual in the USA that any story of men reading books has become a newsworthy event.

Yes, I thought it was quite interesting that we were considered unusual enough to be "newsworthy"! However, our organizer told us when he was doing web searches two years ago for ideas about men's book clubs, all he could find were ones in Boston, Toronto, and one town in Florida. So it seemed like a rarity just about anywhere.

[ChrisOH]

Almost all of us in the club (12-14 men) have been to other book clubs, but they were almost always all women (although they were never specifically promoted as women's clubs -- it just wasn't seen as a "guy thing", something we're working to change).

Well, thanks for THAT info. Were the women in the mostly-female book clubs in favour of having you there? Or did they frown on it?

Well, I went with my wife, and they were welcoming to us, but there was just that persistent "fifth wheel" feeling I kept getting.

You can probably guess why I'm interested in knowing. The reason is, if they were in favour of it, then I'm so there.

Well, if my guess is correct as to your interest, RF, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high. I'm not sure of your exact age, but I've deduced from some of your postings that you're likely younger than me (I'm 40), and well....most of the women at the book clubs were my mother's age or older! Ironically, this was what made my wife uncomfortable about going back -- she wanted to find a club that "wasn't a bunch of old ladies who have time to read 20 books a month." (She is 42 and works full-time.)

At the same library where the men's book club meets, there's a "20s and 30s" club, however, that's co-ed. Apparently it has a few men in it, but majority are women. I'm not sure how prevalent this book-club demographic is in other areas of the country.

[recovering_fan]

Well, I went with my wife, and they were welcoming to us,

Of course!

You went with your wife, so they were bound to be more comfortable around you. Guess it's alright as long as a guy has a "chaperone"?

Arrgh!

but there was just that persistent "fifth wheel" feeling I kept getting.

Yeah, I don't mind that. If figure that for the "wimmins" mainly to agree with each other and to regard my take on the novel as that of a small child is probably par for the course. But then again, just like having a fifth wheel in the trunk is a good thing when driving a deserted highway alone, I'm sure many of them felt your wildly unorthodox views livened things up.

(Still, if I ever went to mostly all-female book club, my strategy would be to say almost nothing, and even then I would mainly try to agree with them. If I said everything that popped into my head I'm sure that I would soon become the centre of attention, just because a guy's perspective is different from a gal's. Believe it or not, I don't strive to be the centre of attention. Especially around women, I like to say stuff that will lift their spirits up and make them feel smart.)

You can probably guess why I'm interested in knowing. The reason is, if they were in favour of it, then I'm so there.

Well, if my guess is correct as to your interest, RF, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high. I'm not sure of your exact age, but I've deduced from some of your postings that you're likely younger than me (I'm 40), and well....most of the women at the book clubs were my mother's age or older! Ironically, this was what made my wife uncomfortable about going back -- she wanted to find a club that "wasn't a bunch of old ladies who have time to read 20 books a month." (She is 42 and works full-time.)

Drat. Mostly old grannies...

BTW, I'm 30. It's tough to guess someone's age from postings, though, since many "internauts" only grow more fiesty and unruly with age. Trust me, I've been to many sites, and civility and reticence are far from guaranteed just because you're debating a 60 year-old.

[Fat Man]

Well, I guess the comments I had made on page 6 of the topic titled:
Two threads you may be interested in seeing.
http://www.sportssuck.org/phpbb2/viewto ... 7&start=75

has caused a split into a separate topic on Book Clubs.

Anyway . . . . .

Here was my post in its entirety, but with the emphases about men and reading books underlined.

OK, Andy Candy is a moron, because in an earlier post he said . . . . .

My academic success has absolutely zero affect on my schooling. For instance, my sister is not an athlete, never has been, but she has a 4.0 in the honors college at the other big university in the state. She is currently on a full-ride scholarship just because she works her butt off in the classroom.

Yeah! Andy Candy is a fucking moron!!!

And so am I!

I must also be also a fucking moron because I overlooked another important fact!

For instance, my sister is not an athlete, never has been, but . . .

The key word here is sister.

Girls don't have to be athletes, so girls can just breeze right through academics, because girls are not put under the same pressure to excel at sports as boy are.

So, I guess that I must confess to having a moron moment, because I had overlooked that rather significant fact.

Boys in school are under pressure to like sports, and to be good at sports, while girls are not.

I know this for a fact, because when I was going to school, I noticed that most of the girls made higher grades than most of the boys.

So, it boils down to this . . . . .

Sorry! But you're not allowed to check out Astronomy books from the school library, because you have a penis!

Yeah! Because boys have balls, then they must play with balls, while girls have the brains and therefore, are allowed to read books.

I really don't believe in equality of the sexes!

Why would intelligent women want to be equal to men and come down to our level and wallow in the mud with us?

No ladies! You're actually better than us men! You're superior to us men!

WE MEN ARE PIGS!

No wait! I take that back!

Pigs are gentle and intelligent creatures. We men aren't good enough to be pigs!

You see, somewhere along the way, we men have decided that reading books, and studying science and math, well . . . that's sissy stuff. Real men don't sit around reading books. Real men play in sports.

Oh! But if any boy in school has a crippled up leg, and can't do sports, then we just throw him out with the trash!

We will harass him until he has an emotional or mental breakdown, and then, send him off to the loony bin for a little while, and then, we will beat him some more, and shove a dick up his ass!

Gee! I really wish I had been born a girl.

Then, I would not have been under pressure to be in sports, and I would have been allowed to excel academically, even if I had a crippled knee.

If I had thought for one moment, that cutting my nuts off would have changed my life for the better, I would have done it in a New York minute!

OK, I'm in a really fucking bad mood!

The arthritis in my left knee kept me awake last night, and it's been hurting like a son of a bitch!

I guess, by calling myself a moron along with Andy Candy seems to have had a positive effect.

But mostly, in the light of what I had said, I must thank CrisOH for bringing up the subject of men and book clubs, which resulted in this becoming a topic on it's own.

And also, ChrisOH, thank you very much for sending me the video link in your PM to me.

I'm going to check around and see if there are any book clubs here in El Paso. But, if they are mostly women members, then I would like very much to start a men's auxiliary book club.

Thank you ChrisOH for the inspiration!

We men need to show the world that not all of us guys are sports obsessed pigs.

I guess my also saying that we men are pigs seems to have had a positive effect.

So, here is my proposal.

For years, those of us who are anti-sports, we have been referring to sports fans and jocks as morons.

So, I propose that we also declare that . . . . .

WE ARE MORONS TOO!

We must be morons!

Why?

Because for far too many years we have allowed . . . etc. etc.

Yes, in declaring ourselves morons, we must also add the clause "We must be morons because for far too many years we had allowed . . . etc. etc. (insert reason or reasons here)" and maybe, it might have the positive effect of changing what it is that is moronic by not allowing it to continue any longer.

Just like when I has said . . .

You see, somewhere along the way, we men have decided that reading books, and studying science and math, well . . . that's sissy stuff. Real men don't sit around reading books. Real men play in sports.

Which of course was merely a sarcasm, but it apparently had inspired ChrisOH to mention the book club for men.

Once again ChrisOH . . .

Thank you very much for mentioning the book club for men.

Real men do read books!

[Skul]

Well, I guess the comments I had made on page 6 of the topic titled:
Two threads you may be interested in seeing.
http://www.sportssuck.org/phpbb2/viewto ... 7&start=75

has caused a split into a separate topic on Book Clubs.

Actually, RF had made a comment on it. I was going to post it in the first post, but I deleted it without checking it was actually copied to the clipboard. Sorry!

But he was basically saying that the dicsussion about book clubs had nothing to do with the topic the thread was about and that Chris should start a new thread about them. I just split it so that the discussion could continue where it left off.

Real men do read books!

YEH! ONLY FAGZ DONT READ BOOKZ!

[Fat Man]

Well, I guess the comments I had made on page 6 of the topic titled:
Two threads you may be interested in seeing.
http://www.sportssuck.org/phpbb2/viewto ... 7&start=75

has caused a split into a separate topic on Book Clubs.

Actually, RF had made a comment on it. I was going to post it in the first post, but I deleted it without checking it was actually copied to the clipboard. Sorry!

But he was basically saying that the dicsussion about book clubs had nothing to do with the topic the thread was about and that Chris should start a new thread about them. I just split it so that the discussion could continue where it left off.

Real men do read books!

YEH! ONLY FAGZ DONT READ BOOKZ!

Yes, I do remember RF suggesting that the recent discussion about a book club for men should be moved to its own topic.

Well, anyway . . . I would like to thank BOTH ChrisOH and RF for this new topic about book clubs.

And I thank you Skul, for the web site editing to make it possible.

YEH! FAGZ NEED 2 LERN HOW TO REED BOOKZ SO THEY CAN LERN HOW 2 SPEL!

THAT'S BCUZ THEIR SPENIN SUX!

PS.

Also, I notice that we're back down to just over 200 members instead of over 900 members that we had earlier.

Thanks for the Stalinist style purge of all those potential SPAMers!!!

I say, ship 'em all off to Siberia!

Thanks, Comrade Skul!!!



I tip my hat to you!

My nice soft warm fluffy furry commie hat!

Yeah! The Commies could be real bastards sometimes!

But, you gotta admit, they wore really neat looking hats!