Small Thoughts On Big Issues

"But on this blog of yours. Are you really going to be honest about the differences between men and women?" This from a female journalist friend of mine in the summer.

Well, yes and no. I am very anti the whole Men Are From Dulwich, Women Are From Nottingham approach to modern life - not least of all because on our very first road trip together, mrs hhn (who was then my two week old girlfriend) got the speaking book of that Men Are From Mars book. We listened to approx four minutes of it. But also because setting us up as different is just begging for failure in relationships, communication, lurve etc. Maybe I am a little naive, but I only get that we (the sexes) are going to really understand each other if we look for common ground rather than insurmountable differences/barriers in an to that communication process.

The idea now, is that I now give some groovy examples to illustrate my point...er, I don't have any. What I do have - and what got me talking about the whole gender differences thing again here today - is a recommendation for a book I have just finished called This Book Will Change Your Life by A M Homes. Despite the title, it is not some big old self-help book. Just a really funny, clever and mildly provocative novel about a middle aged man figuring out that the only person he can really connect with is the loony woman in the salads section at the supermarket. It doesn't (unless I missed something) pretend to be some thesis on the differences between men and women. It - or she the writer - is just good on men and what keeps them awake at night. And on women and what makes them get up in the morning. I recommend it. So does my sister, who bought me the book for Xmas. She said it was a welcome respite from chick lit. (Hmmm. hhn turning into a Further Reading For Geezers And Ladies hub. Not sure how much further I can take that process.)

Anyway, Big Brother. Despite myself, I did watch it again last night to see what all the protests about racism were about. (At Prime Minister's Question Time earlier in the week, Tony Blair said he could not comment on it because he had not seen it. Weak Tony, very weak.) And what I did see on the show were some truly unpleasant women not being able to deal with anyone who was not like them - vulgar, brash, uneducated, bigoted, self-seeking etc.

mrs hhn and I are kind of hoping that this will be career death for the three particular women who are ganging up on the Indian girl in the Big Brother House. I have never seen such unpleasant vitriol. Well I have, but not on TV. (Which makes good TV? No. Because TV is some people's god and religion and guide.)

Holy Moly claimed this morning to have a scoop on who was going into the House tomorrow. But their server is down, so I am assuming 1) they got it wrong or 2) they are being hassled by Channel 4 about this claim. But hope it is someone who has the emotional clout to deal with those terrible women. Which was kind of my point at the outset about men and women. It ain't what you is. It's the way that you do it.