Are men more emotional these days?

[Liz]

Was wondering how emotional you guys are out there? Compared to your grandads, how often do you shed a tear?
Am not against it, I think its great when a guy shows his emotions, but is it increasing?
You see a lot of athletes shedding tears - eg does Fedderer cry more than McEnroe?? Guys on Biggest loser bawling ... but so am i.
Are you guys more sooky than your grandads??
All meant in a nice way ;)

[floyd_2]

I only cry when it's going to be cloudy :(

[trent_julie]

Who you calling sooky!
Its not tears it's called eye perspiration! and it happens when your so tough it hurts

Cheers,

Trent not Julie

[mill]

Huh? what is emotion???????

[Dennis]

I suspect that we men are now more aware of, and maybe even more in contact with, our emotions. Whether we choose to recognise them, let them bubble to the surface and give them an outward expression, is another matter!:)

Cheers

Dennis

[Liz]

Great answers guys ... I have 4 brothers, of whom all are emotionally sooky, when pushed to the limits .... and I love them for it.

edit ... I should add, that they would hate me me saying that they are emotional , but they are tough strong (beautiful) men.

[jjjnettie]

Crying is a wonderful catharsis. As Aristotle put it "It is the human soul that is purged of its excessive passions".

LOL I've cried me a river.

[Liz]

absolutely Nettie, on all accounts :)

[TrevorW]

I only cry at

Weddings
Funerals
Lassie Come Home

[Ric]

Hi Liz, when comparing to my grandfathers my answer would be yes.

Both my grandfathers were veterans of WW2 and my memories are of very tough men who would not show there true emotions.

I am definitely more emotional than they were.

[trent_julie]

I don't know that it's more prolific, so much as it is just more documented and reported. McEnroe probably bawled himself silly in the dressing room, but no-one had camera phones to prove it.

Besides, I don't think crying can be classed as the pinnacle of sookiness - McEnroe may not have cried, but he sure was a big baby!

Julie
(not Trent)

[Liz]

..good answer Trev ... apart from Lassie, unless you are < 13yrs ;)



Ys, I think you are right Ric ... hard to imagine what those old codgers went through.

[Paul Haese]

Soft!

[Liz]

..ooh. sweet :)

[Octane]

I'm not crying
These aren't tears of sadness because you're leaving me
I've just been cutting onions
I'm making a lasagna
For one
I'm not crying

H

[Octane]

In all seriousness, though, I have been known to get emotional at odd things.

Seeing Muhammad Ali (on TV) light the flame at the Olympics. Baaaw.

Listening to Pink Floyd's track Dogs for the first time. Baaaw.

Getting nostalgic about growing up and my youth in general. Baaaw.

H

[Liz]

geeze Humayan (wiping the tears) you must have a way with the ladies :rolleyes:

[jjjnettie]

;) He's the whole package Liz.

[Ric]

I caught my little toe against the leg of our bed this morning and bent it almost back to my heel. It's currently jet black with a nice yellow tinge in parts and about the size of my big toe, no doubt I've busted it again.

I had tears in my eyes for about 20 minutes after that effort.

[jjjnettie]

My complete sympathies are with you Ric.
It must have been excruciating. Still is I bet.

[Ric]

Sure makes me walk funny Nettie.

All you can do is tape it to the next toe and wait for it to heal.

[jjjnettie]

look after yourself Ric

[Ric]

Cheers Nettie

[TrevorW]

Liz I was 13 when I watched it and cried but I'm a softy for sad movies I even got emotional when Susan Boyle sung on Whos Got Talent in the UK for the first time

I think I've got worse as I've got older and I don't think it's a bad thing

Softy no I didn't cry after getting assaulted or having my nose broken at sport they are only physical things emotion cuts deeper

[sheeny]

No. I don't think so.

The difference is there's not so much stigma and shame associated with showing emotion these days... and that's a healthier way to be.

I can't remember when I've cried at physical pain... swore a lot maybe:lol:... but emotional pain as Trevor said cuts deeper. And I can relate to H's comments. If I'm in the mood I can let Pink Floyd into the vault and have a roll in the ashes...:lol:

As for tear-jerkers (movies) - hate 'em! Avoid them at all costs! Crying over a silly movie!:mad2: ... :lol:

Al.

[lacad01]

Per Al's answer I don't think we're necessarily "more emotional" but more so certain cultures in the past were for the suppressing of them, stiff upper lip and all that, but hopefully those attitudes are gone if not fading past. Other cultures on the other hand have never had an issue with men showing emotion.

[multiweb]

I won't cry if I'm sad but an emotional passage in a movie will give me wet eyes. :sad:

[iceman]

I've been known to shed a tear.

Not so much over physical pain as Al said, just a few swear words and grunts.

But definitely sad movies or sad stories on TV, like the doco on the Black Saturday fires on ABC the other night - so sad!

Big lump in the throat!

[Liz]

... thats true isnt it, older guys (not old) let it out (tears) a bit more.



... absolutely healthier way to be.



True again, we dont seem to suppress that emotion in men, as has been the case in years past.

In a 100 years time, the men will be crying more than the women ;)

[AstralTraveller]

Oh ... and I've just made fun of you in another thread. I'm sorry ... bawl. :(:(

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Liz,

Probably, here's 2 examples for me;

1) Jerry Maguire, when he is breaking up with his "wife" and says goodbye to her son while he is sleeping - GONE!

2) Bicentennial Man - Asimov story based movie with Sam Neill & Robin Williams, at the end when Andrew the robot dies. - GONE!

Must be the movies, cause my pain threshold is pretty high, except for the time I snapped my tibia skiing and then stood on it, and skiied down the rest of the hill (falling over about 60 times on the way) to get to the bottom. Pain was SO bad I cried each and every time I fell over, even little kids with no stocks were stopping and asking: "are you all right Mister???" Almost fainted 3 or 4 times too. Still, did this in the first run on the first day of a 5 day trip, rested for 2 days and then skiied on it for the last 2 days. Crazy pain, but worth it. Got an xray finally 3 months later and you could see the bone had completely healed, even after playing basketball on it. Looked like Mrs Marsh's colgate fooliguard experiment with the chalk.

Just dont get me watching a sad movie. I must empathise too much, the wife often looks over and pats my hand in the sad bits. :rain:

Liz, you had me at hello....

Cheers

Chris

[DavidU]

Here you go fellas.

[AstralTraveller]

Al, Trevor, Adam, Marc and Mike have pretty much said what I was thinking. It is better that men find it acceptable to let out their emotions. I wonder whether if my father had done that he would have developed asthma. [There were several cointributing factors but stress was right up there, and once the stress lessened the allergies disappeared.]

As for men crying more than women; I cry more than my wife, more than my mother and more than my sister - in fact more than all three combined.

Another thing that has changed for the better in our society is men expressing emotion through physical contact. When I was young men would shake hands - and in extreme circumstances maybe place a hand on the other blokes shoulder. Now at funerals or whatever it is more common to see a man give another bloke a hug.

[Liz]

... ah, you're a big softie Chris ;)



:lol::lol: love the tissue box, i need it for my tears of laughter.



very true as well ... nothing better than a big hug. Hmm ... girls give their good friends cuddles, but cant see guys giving their mates cuddles .... yet. ;)

[Screwdriverone]

Yep, thats what they say, my wife calls me that all the time.



NOW you are talking Liz, can we watch? .... at least post some pics?

Cheers

Chris

[Outbackmanyep]

"Who was dragged down by the stone"

[floyd_2]

I just looked at the sky clouding over yet again and started to tear up :sadeyes:

[jjjnettie]

Just another sad old man....
All alone and dying of cancer...

[scarper]

Yes it is on the increase...being a princess seems to be the in thing today.

I for one dont cry I can count on 1 finger the amount of times I have cried as an adult.

[Liz]

oh, that makes me cry :sadeyes:

[jjjnettie]

You just have to give in to it Mart. LOL I can give you a chinese burn to start you off if you like. :)

[TrevorW]

Hey mate guaranteed if I kicked you in the gooblies's I could bring a tear too your eyes


:P;):lol:

[Liz]

Yikes Mart .... beware jjj chinese burn ..... though Chris and Chris would probably enjoy it!!! ;)

[TrevorW]

Just don't pat me on the arse :D

[kinetic]

When the wife tells me the mother in law is on her way over
I'm usually an inconsolable blubbering mess.

[DavidU]

Yeh, weird ! same here. LOL
Blokes are just SNAGS (sensitive new age guy's) these days.
I have been told I'm a CHOP !
Cheuvanistic hedonistic opportunistic pr1ck.:lol:

[DavidU]

And get me some more tissues !

[GrahamL]

Understandable Steve.. Forwarning of an alian life form about to come down from there planet and make conact is enough to give anyone the shudders... be strong and tell it nothin man!!

[starlooker]

I think these days, men are both more emotional, and less afraid to show it.

Woods, Federer, Beckham, they all cry, whether they win or lose.

AFL grand final - the guys in losing team cry like babies.

On the show "So You think you can dance", AKA "So you think you can cry", everyone cries, the female dancers, the males dancers, the judges.

Anyway, I am off to watch Titanic and have a good manly cry.

[Matt Wastell]

I cried during 'Alien' and when I had a strangled testicle!

[Outbackmanyep]

"And when you lose control.....you'll reap the harvest you have sown.....and as the fear grows......the bad blood slows and turns to stone....."

a little air guitar never hurts..:lol:

[mick pinner]

l think that men of the past were just as emotional as the present but had the ability through adversity to deal with it in a quieter way.
l know after long talks with my grandfather about his experiences in WW2 that men of his era handled things with an inner fortitude that todays men do not seem to have.
the blubbering seen after sporting events for example by either winners or losers makes me cringe, and the inevitable tear by the retiring sportsman.

[that_guy]

my granddad has a katana samurai sword in his bed room!!! I would hate to be the intruder...

[Waxing_Gibbous]

As most Australian men have yet to dragged into the 19th century and seem thouroughly confused by the ethos of the modern world, here are my rules for the occasions you may cry and, or show sensitivity in public:

-Death of a loved one / friend (this includes pets!).

-Suicide of a loved one / friend (almost no-one sees this coming and its a killer!)

-Death of a cultural icon or formative figure in your life (this may include your year 12 French teacher who gave you one behind the porta-cabins, but only if her family is not present).

- 4 Films: 'Ring of bright water', 'Old Yeller', Babe and ET. No other. Not 'Beaches'. Not 'Terms of Endearment. And most assuredly NOT at 'Titanic'.
Getting emotional over animals/aliens is acceptable. Getting soppy over badly-written characters who take to long do die is not.

-Win / Loss of your team, but only in the final and only if they haven't won for 20 years or if they were robbed by poor officiating.

-Stepping on a jagged nail. For those of you that haven't done it - well it bloody HURTS!

-A broken nose. There's nothing you can do about it. It somehow affects your tear-ducts. If you DON't cry, there's something hideously wrong with you.

Under no circumstances may you cry at "Oprah". Particularly when she's sensitively and ernestly trying to rejuvenate some washed-up, has-been, crack addicted, singer-now-streetwalker, cum punching-bag, like Whitney-bloody-Houston the other day. I almost lost my lunch!
As a matter of fact, if you even think you might get a little lump in your throat at this sort of "second-chance, I've turned my life around and stopped beating the servants"-type bilge, you should just get a bottle of Whiskey and a revolver and go off and do the right thing.

There is some grey area regarding cars, motorbikes, job-loss, boats, jet-packs and "thing-you-have-spent-your-life-perfecting-but-a-giant-Chinese-corporation-beat-you-to-the-patent".
However, if in doubt, stay silent.

If you have lost your spouse/job/home/car/lover/telescope/life savings/furniture due to gambling, alchoholism, hookers, crack, lust for young boys or girls / a stretch inside or zoophilia - well you'll just have to man-up and reach for the kleenex in private!

I hope this will help some of you tread that fine line between sensitve yet fully manly bloke and 'big girl's-blouse'.

You're welcome!
PJH

-

[Octane]

Peter,

Did you reach for a Kleenex whilst watching Oprah?

Wait; you were watching Oprah?

H

[Liz]

Peter

:sad::sad::sad: tears of laughter!! That was hilarious :lol::lol:

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Octane,
FYI!!!!!!
I was NOT watching 'Oprah'. It was on the telly in our local cafe. I was sipping a half-caff, non-fat, frappaccino with sprinkles at the time and I remeber thinking the chocolate tasting a bit 'waxy' as Whitney wittered on.

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Thank you Liz.

[sheeny]

:rofl:I agree!

Al.

[Screwdriverone]

Peter,

I hope you were wearing matching shoes and belt and had just come from a treatment at the salon in your cherry red convertible, otherwise, that drink may have some people thinking you are a bit fruity or overly "sensitive" in a new age kind of way.

More likely you were at the topless bar drinking a VB, right?

RIGHT????

Cheers

Chris

[Ric]

I've got tears in my eyes just thinking about that. :eyepop:

[Miaplacidus]

Ken Oath!

I believe in a conservation law with respect to emotionalism. If men seem more emotional it can only occur because women have become more hard headed.

[DavidU]

I have even seen blokes using moisturiser on their face !!!:eyepop:

[supernova1965]

Have you been spying on me:eyepop:

[Liz]

Interesting isnt it .... this is not uncommon these days. I bet some guys who have replied on this thread have done/doing the same thing. Hey, if it helps preserve your skin/looks, and your appeal to the ... ladies, then why not :shrug:

[DavidU]

Ok ! But I would need a bucket of the stuff:D

[lacad01]

Closest I've come to that was using aloe vera cream after getting severely sun burnt, if not I would have ended up looking like The Thing from Fantastic Four :)

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Some of the best tips on Men's skin care can be found in the novel "American Psycho" by Brett Easton Ellis (Picador)

If you read this from cover-to-cover you will most assuredly become au-fait, not only with the best way of slicing up colleagues with a chainsaw and eviscerating your boring date, but with fashion, food and personal grooming as well.
SNAG meets Freddy. Very informative.

[Octane]

Feed me a stray cat.

The movie was good, too.

H

[BerrieK]

I read this book years ago. It's just all wrong from cover to cover. Rather disturbing. Eeewwwww.

Kerrie

[Jen]

Awwwwwwww H you are a big softie arnt you (((bug hugs)))

[Jen]

Yes that guy had me bawling my eyes out more than him tonight poor bugger :( That show gets me every time :(

Oh and dont get me started on the movie called I Am Sam (Sean Penn excellent actor in this movie) if no guy at least gets watery eyes watching that show then they do not have a pulse :lol:

[marki]

Bit old school about this. I don't cry and feel really uncomfortable when people do it in front of me especially men, I just want to smack them under the ear and scream wake up and smell the coffee you bloody sook :P. Never the less I do feel for my fellow humans and hate any act of cruelty towards any creature human or otherwise. Just don't believe blubbering is going to fix anything, better off taking postive action where possible to right the wrong. Doesn't help at funerals but that is enevitable for all of us ......

Mark