Llamas Are From Mars

I got wind at our monthly Church pot-luck last evening that a couple of vestry colleagues who are forming some kind of Men's Discussion Group want me to join it.

As I hastily made clear to them, I don't wanna join the Men's Discussion Group!

It's long been my opinion that there is a very real dichotome in the underlying assumptions and purposes of sex-based groups of this sort. For gals, they serve as a real rallying point, an opportunity for expressions of strength and solidarity (and, truth be told, gossip) in an otherwise male-dominated world. "I am Woman! Hear me kvetch! Oh, and where did you find that fabulous scarf?"

On the other hand, I believe the main purpose of the Men's Group is nothing short of an attempt to break down maleness. "Sure, you put on your hunter-gatherer game face for the world all the time and look where it gets you. Here's a chance to find your inner Sensitive Guy and to be vulnerable in a safe place. C'mon, give us a hug!"

Geh. Would Winston Churchill join a "Men's Group"? Would Teddy Roosevelt? Lee? The Iron Dook? Nelson? Washington? I doubt it seriously.

Naw, I think I know a better place to shoot the bull with the guys. It's called the 8:30 tee time.