Are posters here HAPPIER having few men in SS Forums?

[mrscoyote]

My 2 cents, I am on this forum to learn and share. What someones gender is doesn't matter to me. I just follow what my interest are and the topics I want to know more about or think I can contribute to.
Nancy

 

[Wannabefree]

Why does it have to be gender defined anyway? SS is a lifestyle of MANY I don't think gender OR for that matter affluence or lack thereof should even be an issue. If someone has a valuable point, then make it, and everyone can learn. I might want to use my husbands skill saw to slice bread If it works it works, and we can all take it or leave it. He sometimes steals my butter knives for various tasks I don't think we NEED more men, nor do I think we NEED more women...I can do shop talk, kitchen talk etc. etc. I drool just as much over power tools as I do the darn Kitchenaide...the Kitchenaide is slightly more affordable than the power tools and saws I don't have, and I cook more often than I build......so guess what comes first. The percieved "guy toys" have a bigger price tag, but it's really all the same...the right tools for the job right?

Just my opinion

 

[BarredBuff]

I can't figure something out Joel. Not to be rude, or mean about it. But why is this a big concern?

 

[Joel_BC]

I can't figure something out Joel. Not to be rude, or mean about it. But why is this a big concern?

Oh, because I'm puzzled. Maybe it's only a concern to me, but bear with me...

I mean - in my home, because both my wife and I now work completely from home, we share the cooking chore. She does maybe 60%, and I do maybe 40%. So I've posted a few times about preparing food. And these are on threads that women are having discussions in. And when I post, it seems to bring the thread to an end!

Another example... I post something with web links about re-purposing - which is something I know a lot of people here do - and I even post pictures of one of my own more ambitious projects along that line. And I get no responses. I mean, it would be great to see some of what other people (male or female) have done.

But another aspect, is that this SS site isn't fulfilling its potential as as place for SS info, if the "male arts" aren't represented here much. That's my opinion, granted. Because SS has to involve these things, too. Things like carpentry, small-engine mechanics, household electrical, plumbing, car/truck care, and all that. (I hesitate to call these "male arts", but you know what I mean... without being exclusive.) There are exceptions. For instance, I know and respect the fact that Marianne has posted a number of times about solar-energy stuff. And I know that Beekissed, for example, is interested in a lot of these sorts of things.

Well, Barred, you weren't rude to ask. And I hope I've made my attitude clear without offending anybody.

 

[BarredBuff]

I understand better now. From my opinion and two years being here. This is what I have seemed to figure out. That most people here 'repurpose" a lot or 'reuse' a lot. And we dont really talk about it. I know, weird but we dont. We mention it in journals, or not all. Like for example, I am reusing the wire of my old chicken run to build a rabbit colony now. I use Pepsi crates with batches of chicks to keep bedding out of the water. And a better example of repurposing would be an old compost bin we had that fell apart. We used the wire from it on the first rabbit hutch, and on that first one we used my plywood farm background to build it. But for some reason we dont talk about it.....

As for the 'male arts', I'd say a lot of people (males and females) here do have experience in those areas, but they came as a secondary skill not a primary one. Like on my quest to build a rabbit hutch, the primary goal was getting started with rabbits but along the way I learned some basic carpentry skills.

So the moral of this story is this: its not the journey, its the destination. That is WHY its not posted much about. Not gender, just it wasnt the primary goal.

 

[Beekissed]

For some of us, Joel, we've been here since the forum began and we've posted on those types of subjects before with each new group that comes in and, well...I just don't want to sound like a broken record. I can just picture one of the other oldsters thinking, "Yeah, Bee, we've heard that a thousand times...give it a rest already!"

Some of those topics have been well covered, some have been covered in posts that didn't start out with that heading but sort of morphed into a different topic, and some have been discussed in our journals and were considered our take on the whole thing.

I can understand coming to the forum a little late and thinking nothing is happening here but once upon a time we really did discuss these topics more deeply....particularly repurposing. Some on tools, carpentry and even one thread on how to tackle these building projects more easily when you are single and don't have an extra pair of hands.

Sometimes, as in your topic with the links, I click on the links, get to reading, read some more, marvel over the neato things built from pallets or some such thing....and simply forget to come back to the thread and comment.

Please be patient with us? We really love that you have come here and I find all your posts to be well thought out and informative, your tone is respectful and low key and you are probably someone I'd love to have as a neighbor....I hope you don't leave us too soon because we aren't fulfilling our potential right now.

Maybe that is why you are here....to make this forum into something most men would like to visit and participate in. I'm hoping that is the case!

 

[THEFAN]

OK Joel Here is something I do once a week and I am a guy. I do most of the cooking. WHY? Because I am good at it and it taste great. My wife works full time. Not because she has to but because she loves her job. All she has to do is laundry, brings in firewood and touchs up the house. I pretty much do all the rest with my little girl. We do share dinner chores but that is what the 11 yr old is for now. My wife has no interest in the garden. No biggy. My little girl loves it so that is a big help.

My little ones fav school club. Cooking club, garden club, theater and science club. She does 4H as well. I'm so proud. Anyway here is a pix Joel I make a mean biscuit too.

 

[hwillm1977]

Personally I don't really care what gender the person posting is... I tend to picture the person 'talking' in my brain, but I've been very wrong in some of my male/female assumptions so I try not to do that often

I'm female... I re-plumbed my house, installed new windows, hung drywall, put in new electrical circuits, etc... but I guess I don't really consider things like that part of my journey for self sufficiency (but really I should). I think I agree with barredbuff, it just seems like a more secondary skill that helps with the primary goal of becoming more self sufficient overall.

I think I come here more to learn about new ways to produce my own food, or raising different animals, etc. but I really should be reading more about the tools and such... mostly I lurk and just read messages anyway because I just don't feel I know enough to contribute that often.

 

[Denim Deb]

Right now, I have nothing to repurpose, and haven't really done any of that, so I don't comment on those types of threads. Doesn't mean that I don't read them, I do, I just don't comment.

There are often times when I post in my journal and have no one respond. I might make 3 or 4 posts B4 someone responds. Does it mean that no one reads it? Hopefully, no. It just means that no one feels the need to comment. Doesn't mean they're not interested (I hope!), just that they have nothing to add.

 

[Wannabefree]

Right now, I have nothing to repurpose, and haven't really done any of that, so I don't comment on those types of threads. Doesn't mean that I don't read them, I do, I just don't comment.

There are often times when I post in my journal and have no one respond. I might make 3 or 4 posts B4 someone responds. Does it mean that no one reads it? Hopefully, no. It just means that no one feels the need to comment. Doesn't mean they're not interested (I hope!), just that they have nothing to add.

I'm much the same way. I am interested in loads of threads, but often don't have anything to say. Though if I find one has not been answered I usually try to think of something to encourage the OP if nothing else. I just like to look a lot of times though