a mr =e lfFO ana SCYIE Women are from Venus Is our bad behaviour justifiable or are women doomed to their emotions? BROOKLYN PUB WATERFRONT LOUNGE 250 Columbia St. 604.517.2966 www-broolelwiica IS STUDENT NIGHT! Rs Tommy the TUNE TWISTE By Stephanie Trembath, Life and Style Editor wo weekends ago I was out at ‘[ casino with my boyfriend playing blackjack. In two hours I lost $100 while he won $350. About sixty-five dollars down, I began to get irritated and upset with my losses and although I wasn’t taking my bad mood out on anyone I was with, the atmosphere at the table definitely changed. My boyfriend (who was surrounded by chips) eventually told me to quit being such a little girl about the whole thing and said he would pay me $5 for every time I lost and he won. Instead of pleasing me, this offer pissed me off even more, and needless to say, the night ended with my boyfriend telling me to go f*** myself. Despite my gambling night ending, I had to wait for my boyfriend to finish up his last few hands. I killed an hour at the bar, fuming might I add, drinking copious amounts of redbull and calling my girlfriends to vent about my awful time. “How dare he call me a little girl”, I raged, “How dare he tell me to go ‘off myself when I so kindly came out and spent the evening at the casino!” I ranted on and on, and drank my $6.00 energy drinks until my anger dissipated and it was time to go. The next morning after re- evaluating the situation in a less biased manner, I became aware of how juvenile and absurd I had acted. Each time I let my emotions get the better of me I feel diminished, ashamed, and powerless. Yet while I’m upset I always feel so vindicated in my actions, which then fuels my emotions at said time. As a sex that consistently promotes gender equality, 1 wonder if women will always be doomed by our lack of logic while we are so emotional, and if we can continue justifying our bad behaviour based on our emotions. Dr. Tara J, a clinical psychologist who specializes in female-dominated pop physiology, states that a major difference between men and women in how they handle their emotions is in how women use words to process their feelings and end up self-indulging in their emotions without reaching a resolution. Men, on the other hand, state their feelings and use their words to achieve an active resolution to their problem. Dr. Tara asserts that women carry around a “glut of feelings” without any active solution, which is absolutely redundant and meaningless. Instead of finding a solution to how we feel, women are more self- indulgent and throw themselves a “pity party”, while men either push the problem away and ignore it, or seek a resolution to their feelings. Thanks to our expert abilities to express ourselves, women are more in touch with how they feel, and while this may benefit some situations it allows for women to become less successful in the work environment. While men are called powerful and authoritative, women are known as “moody bitches” if they assert the same tone or language. It’s a lose-lose situation for us girls; our emotions allow for better modes of expression as well as the ability to show compassion and empathy for others, and yet it becomes a crutch and default excuse for our behaviours even in situations where women may be right. The moral of the story: girls, if you’re going to gamble check your emotions at the door (and save yourself the $6.00 redbull).