Recall

I watched a TV program to its conclusion and left the TV on unintentionally.  I got up to make a sandwich, and when I returned to the living room, the next program had already begun.  A local prominent speaker was in the middle of one of his advice-giving speeches.  I don't normally watch this program, but I thought I would just listen for a minute to see if I should listen further this time.

He spoke of the importance of communication. I couldn't agree with him more about that.  The next thing he said was one of those ideas that got a lot of air play about 30 years ago when it was being investigated more scientifically for the first time, but he must have quit listening after that point because the investigation has continued and the newer information is quite different from the advice he was giving.  He continued to say that communication was important and that men in particular needed to learn that.  He said that men didn't communicate well how they feel or what they are thinking.

If the speaker had paid attention to more recent investigation, he would have known that his advice didn't represent an accurate picture.  Men talk.  They talk frequently, on subjects of interest to them and of interest to others, and reciprocate when asked about personal matters.  They talk to women, they talk to men, and they listen as well.  There's really not a communication problem that men have to work through.  I hated that a lot of people heard inaccurate information from an advice-giver that people seemingly like and follow.

Generalization of a concept is not the best thing to do most of the time.  And, pop culture psychology is not something that should be disseminated or adhered to as if it is the gospel truth.  Research is finer-grained about men's communication patterns than the generalizations made of them 30 years ago, and people, like this speaker, merely want to share their unrefined gist of the research to sound as if they are well versed on a topic geared to half his audience.  But the actual research is usually too detailed for people who want only the bottom line to spew out for impressing people of their grand amount of knowledge.

A little lesson from the car manufacturers is in order for this person.  R-E-C-A-L-L.