I made a general statement about women to a woman I know and like clockwork she protected the female collective by saying, “That’s a generalization. Not all women are like that.”
I responded with, “You’re right. You got me. But, at least men like watching their favorite sports team.”
She agreed by saying, “Yeah, that’s true.”
I immediately jumped in with, “But not all men. Not all. Not all men watch sports.”
She corrected herself and said, “Yeah, you’re right.”
I continued with, “Men are good at fixing things, right?”
She agreed by saying, “Yeah.”
Again I snapped with, “But not all men. Not all. Not all.”
Now she started looking at me like I was crazy. She said, “OK”
Then I asked, her, “Do bees sting?”
Cautiously she said, “Yes.”
I came back with, “But not all bees. Not all of them. Not all bees sting.”
Her final statement made it clear to me I was talking to a woman. She said, “I don’t get the point you’re trying to make.”
I just laughed.