Ok, so maybe this is a battle of the sexes situation. And I am making some broad generalizations here which I fully realize do not apply to everyone. On the other hand, I think there is more to this inherent difference in males and females than the PC culture would like us to believe.
I am referring to a situation with my car stereo, which I feel should be a simple to operate item which keeps my eyes on the road, not the device. So far trying to have a device in my vehicle which can play an MP3 off of a USB thumb drive and does not involve ridiculous graphical displays of flowers and sunrises or a display of the rear end of a car rocking and swaying, or have tiny multifunction buttons and multiple control screens and a whole assortment of magical button combinations which need to be pushed in order to perform a simple function, such as shuffling the playlist, or turning the device OFF has been IMPOSSIBLE. The sales people and my brother and others I have discussed this dilemma with have told me I was retarded. My brother went so far as to dial the CEO of Panasonic in the middle of the night from my phone and then handed it to me and said, here, tell someone who might give a shit about your being too stupid to figure out a stereo. I hung it up as soon as he handed it back to me and of course feel humiliated. My brother works in the industry, I thought he might have interest in my feedback on this. Instead he pulls this guys number off of his phone and tries to demonstrate to me what I retarded lunatic I apparently am for expecting simplicity in a device which is intended for use while driving. After all I am moving on average at a rate of 88 feet per second. Is it really so unreasonable of me to think having a device which requires concentration and possibly 10 or more seconds of attention to perform a simple function is dangerous and stupid? Apparently as far as the sales people at Best Buy, my brother and the sales person at Crutchfield are concerned it is I who is the stupid one, as all three of these individuals came right out and told me I was stupid. The guy at Crutchfield did not use the word stupid, but rather said I was "probably not going to be able to handle a stereo and should probably look into getting the factory radio back into my car or not have one with USB stick play capabilities". What a douche. I asked for simple controls, single-function properly labeled buttons and a fucking USB hole!!! MY GOD, what a retard I am, how dare I want something that is concise and to the point when I am driving. The only people who were actually fairly helpful and very respectful were the guys at Audio Express (the home of the $1 wirefire from what I hear) I don't know anything about their install jobs, though they probably would not have hacked up my lighting loom as the "Mercedes specialist" I took my car to did, but they were very courteous, respectful and did show me several options, unfortunately they did not have any non-dongle USB stereos in stock. As far as customer service though, I'd go see the chavs there any day over anyone else I have talked to. As a long time Crutchfield customer, I was rather disappointed by the sales guy I spoke with, their tech support is always so helpful, and after you have made a purchase from them I don't think there is better service around. I thought maybe their sales would be top notch as well, but, he showed me one option, which I informed him I had bought, hated immediately and returned within a day. From there on, all he did was tell me I was stupid in about 100 different ways. Crutchfield did however agree to take back both stereos and exchange them for a model which is not made by JVC (because one of the JVC units was malfunctioning out of the box and JVC has the worst customer service on the planet). I have selected a Sony model which looks like it meets my needs. I'm sad the sales person was not able or willing to show me more than the one option which I did not like. I had to spend a lot of time looking around before I found this model and came to the conclusion it would meet my needs. I still highly recommend Crutchfield as a place to buy electronics, despite one poor sales person, every other interaction and purchase I have made from this place has been about as stellar as stellar gets and they will walk you through installs and they have the kind of customer service and return policy that should be the envy of all.
So back to the sexes issue:
Men want their homes and living spaces to be simple and uncomplicated but apparently revel in the complication of electronics and other such gadgetry. Since it seems men predominantly design these types of items that is probably why men do not seem to mind spending a week learning how to turn a device like this on, or spending 20 or 30 seconds not looking at the road while scrolling through screens and memorizing magical button combinations. When traveling at a rate of 88 feet per second, having to look down at the stereo for 10 seconds to me is a serious problem. 880 feet is the difference between cruising along looking for your favorite song and having the last thing you remember being an airbag hitting your face.
Women on the other hand, enjoy complicated things in their homes and on their persons. They enjoy lots of pillows, even if it means having to unstack and restack excessive pillows on their bed, walk uncomfortably in cute shoes, go to 20 stores looking for the perfect shade of teal to match that great skirt they found on the clearance rack, or any number of other such complications most men don't seem to think are serious or worthwhile. After this stereo shopping experience though I have decided to dismiss the male perspective on these things entirely, because guess what, I SEE MORE POINT IN HAVING 20 PILLOWS ON MY BED I NEED TO UNSTACK AND RESTACK EVERY DAY THAN I SEE IN HAVING A LITTLE GRAPHIC DISPLAY OF A CAR THAT HOPS AND BUMPS AROUND WHILE I DRIVE, ON THE FACE OF MY CAR STEREO. (Kenwood, you know who you are) But I have a feeling a man will have the exact opposite opinion.
So guys, next time a female in your life is running around like a chicken with her head cut off because she can't find the right shoes, and you start to roll your eyes, remember you are into your own stupid complicated shit too. And next time you roll your eyes at her not being able to program the DVR, why don't you try dressing her for a night out or for work at an office job one day. Make up has to match itself, so maroon lipstick needs a brown or navy eye shadow, a complimentary shade of blush and of course the foundation has to match the skin properly, then there is hair and all of this needs to go right and be the right color to go with the outfit. Then there is the right color of panty hose, the right height and style of shoes and the right belt possibly, right jewelry and the right purse. Go ahead, next time you want to decide a girl is dumb when she isn't taking the time to fuck with some overly complicated electronic, just try being her for a day.
I am referring to a situation with my car stereo, which I feel should be a simple to operate item which keeps my eyes on the road, not the device. So far trying to have a device in my vehicle which can play an MP3 off of a USB thumb drive and does not involve ridiculous graphical displays of flowers and sunrises or a display of the rear end of a car rocking and swaying, or have tiny multifunction buttons and multiple control screens and a whole assortment of magical button combinations which need to be pushed in order to perform a simple function, such as shuffling the playlist, or turning the device OFF has been IMPOSSIBLE. The sales people and my brother and others I have discussed this dilemma with have told me I was retarded. My brother went so far as to dial the CEO of Panasonic in the middle of the night from my phone and then handed it to me and said, here, tell someone who might give a shit about your being too stupid to figure out a stereo. I hung it up as soon as he handed it back to me and of course feel humiliated. My brother works in the industry, I thought he might have interest in my feedback on this. Instead he pulls this guys number off of his phone and tries to demonstrate to me what I retarded lunatic I apparently am for expecting simplicity in a device which is intended for use while driving. After all I am moving on average at a rate of 88 feet per second. Is it really so unreasonable of me to think having a device which requires concentration and possibly 10 or more seconds of attention to perform a simple function is dangerous and stupid? Apparently as far as the sales people at Best Buy, my brother and the sales person at Crutchfield are concerned it is I who is the stupid one, as all three of these individuals came right out and told me I was stupid. The guy at Crutchfield did not use the word stupid, but rather said I was "probably not going to be able to handle a stereo and should probably look into getting the factory radio back into my car or not have one with USB stick play capabilities". What a douche. I asked for simple controls, single-function properly labeled buttons and a fucking USB hole!!! MY GOD, what a retard I am, how dare I want something that is concise and to the point when I am driving. The only people who were actually fairly helpful and very respectful were the guys at Audio Express (the home of the $1 wirefire from what I hear) I don't know anything about their install jobs, though they probably would not have hacked up my lighting loom as the "Mercedes specialist" I took my car to did, but they were very courteous, respectful and did show me several options, unfortunately they did not have any non-dongle USB stereos in stock. As far as customer service though, I'd go see the chavs there any day over anyone else I have talked to. As a long time Crutchfield customer, I was rather disappointed by the sales guy I spoke with, their tech support is always so helpful, and after you have made a purchase from them I don't think there is better service around. I thought maybe their sales would be top notch as well, but, he showed me one option, which I informed him I had bought, hated immediately and returned within a day. From there on, all he did was tell me I was stupid in about 100 different ways. Crutchfield did however agree to take back both stereos and exchange them for a model which is not made by JVC (because one of the JVC units was malfunctioning out of the box and JVC has the worst customer service on the planet). I have selected a Sony model which looks like it meets my needs. I'm sad the sales person was not able or willing to show me more than the one option which I did not like. I had to spend a lot of time looking around before I found this model and came to the conclusion it would meet my needs. I still highly recommend Crutchfield as a place to buy electronics, despite one poor sales person, every other interaction and purchase I have made from this place has been about as stellar as stellar gets and they will walk you through installs and they have the kind of customer service and return policy that should be the envy of all.
So back to the sexes issue:
Men want their homes and living spaces to be simple and uncomplicated but apparently revel in the complication of electronics and other such gadgetry. Since it seems men predominantly design these types of items that is probably why men do not seem to mind spending a week learning how to turn a device like this on, or spending 20 or 30 seconds not looking at the road while scrolling through screens and memorizing magical button combinations. When traveling at a rate of 88 feet per second, having to look down at the stereo for 10 seconds to me is a serious problem. 880 feet is the difference between cruising along looking for your favorite song and having the last thing you remember being an airbag hitting your face.
Women on the other hand, enjoy complicated things in their homes and on their persons. They enjoy lots of pillows, even if it means having to unstack and restack excessive pillows on their bed, walk uncomfortably in cute shoes, go to 20 stores looking for the perfect shade of teal to match that great skirt they found on the clearance rack, or any number of other such complications most men don't seem to think are serious or worthwhile. After this stereo shopping experience though I have decided to dismiss the male perspective on these things entirely, because guess what, I SEE MORE POINT IN HAVING 20 PILLOWS ON MY BED I NEED TO UNSTACK AND RESTACK EVERY DAY THAN I SEE IN HAVING A LITTLE GRAPHIC DISPLAY OF A CAR THAT HOPS AND BUMPS AROUND WHILE I DRIVE, ON THE FACE OF MY CAR STEREO. (Kenwood, you know who you are) But I have a feeling a man will have the exact opposite opinion.
So guys, next time a female in your life is running around like a chicken with her head cut off because she can't find the right shoes, and you start to roll your eyes, remember you are into your own stupid complicated shit too. And next time you roll your eyes at her not being able to program the DVR, why don't you try dressing her for a night out or for work at an office job one day. Make up has to match itself, so maroon lipstick needs a brown or navy eye shadow, a complimentary shade of blush and of course the foundation has to match the skin properly, then there is hair and all of this needs to go right and be the right color to go with the outfit. Then there is the right color of panty hose, the right height and style of shoes and the right belt possibly, right jewelry and the right purse. Go ahead, next time you want to decide a girl is dumb when she isn't taking the time to fuck with some overly complicated electronic, just try being her for a day.
VIEW 8 of 8 COMMENTS
quality but I hate all the little buttons that ya can't see myself, it is dangerous! And you would think
that with all of this new technology today and new laws about using cell phones etc. that the
industry would work on including voice recognition as a standard feature instead of remotes etc....
By the way I love pillows, have a stack of my own 2 of which are those jumbo sized suckers...and
I have always loved dressing up my girls for a night out.