Top Stories
There's no denying that men have it easier than women do in just about everything.
With this in mind, it's hard not to join in with those who judge men who display stereotypical, chauvinistic behavior.
However, some would argue, or more specifically some MEN would argue, that they are judged for too many things.
And indeed, everyone would agree that far too many men are judged for displaying behavior that doesn't exactly scream "masculinity."
Redditor Few-Strength5065 reached out to the men of Reddit, asking them what they think men should be able to partake in or enjoy without judgment from others, leading them to ask:
Happiness Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
"Being content with enough."- Zenshin26
The Definition Of Antiquated
"Being the one who takes care of kids in a relationship or making less money than their partner."- HartoCD
Everyone Has The Right To Decompress
"Playing."
"I bust my a** at work and save money so I can then play."
"That might be video games, might be a sport, might be building random shit in a workshop, but whatever it is, let a bro have his hobbies/playtime."
"See a 30 year old playing Pokémon?"
"Good, leave him alone and let him have his fun."- Link9454
Adam Driver Snl GIF by Saturday Night Live
Giphy
Head Out Of Gutters People...
"Eating bananas."
"Just tryna get the potassium bro."- MightyKing19
Father's Spending Time With Their Children? The Very Thought!
"Taking kids to the park/walmart/etc."
"Too many horror stories of some Karen taking issue with this as if it's wrong for men to be fathers."
"Also, just being a dad in general."
"There was that phase in the media where the father was played off as some idiot that couldn't even without the help of the wife.'
"Our culture seemed to buy this idea wholesale, and we're still reeling from the effects."- ridicalis
"Being a parent."
"Any time a dad is out alone with his kids other people always ask if he's on babysitting duty."
"It's not called babysitting it's called being a parent."- Elementus94
Fathers Day Dad GIF by America's Funniest Home Videos
Giphy
Peace And Quiet Can Be Hard To Come By
"Wanting to be left the hell alone."
"It’s not that we don’t want to spend time with our partners, but for f*ck sake alone time is valuable."
"Sometimes your man just wants a little time to himself and there’s nothing wrong with that or anything to read into about it."-Jollybritishchap
Smart, Smart Boy...
"Maybe a minor one, not talked about a lot but: watching certain movies."
"Growing up I was always taught that certain things were just for girls."
"I’m 29, just watched Charlie’s Angels for the first time a month ago and I’m honestly mad at what could’ve been a pretty formative movie."
'When I was 14 or so, my uncle was trying to ask me and my cousin which movie we wanted to rent for the evening."
"It came down to Catwoman or Scorpion King, and my cousin chose Catwoman only for my uncle to say 'that’s gay' to which my cousin replied: 'how is you wanting to watch The Rock all shirtless and oiled up not gay, but me wanting to watch Halle Berry in a skintight leather cat suit is?'"- CinnaSol
All That Matters Is How They Taste
"Liking 'girly' cocktails."
"Let me have a margarita."
"Generally, anything deemed 'girly'."- Panal-Lleno
Jimmy Fallon Drinking GIF
Giphy
NO MEANS NO!!!
"Telling a woman no."- AFLYINGDINGUS
Minimalism Is Popular
"Having empty apartments."
"As much as it’s nice to have decorations in a house, I don’t give a sh*t about it."
"As long as my house is clean and I am comfortable in it then I have the essentials."
"My girlfriend is the only reason our house is decorated."- Grundle_Gripper_
Dancing Alone GIF by Aaron Aye
Giphy
Emotions Are A Sign Of Strength
"Opening up their emotions."
"Being a man can be so lonely."
"if your struggling don't be afraid."- JillHardenerOfficial
Interest Can't Be Forced
"Not being interested in sports."- Klutzy_Growth1945
Major League Soccer No GIF by Sporting KC
Giphy
Many people have their opinions of what a "real man" should do and be.
Without any justification for that opinion whatsoever.
After all, it seems safe to agree that a "real man" couldn't care less what others think about their interests and hobbies, as long as they aren't bringing any harm to others.
Ideally, they might even be bringing others joy.
Redditor devious_egg asked:
"Adults, what is something you'd love receiving as a gift but no one even considers giving you because you're an adult?"
It's the simple things...
"All I want for Christmas is a small stocking full of chocolate coins and a superhero comic."
"Long gone are those days..."
Art Supplies
"Really REALLY nice colored pencils."
- Nervous-Error-6728
"I want a giant box of crayons and a Mickey Mouse coloring book."
- Purple-Yak8572
Kid's Story Books
"Kid’s story books. Especially the hardcovers, the vintage ones and the fancy interactive ones."
"I’m an adult who enjoys non-fiction the most but these books tend to give me the escapism I have a hard time getting from normal novels."
"Most times when I go into a comic book store, I’d leave with at least a copy of a kid’s superhero story book. And last Christmas when my friend bought me a Peppa Pig book (with a built-in music box) as a joke, I ended up actually loving it so much."
"And even now, I’ve kept all the children's books I read even when I started reading and just go through them when I’m bored."
"This is probably why I make free illustrations in my free time for school textbooks and storybooks in local libraries in every town I used to live in. Going back to see the kids reading them is also a really wholesome feeling."
GiphySurprise
"I always wanted a surprise birthday party."
- BeachBookBeer
Piece of Cake
"Honestly?"
"Someone get me a LEGIT Carvel Cookie Puss Ice cream cake."
"No, I'm not lying."
"Mom bought me one for my birthday every year until we moved to Pennsylvania and they didn't have a Carvel store in sight."
"This is going to be my 20th birthday without Mom. I think I would 'ugly cry' if someone bought me Cookie Puss!"
- BeckyAnn6879
Toys...
"A kite."
"I would love a well made, really colourful kite."
- No-Shelter-4208
"Nerf guns."
"Not gonna lie, I’m probably to old for this stuff, but I love screwing around with my friends and just having a great time flinging foam."
- Save-The-Defaults
Giphy"Lego, that’s all I ever wanted, Lego."
- jsloan8
We all deserve to be kids on Christmas...
"I always buy toys for the adults at Christmas and mark them from Santa. A tradition my mother carried on for us kids until her passing saying, 'We all deserve to be kids on Christmas'."
"My girlfriend thought it was silly when I first did it for her family at their Christmas Eve gathering. I picked up nerf guns for all the guys and polly pockets for the gals."
"It was hilarious to see confused looks on their faces when they opened them, some thinking they were mistakes, actually meant for the children."
"But before long there were men from 18-70 running around the house shooting nerf bullets at each other like little kids while grandmothers and granddaughters played with tiny dollhouses."
"The most confused in the place were the actual children. I always manage to find a theme toy that involves everyone from tiny RC cars or hot wheels to Barbie Dolls and brings out the kid in all."
"I highly recommend this tradition to anyone who wants to liven up family get togethers that can too often be stressful."
- socket_error
Growing older is inevitable.
But growing up is voluntary.
So what childish gift would you want? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor Nightchildd was curious to hear what little things made people happy, leading them to ask:
Playing Happy Children GIF by MOODMANGiphy
Season 3 Hug GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy
"It’s the small things in life that make you happy, so what small thing makes you happy?"
Starry Starry Night
"Stargazing."
"I was wearing glasses since I was 5."
"Each year I would see less and less stars until I could only see the brightest ones, and even then it was hard for me to see them unless I concentrated really hard."
"This winter I had an eye surgery."
"And when I laid down under a summer sky one night, it was as if someone changed resolution on a video lol."
"I honestly laid there for more than an hour, after 17 years finally being able to see all the constellations."- AbbreviationsNice465
All Comfy And Cozy...
"The sound of rain hitting the roof while I'm all cozy in bed."- D3vilUkn0w
Kids Say The Darndest Things
"When my kids use expressions I wasn't expecting."
"6 yr olds were playing rock paper scissors in the back seat."
"Daughter yells up to me 'Dad, you wanna get in on this?!'"
"Or when their fandom lines up with mine."
"Discussing super heroes fighting each other and who would win for 45 minutes at bed time, and I have the biggest smile on my face the entire time."- DrowZeeMe
Playing Happy Children GIF by MOODMANGiphyHappiness Is All Around
"A good song."
"Seeing someone smile after I give a compliment."
"A deep belly baby laugh always puts a smile on my face too."- angie6921
Feline Companionship
"When my cat makes that little brrpppt sound when she wakes up."- AJTwinky
Best Friends Love GIF by TV LandAppreciation
"I'm a pizza delivery driver."
"It doesn't happen very often now that the pandemic is over, but when people leave me little notes on their door thanking me it makes me so happy."
"I keep all of them in my glove box and look at them sometimes when I'm having a bad day."- Artemis7797
"Being acknowledged."- Mission_Anything_429
Sibling Love
"Seeing my kids get along like I always want them to."
"The other day, my wife was out with the middle daughter, and I was home with the eldest, tween, and the youngest, pre-school, daughters."
"It was the middle of the day, and I was working."
"I heard them saying the same random words, walked out of the home office to see what's up."
Season 3 Hug GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy"My eldest was helping my youngest practice her sight words."
"I sort of hid to just observe them without them seeing I was there."
"My eldest then helped the little one with getting through a simple kid book and thereafter did her hair and put her in a Moana costume."
"Just seeing them bond warms my heart."- Alarming_Topic2306
With the world in a constant state of uncertainty, not to mention being at what is hopefully the end of a global pandemic, it's very easy to get down on ourselves.
Making it all the more important to be open with our emotions, and take advantage of those seemingly frivolous things which are guaranteed to put a smile on our face.
Even tiniest bit of happiness can go a very long way...
Redditor pterv2112 wanted to hear about the things that are truthfully not so simple.
"What looks easy peasy lemon squeezy but is actually difficult difficult lemon difficult?"
Monopoly. For the life of me, I can't get the hang of that game. I don't care anymore.
Play it...
Saturday Night Live Happy Dance GIFGiphy"Playing the triangle. A lot of my non-musician friends joke about how easy it is to play it. Then they actually hold the damn thing and look stupid."
phamtasticgamer
It's A Lot!
"Work. I'm a lawyer and had a client call saying she needs a help with a merger, but 'don't worry, it's super easy peasy lemon squeezy.' That project took 6 months and I almost had a breakdown. She didn't understand why the bill was so high since it was SO easy."
moekay
"Gotta love how the layman lumps all lawyers together as the sleazy snakeoil salesman type without realizing or appreciating the sheer complexity of the legal work involved."
cotidie_abide
Body Moves
"Dancing. I wouldn't say it looks 'easy,' but when I see people do it, they're so good at it and it flows so well it looks easy. But damn, I just CANNOT get my body to do anything more than a bop and maybe some stupid arm moves. I'm 25 and dance like a 50 year old at a reunion. Dancers are so delicate and make it look so easy, it's honestly amazing. It's just hilarious when I try to do literally anything and fail horribly."
MiloAlbertsky
Fingered
"Whistling with your fingers."
SimplySolstice
"My cousin taught me when we were in our tweens. It's come in very helpful whistling for the dogs and horses at feeding time."
"What I always wanted to learn was how my grandpa whistled without having to stick dirty fingers in my mouth. Nothing like cleaning stalls, then trying to whistle for horses with sh*t-covered hands. Washing them in near-freezing buckets of water wasn't a first choice either."
flecksable_flyer
It's a...
Studying Hand-Made GIF by Philippa RiceGiphy"Drawing something from memory. Like a bird or something. In mind - yep that's a bird On paper - that's... a bird?"
KayGlo
Drawing birds is impossible; mine look like mules.
Go Deep
Digging Blue Collar GIF by JC Property ProfessionalsGiphy"Digging. Anytime it's shown in movies or TV it looks easy AF but the second you have to grab a shovel and break dirt... bleh."
justaboredfarmer
Hello Doc
"A basic physical exam at the doctor. Looks like a simple 'look at the throat' - 'listen to the chest' - 'yup they have a heart all right.' When in actuality Doctors spend thousands of hours practicing it so that when you come in with a murmur or 'Funny-looking-kid-syndrome' they can recognize it immediately."
"And yes, there are entire class sections on how to respectfully ask your patient to turn their head and cough as you push on their testicles (they're looking for hernias)."
RobheadOW
Variations
"Street names. Everyone thinks it's great fun and likes to offer suggestions but every tree, lake, and other natural feature has at least a dozen variations which you can't repeat for emergency service reasons. That and you get cities which want a street name change anytime the road changes direction regardless of a logical break point like an intersection."
blue_fox_13
Being Regular
"'Natural' makeup. More work than 'regular' makeup."
Lockshala
"To be honest this reminds me of a video I watched of a visual effects artist explaining his job, If no one notices your work on the footage you've done your job well, its only when you mess up do people notice."
EON199
"This is painfully true for a lot of jobs. When nobody notices, it means you did an excellent job but no one will give you credit because they aren't even aware there is credit due. But the moment you slightly f**k up, you're the worst person in your profession."
BreakfastCheesecake
The Squeeze
As If Lol GIF by MOODMANGiphy"Making lemonade. Sure squeezing one lemon is easy peasy, but do you know how much juice that makes? Not a lot."
PrimaryOstrich
Psssh simple...
"Pretty much anything that a professional does. They make it look easy cause it's their job. Throw a football 65 yards accurately? Psssh simple if you're an elite athlete. Cut open a chest cavity to fix a few coronary arteries? It's just another day at the office for a surgeon. Frame up a structural wall within a 2000 sq ft house?"
"Just a bunch of wood and nails is all you need. Make crowded teeth perfectly aligned? Surely it's just a matter of wearing trays 1 through 55, voila! It's all straight. In reality, each of these tasks takes someone who trained for years to visualize the problem, solve it, and execute it to the T. It looks easy, cause they practiced the hell out of it."
buttgers
3 feet off the floor...
"Flying remote controlled helicopters. It looks so effortless when watching seasoned flyers but in reality it’s like balancing a marble on an upturned bowl."
Michael_Stone_UDA
"I'll never forget the time I went out and bought a decently priced helicopter."
"5 minutes into setting it up, i didn't even get it 3 feet off the floor before i smashed it into a chair destroying the rotor blades."
"I tried maybe like 5-6 more times before i gave up and now it hangs in my garage as a monument to my failure."
Deseptikons
Relationships
"Maintaining friendships from high school/college after you graduate. People get so busy with work and starting their own families that friendships get put on the back burner. You stop talking to someone for a few months, then it suddenly hits you that you're no longer friends with the person."
DeathSpiral321
"The mark of a good friendship is one in which you can go a long time without seeing or talking to someone, and the moment you see or talk to them again, it's like you saw them just yesterday."
Moonchopper
Comfy
GIF by Vulture.comGiphy"Folding fitted sheets. I've watched instructional videos that make it look so easy but I always just end up with a crumpled up mess, and that's how it gets put away."
AngryGoose
On Wheels
"I use a wheelchair and people usually don't believe me when I say that getting around can be difficult, because many of them think that pushing a wheelchair is easy. (They literally tell me this.)"
"The thing is when you use a wheelchair all day and it is basically your only means of transportation, it looks more natural."
"This becomes a problem when I point out accessibility problems. They often don't believe me because they see how I can navigate and assume that it's easy – just because *I* make it look easy."
buckyhermit
Payments
"Finding a career you’ll want to go to every day that won’t crush your soul. Remember when you were young and teachers told you that you could be whatever you wanted to be... yeah, not so realistic when you want to pay bills and maybe have a little beer money too."
"I didn’t go to college and struggle with the thought of not being able to have a lateral career move without a degree, but then I see my friends absolutely floundering with their student loan payments and think maybe I don’t have it so bad after all."
goldengirlsmom
I See Living People
"Socializing with people. I have severe social anxiety, and even small interactions with strangers, and even some people I’ve known for a while are really hard for me. I don’t hate people or dislike being around them, but I’m just awful at keeping conversations going or initiating them. Outgoing people make it look very easy, for me it is not."
Workout Exercise GIF by OpenfitI love Lemonade... the drink and the album... but I have no patience to make it.
Redditor cowbelljazz wanted to discuss everyone's humdrum ideas of fun.
"What is the most boring hobby a person can have?"
I like to watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer... the tv show" and study it as a hobby. And I have no shame.
Farewell
Fox Death GIF by Animation Domination High-DefGiphy"Reading obituaries in order to cross out the names in the phone book."
bowmhoust
Cleaning
"Using magic erasers to clean grunge and dirt off of anything and everything. Hand me a pack of them and I will have the entire house looking like it was just built. I literally don't stop until either I run out of erasers, or if I'm told to take a break. My boyfriend said he watched me for hours straight scrub our railing on our stairs and couldn't understand how I wasn't bored by ten minutes in. I didn't even know that much time had passed."
hoppertee
Collections
"Involuntary collections. My grandmother had a bunch of white porcelain cats when I grew up, later I found out the only reason she had them was because people kept giving them to her thinking she collected them. She just didn't want to be rude."
MurderDoneRight
"I've learned that even if you do collect something, never tell anyone because that's all you'll get for the rest of your life."
ZimzamMcFlimflam
Dumb
"Having no hobbies is the worst. Hobbies make people interesting."
carnodingo
"I'll never forget a girl I worked with was upset because her boyfriend broke up with her and she said how she's always bored because she didn't really have any hobbies."
"Then she asked me what my hobbies were and I listed them, she's replied with, 'those are all dumb hobbies.' I just replied with, 'those are some big words for someone who doesn't have a hobby.' She pretty much immediately realized it was a dumb thing for her to say."
Frankie__Spankie
Sitting
angry homer simpson GIFGiphy"My dad likes to sit in the garage for hours on end in a lawn chair, drink beer and watch traffic go by. Boring as hell but he's zen as f**k."
watermelon-bubblies
I like to sit. If I can count it as a hobby... I'm in.
Eye to Eye
piglets baby pigs GIFGiphy"Sometimes I stare at my guinea pig and attempt to predict when she will yawn. Audiences are profoundly bored by this."
Sliderisk
Discuss
"My parents both read the newspaper 4 -5 hours a day. And then discuss the articles they've read with each other. They're very happy doing this, and I'm glad they have this common interest. But for me, phew, that'd be a tough one to get into!"
Zalinia
"Yeah, super weird. Anyway I'm gonna browse reddit for the next 6 hours and send links to my sibling chat for discussion."
EastwoodBrews
“Hi”
"Calling the police repeatedly for no good reason. There is someone in the neighborhood who absolutely enjoys calling the police for no reason."
Feisty_Affect_7487
"I can already see him in his pajamas, lying in bed on his stomach, feet dangling in the air behind him and rolling the curly wire from the phone as he calls the cops, facemask on and towel on head, going; 'Hi' and they respond with whatever the police responds with, and he's going 'Nothing, I just wanted to talk... What'cha doing?'"
LuchadorBeachmaster
Subjective
"Every hobby is subjective. To billions of people watching another human being kick or throw a ball is practically a religion. If you’ve not part of that religion though it seems utterly absurd and a complete waste of a life. Same is true of Stamp Collecting or Kite Flying or whatever hobby is that is fascinating to some but utterly pointless to others. What’s interesting is how diverse human beings are in terms of what they can become passionate about."
Crafty_Letter_1719
Paper Fun
franz ferdinand mail GIF by Domino Recording Co.Giphy"Envelope collecting. Not Stamps, just blank envelopes."
RoboNinjaPirate
"Imagine the love story between a stamp collector and an envelope collector and the debauchery that would go on behind closed doors between those two."
AnalStaircase33
Well how people have their "fun" is their business.