and I digress...

I hate stupid people. Really. And Admissions just seems to bring them out of the friggin woodwork. gaaaa.

A couple of conversations over the past couple days have sparked some thoughts for me. I am an incredibly fortunate person in that I have a lot of really awesome and amazing people in my life, and I am very very thankful that they are there for me. But there's a specific group of people that I would like to single out.

The men.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm as much of a Proud Paranoid Shiksa Feminista as you're ever going to find. But really--I'm a fan of men, and particularly of awesome, interesting, respectful men. I don't think we're giving these guys enough credit. It's very true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Translation: we spend a lot of time and attention on the jackasses. But what about the Nice Guys?

Well, part of that is women being dumb. I've done this myself a couple times, and I'd like to think I've grown out of it, at least somewhat. But at least in my experience, I'm surrounded by a whole bunch of really awesome guys. And some of them kind of get the short end of the stick when dealing with my kind. Have faith, young men! Don't give up on us yet! One of the things that I like best about my life is that I'm not only dating an awesome guy, I also have a ton of awesome guy friends, and plenty of great guy relatives. I'm kind of spoiled.

There are some particular attributes of these young men that I would like to highlight.
First and foremost is an appreciation of and respect for women, both in general and as unique people. They somehow manage, oftentimes without knowing it or while worrying about it tremendously, to treat women very well, respecting our intellect and our differences. They exhibit a concern about treating women well and generally do not make blanket assumptions. They hold open doors not because we can't, but because it's the nice thing to do. And if we hold a door for them, they smile graciously and don't take it as an affront to their masculinity.
They are secure in their own masculinity, and don't need to show it off constantly. For whatever reason, they simply understand that they are, in fact, men, and are not overly concerned with outward demonstrations of the same. This, in my experience, leads to many good things. Guys of this type are helpful without being demeaning. They are generally strong without being intimidating, and they are not overtly emotional, but exhibit compassion and understanding. They don't have to "fix" everything, but if we ask for help they are more than willing to give it.

And it's one of those things. These young men are so darned NICE that it can be easy to overlook them and/or take them for granted. So Nice Young Men of the world, I salute you.