American Men Have Poor Geography Skills

I was speaking the other day with a woman who does not live in the USA,‭ ‬and she said,‭ ‬most apologetically,‭ ‬that she did not know where the state I lived in is located.‭ ‬I had to giggle because as any non-US person will tell you,‭ ‬we Americans know little about geography‭ ~ ‬and virtually nothing of world geography.‭ ‬This lack of knowledge is part of the reason we Americans are called‭ '‬Ugly American‭'

In fact,‭ ‬American males are the worst offenders in this area.‭ ‬Ask an American male where France,‭ ‬Iraq or Prague is,‭ ‬and they'll say‭ '‬over there‭' ‬with some sort of shrugging motion,‭ ‬to indicate it's not that important.‭ ‬Force them to show you on a globe or a map of the world,‭ ‬and they'll stab at it,‭ ‬jabbing as if geography is not a knowledge learned,‭ ‬but more like a game of pin the tail on the globe.‭ (‬With our current President,‭ ‬it's more like Pin The Asshole on the Country with Oil,‭ ‬but I think you see my point.‭)

Really geography isn't the only problem.‭ ‬We Americans know little about the places we stab at with our fingers.‭ ‬We say we hate the French,‭ ‬without being able to say anything about French people.‭ ‬Men tend to think they know everything‭ ~ ‬or at least believe they know‭ '‬enough.‭'

American women may not know exactly where a country is on the map,‭ ‬but we can generally articulate something about the people,‭ ‬the culture of the country.‭ ‬When presented with a non-American person,‭ ‬we ask questions to learn about their country,‭ ‬their ways.‭ ‬We women enjoy learning all we can about others.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬American men believe if there was anything important to know about another country,‭ ‬they'd know it.‭ ‬Their ignorance isn't just a lack of knowledge,‭ ‬it's an attitude problem.

But what's this got to do with sex‭?

‭ Men,‭ ‬American men anyway,‭ ‬are similar in approach to their knowledge of the female anatomy.‭ ‬When it comes to sex,‭ ‬some men are willing to look at a map.‭ ‬They'll grab a book,‭ ‬research something on the Internet,‭ ‬and decide they now know where the g-spot is located‭ ~ ‬so they can poke at it.‭ ‬But any woman will tell you,‭ ‬once you've seen‭ (‬or poked‭) ‬one,‭ ‬you haven't seen‭ (‬or poked‭) ‬them all.

But men need more than a map.‭ ‬They need to understand the culture of that land.‭ ‬They need to listen to women as we tell our stories‭ & ‬give directions that include more than just‭ "‬turn right at the labia.‭" ‬Even if all women enjoyed the same parts of their anatomy with the same intensity,‭ ‬most women require more than a single poke or jab.‭ ‬And who's to say repeated jabs in the same spot are any better either‭?

When it comes to sex,‭ ‬it requires more than a basic knowledge of the geography‭ ~ ‬it requires an interest in the inhabitants.

When you travel to other countries,‭ ‬if you wish to‭ '‬go native‭' ‬and have the whole experience,‭ ‬you'll eat exotic foods,‭ ‬participate in local rituals,‭ & ‬if allowed into sacred spaces you'll be expected to behave in specific ways‭ ~ ‬no matter how strange they seem to you.‭ ‬And what is expected in France is not what is expected in Prague etc.‭ ‬etc.‭ ‬etc.

Women dedicate themselves to gaining this knowledge all the time.‭ ‬We learn quickly how many licks to get to the center of his tootsie-pop.‭ ‬We know if we want to enjoy the view from the top‭ ~ ‬or the bottom,‭ ‬if that's how we like the lay of our land‭ ~ ‬what we need to do to make this work for him too.

Men,‭ ‬American men especially,‭ ‬ought to be open to learning more about women than just the aerial view of inlets‭ & ‬mountain ranges.‭ ‬They need to find out from the folks that live there what the customs‭ & ‬expectations are.‭ ‬Perhaps you need to travel to the mountain first,‭ ‬before you enter the cave of mystery‭ & ‬eternal delight.‭ ‬Or maybe you can start at the cave,‭ ‬but you'd better be able to participate in the native ritual before you deposit your offering‭!

As women each of us has our own culture,‭ ‬our own landmarks male travelers simply‭ must‭ ‬visit.‭ ‬If men don't pay attention to local custom,‭ ‬we'll escort them to the border‭ & ‬stamp their passports in such a way that they may not gain reentry.