The disparity seems to exist only at the university level. Having played on the junior/community college level, I can tell you that at least half of the players were women, and the same numbers could be applied to the teams at our last high school tourney. I'd say that the explanations that usually crop up during these discussions -- men are more aggressive, more into trivia, etc. -- are the same ones that are used to describe the instincts of the better players, regardless of gender. I've had the great pleasure of playing on squads with some of the best women who've ever played the game: Emily Moore (easily one of the best players to pick up a buzzer, period), Sarah Cooper, and my wife included. It's perfectly legitimate to admit that there are certain differences between men and women and their approaches to certain situations, but in most cases, those differences are less instinctual than societal. The media, politicians, and especially those chowderheads behind the new "macho s**thead" movement behind Maxim, Spike TV, and Carl's Jr. (don't bother me..I'm not thinking...)tend to push the ideas that men are more aggressive and women more passive, and some people follow those roles, either without thinking about the possibility of there being another way to act, never being told there is one, or never figuring it out for her/himself. I'd say the disparity might be more regional, in that more progressive parts of the country might not follow the stats, but besides the fact that universities are supposed to more progressive, and therefore, less likely to follow regional habits, I'd like to think people are just a h**l of a lot smarter than we give them credit. Except for Weiner's comment about CBI, which makes him a misogynist by proxy, and is pretty much the sort of thing we'd expect him to say. Especially since it's probably a joke to him. The irony is that CBI is probably one of the most progressive of the formats, at least in terms of population and politics. Not that the others aren't, mind you, I'm not saying that all. But CBI has always gone out of its way to put forth a progressive "agenda" if you will, in terms of race, gender, and orientation. So, far from being misogynists, those of us who play CBI would seem to be more open-minded than others, if we follow Matt's humorous vein. Sure, you can bash CBI for its format and question distribution, but try to tie that to politics, even for a laugh, and you fall flat on your face. All apologies. David Murphy University of Oklahoma
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