The way men and women verbally communicate with one another is very different. This cartoon of Zits is a representation of how differently the two sides communicate. She is talking about how women are so aware of everything, almost to a fault, while men are so oblivious sometimes they do not know what is going on. During the whole conversation Jeremy has no clue what is going on and just keeps trying to catch up in the conversation making grunts and huhs.
Although this cartoon takes it to an extreme, on some level this is true. I think women are socialized to be more in tune with what is going on around them, sometimes this is a great trait to have while other times it can be a problem because their attention to detail becomes overwhelming. Men on the other hand are better at not getting so involved with every little thing and minding their own business which also is good sometimes but other times can get them into trouble because they are not great at tuning back in when they need to. Also in cross-sex friendships “men tend to talk more, but keep the focus on themselves.” (Gamble and Gamble, p 156) Men talk more because they feel more comfortable, but talk about themselves because men are concerned with impressing women, even if they are just friends.
Sources: Michael W, Teri Kwal, Gamble (2003). The Gender Communication Connection. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
