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the_leech
Apr 23, 2007, 3:00 AM
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What is it about certain women that attracts them to climbing? Historically, climbing has been a male-dominated activity.
If a man gets into nursing, don’t you normally assume he’s gay? That’s just a stereotype, but in my experience, it’s often a valid one. There’s something unique about a male who joins a profession that is 95 percent female.
Likewise, I propose that most women who get into climbing have certain characteristics, other than just a love of climbing, that drive their pursuit of the activity.
I have a few theories as to the reasons women climb. I haven’t conducted any formal research on the subject – I just have years of anecdotal observations. To simplify matters, I’ve broken my observations into certain categories.
It is worth noting that I am a happily married male. This allows me to make objective observations without getting distracted by the sexual tension that often exists between single climbers of the opposite sex.
Anyway, here are the categories.
The Boyfriend Follower: These women don’t have much interest in climbing. However, they have great interest in their boyfriends who happen to be climbers. These women spend a lot of time belaying and not much time climbing. As long as they don’t grow resentful, this type can make an ideal girlfriend for a guy who’s looking for a belay slave. Their motivation is to spend as much time as possible with their boyfriends, no matter what he’s doing.
The Histrionic (aka The Attention Seeker): These women are most predominant in the gym environment and crowded, accessible sport crags. They relish in the attention of males, but will appear aloof and unapproachable to the majority of men. They are often good climbers who tend to hang with the stronger male climbers. They can be identified by their clothing selection (or lack thereof). Bikini tops, spaghetti-straps, and tight shorts. Cleavage is abundant. Their motivation is that they thrive on the attention of males and the sense of control this gives them.
The Serial Monogamist: These women don’t flaunt their sexuality as much as the histrionic, but they are generally still somewhat attractive. Climbing is a big dating game for them. They are often n00bs who get the attention of men by asking for help. They quickly latch on a helpful male, but for reasons yet unknown to me, the relationship tends to be short-lived. They are easily identified in the gym environment because they have a new male “partner” every couple of weeks. Their motivation is simply to have a relationship, after relationship, after relationship…
The Hippie: These women are drawn to climbing because they see it as “counterculture.” Look for dreads, hemp shoes, nose rings, and beat-up old cars to identify this group. They will often spend more time slacklining and hitting the bong than actually climbing. Their motivation to climb is that it supports their counterculture identity.
The Climber: These are women who climb simply because they have a passion for climbing. There are no ulterior motivations involved here. This is the minority of women climbers.
I’d love to hear everyone’s feedback on this. Have others made similar observations? I’m sure I missed many categories and I wonder what others have noticed.
If you’re female and you find yourself getting defensive and self-righteous in your reply, it is likely because I accurately identified you in one of the above categories. It’s natural to be defensive in that case.
But please keep in mind that ranting at me will not serve the rc.com community that could benefit from a rational discussion of this topic. So let’s keep this discussion civil!
edited for typo
(This post was edited by the_leech on Apr 23, 2007, 6:24 PM)
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stevej
Apr 23, 2007, 3:11 AM
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I think pretty much all climbers (men too) could be fit into your 5 categories. So I guess you deserve a nobel prize in human psychology or something...
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billcoe_
Apr 23, 2007, 3:15 AM
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the_leech wrote: What is it about certain women that attracts them to climbing?
STFU NooB
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medicus
Apr 23, 2007, 3:26 AM
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It's cool billcoe_, "STFU Noob" is civilized when you are talking to a leech.
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kachoong
Apr 23, 2007, 3:36 AM
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the_leech wrote: The Climber: These are women who climb simply because they have a passion for climbing. There are no ulterior motivations involved here. This is the minority of women climbers.
This is based on how many years of climbing and observing? I think your theory breaks apart right there. I doubt womens motivations differ from men. I would guess a greater proportion of male climbers than female climbers are in your second group (minus the spaghetti tops and cleavage though)
Luckily, I'm married to a "climber".
(This post was edited by kachoong on Apr 23, 2007, 3:38 AM)
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macherry
Apr 23, 2007, 4:02 AM
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to the OP
oh for fuck sakes!!!!!
...............btw, crappy troll
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uhoh
Apr 23, 2007, 4:25 AM
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I respond to your hypotheses (or would the sum of the categories equate to a single hypothesis?) with the following refutation: fuck you and die in a fire.
(This post was edited by uhoh on Apr 23, 2007, 4:26 AM)
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miavzero
Apr 23, 2007, 4:28 AM
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leech,
I like it. Could you please give us a similar breakdown of the people who frequent climbing gyms, or people who identify themselves as trad climbers?
More please!
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climbsomething
Apr 23, 2007, 6:03 AM
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the_leech wrote: If you’re female and you find yourself getting defensive and self-righteous in your reply, it is likely because I accurately identified you in one of the above categories. It’s natural to be defensive in that case.
Te amo, leechie.
Truth is, I would climb even if there was nobody to impress, burn off, or woo, but I'd be lying to say I don't have a strong undercurrent of The Histrionic... or at least wanna-be Histrionic.
We all require validation. This is why even I have a white halter top.
Oh yeah, ever heard of Lynn Hill, climb for yourself, numbers mean nothing, most fun, daisy chains, dirtbag soul climber, yadda yadda.
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jt512
Apr 23, 2007, 6:41 AM
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This is going to give Curt's foot belay post a run for Best Semi-Troll.
Jay
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themadmilkman
Apr 23, 2007, 7:16 AM
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So, since you willingly define yourself as a leech... what category do you fit into?
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medicus
Apr 23, 2007, 7:24 AM
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I think the leech forgot to give itself its own category. There should be the "I'm not a real climber, but I am a troll on rockclimbing.com" category 
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nuts_bolts
Apr 23, 2007, 9:05 AM
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Hehehe, ya'll are taking him seriously again...
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granite_grrl
Apr 23, 2007, 12:40 PM
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Okay, I have seen the bf follower and the attention seekers, and they drive me crazy. I saw one girl a few weeks ago who obviously had no idea what she was doing, but she was very colour coordinated with her halmet and shoes. Lets see where I fall in.
the_leech wrote: The Boyfriend Follower:
Doesn't work, I'm married. And while he does climb, I was off on a solo roadtrip when I met the hubby too.
In reply to: The Histrionic (aka The Attention Seeker):
In reply to: The Serial Monogamist:
Nope, if anything I'm more of a yuppie than a hippie.
Could it be true? Is this the only option left? It might just be that I'm actually a climber....
There may be some closet bf followers and attention seekers on here, but good luck in calling them out. Every lady on here is going to proclaim themselves as a climber.
Not a bad read, but not a funny as your other trolls, Leech. I'm a little dissapointed, but I'm sure you'll still get lots of replies.
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the_leech
Apr 23, 2007, 6:14 PM
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“macherry” wrote: to the OP oh for fuck sakes!!!!! you must be joking
Judging by your profile pic, you’re definitely not The Histrionic. You’re probably The Climber. That’s something to be proud of! There's no need to get all worked up.
“uhoh” wrote: fuck you and die in a fire.
Thanks for your kind words. I see that you enjoy paintball and bouldering. I’m not sure what category that would put you in. Maybe I forgot one. It applies to both genders: The Dipshit.
“imavzero” wrote: leech, I like it.
That’s because you are a therapist. You understand.
“themadmilkman” wrote: So, since you willingly define yourself as a leech... what category do you fit into?
You answered your own question. I am simply the_leech.
“nuts_bolts wrote: Hehehe, ya'll are taking him seriously again...
As well they should. It has been alleged in a previous thread that I once punched a hole in a cow just to see who was coming up the road, among other things. Serious business.
But enough of this nonsense. I think the real issue now is Why Men Climb!
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Jblake
Apr 23, 2007, 6:28 PM
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the_leech wrote: If a man gets into nursing, don’t you normally assume he’s gay? That’s just a stereotype, but in my experience, it’s often a valid one. There’s something unique about a male who joins a profession that is 95 percent female.
Just got to point out. If you had the chance to stair at hot little college girls all day long wouldn't you. Even assuming 75% are hideous thats still four to one hotties. Why do you think guys go into teaching. It sure as hell ain't for snot nosed kids.
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caughtinside
Apr 23, 2007, 6:31 PM
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macherry wrote: the_leech wrote: But please keep in mind that ranting at me will not serve the rc.com community that could benefit from a rational discussion of this topic. So let’s keep this discussion civil! you must be joking
No way! this was just the icing on an already delicious post!
the Climbers are easy to identify. They are more than a mile from the road, they are carrying half the rack/ropes, and they lead pitches.
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clee03m
Apr 23, 2007, 10:18 PM
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Why leech posts
What is it about certain typist that attracts them to sexist trolling? Historically, sexist trolling has been a misogynist-dominated activity.
If a person posts a sexist troll, don’t you normally assume he is sexist? That’s just a stereotype, but in my experience, it’s often a valid one. There’s something unique about a person who joins a host of losers to post an inflammatory sexist post.
Likewise, I propose that most typists who post trolls have certain characteristics, other than just a love of typing, that drive their pursuit of the activity.
I have a few theories as to the reasons typists post sexist stuff. I haven’t conducted any formal research on the subject – I just have years of anecdotal observations. To simplify matters, I’ve broken my observations into certain categories.
It is worth noting that I am a highly educated female climber. This allows me to make objective observations without getting distracted by the level of stupidity that often exists in these posts.
Anyway, here are the categories.
The Troll Follower: These men don’t have much interest in trolling. However, they have great interest in their friends who happen to be sexists. These men spend a lot of time reading and not much time climbing. Their motivation is to spend as much time identifying with their friends, even if it means they have to post ridiculous things once in a while.
The Histrionic (aka The Attention Seeker): These men are most predominant in the Ladies Room, but sometimes decides to post in other crowded forums. They relish in the attention of females, despite that they appear asinine to the majority of readers. They can be identified by their lack of originality in their posts. Generalizations are abundant. Their motivation is that they thrive on the attention of any readers and the sense of control this gives them.
The Serial Misogynist: These men don’t flaunt their sexism as much as the histrionic, but they are generally still somewhat offensive. Posting is a big game for them. They are often n00bs who get the attention of readers by posting worthless posts. They are easily identified in rc.com because they have new offensive posts every couple of weeks. Their motivation is simply to be an ass, again, and again, and again...
The Consevatist: These men are drawn to posting because they see it as “pro-culture.” Look for homophobia, sexism, racism, and classicism to identify this group. They will often spend more time posting absurdity than actually climbing. Their motivation to post is that it supports their conservative identity.
The insecure Climber: These are men simply post sexist posts because they just keeping seeing girls who climb better than them, and their fragile ego can't handle it. Multiple female climbers may also have rejected them, despite that they constantly hit on different ones every chance they get. There are no ulterior motivations involved here. They are just licking their wound.
I’d love to hear everyone’s feedback on this. Have others made similar observations? I’m sure I missed many categories and I wonder what others have noticed.
If you’re male and you find yourself getting defensive and self-righteous in your reply, it is likely because I accurately identified you in one of the above categories. It’s natural to be defensive in that case.
But please keep in mind that ranting at me will not serve the rc.com community that could benefit from a rational discussion of this topic. So let’s keep this discussion civil!
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dingus
Apr 23, 2007, 10:27 PM
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I like staring at women's asses. Know what that makes me?
A good belayer.
DMT
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caughtinside
Apr 23, 2007, 10:31 PM
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I think clee03m managed to identify me in all of her categories. well done, even if it was somewhat unoriginal
Now step aside, missy, and let me show you what a real troll looks like:
Everyone knows there are no Real Climbers in Ohio.
(This post was edited by caughtinside on Apr 23, 2007, 10:32 PM)
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climbsomething
Apr 23, 2007, 10:32 PM
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the_leech wrote: “macherry” wrote: to the OP oh for fuck sakes!!!!! you must be joking Judging by your profile pic, you’re definitely not The Histrionic.
clee03m wrote: The insecure Climber:
(This post was edited by climbsomething on Apr 23, 2007, 10:32 PM)
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winglessangel
Apr 23, 2007, 11:32 PM
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I'm glad to be a pure climber
but you forgot one that I've seen before:
The Feminist: "We climb just to prove that anything men can do WE CAN DO BETTER,!!
RIGHT MOTHER F*%$R?? AND WHO ARE YOU TO SAY WE CAN'T? AH? ANH? WANNA TRY ME? YOU MEN HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CONTROL US SINCE THE BEGINIG OF TIMES NOW IT CAME OUR CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT BACK AT YOU, BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH ......"
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medicus
Apr 23, 2007, 11:46 PM
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Way to abide by your own rules by keeping things civilized. "Dipshit" is usually a term reserved for less civilized conversations in my experiences.
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