First, men are by years of nature the protectors of home and family.  This role requires checking out the surrounding territory, and also requires forming alliances with other males who share that territory.  While I agree with your assessment that the opening scene from The Music Man is an inaccurate portrayal of women, I think it provides a much more accurate portrayal of men.  Remember the man who kept hollering, "You've got to know the territory!!"  That's what men do.  They get to know the territory, and they form alliances with other men in order to protect it.  (Whether this practice actually serves any real function in an RV park is debatable........but I think it's something men tend to do by nature.)

Your observation that men tend to talk in groups whereas women tend to prefer one on one interaction is interesting, as well.  Men tend to talk about tasks, objects and places........group topics that are part of their "territorial bonding" process with other men.  Women tend to talk about feelings, hobbies, family ........topics that engender more of an emotional bond and are better suited to a one on one setting.

Bottom line........women selectively make friends while men form "territorial alliances."  How's that? 

Just for fun, here's another observation for you.......have you ever noticed that men tend to stand side by side when they are talking, whereas women tend to stand face to face?  Watch for it.......it's true!

Thanks for an interesting brainteaser!  I enjoyed the mental exercise!

Carolyn Francis
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I laughed hard at your article about men gathering in the yard to have conversations about the various State of Life.  My wife and I have a lot of BBQ's and we also attend many. I always tend to drift into the kitchen where all the women have gathered and I generally find that the women's chat is so much more interesting then the men's chat. Now when you think about it, why does it take 10 men gathered around a BBQ to cook steaks and hamburgers? And it always makes me laugh that a guy who never BBQ's always tells the guy who is excellent at it, that he should flip the meat. Women have a better insight into life than men do........women generally go on Feelings..........Men tend to go on Facts.

Mike Chiarolla 
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In regards to your recent article, I asked that same question to an another woman in the laundry of a campground one day.  Doing the laundry is about the only place women socialize in large numbers, not counting activities and craft classes at different resorts.  Anyway, she seemed to think that men will just talk for the sake of talking. Where women like to nurture relationships and when you are only in a spot for a short time, women have little desire to talk for the sake a talking.  This kind of made sense to me. Judy