The Enigma Of Men's Obsessions

I have many fond memories from when I was achild, but there is one that I do not think of fondly.It is one of the most indestructible memories of my childhood.

- Anam Saleem

I could not fathom why Papa had behaved the way he had. I remember vividly how he gave my brother, his son, such a serious thwack at the rear of his head after he accidentally broke Papa’s treasured Fujifilm camera. I was not irked as to whether Amaan had caused any damage to the camera; I was furious because of the thorough beating my father had meted out on him. I reckon that an electronic gadget could be replaced, my brother couldn’t.

It’s a common scenario in which men attach too much value to their precious gadgets. There was an unspoken rule in our house that some electronics were a big no-no for us. To buttress my point, a joke recalls of a man who after his wife called to tell him about her accident involving his car, the first question that came out of his mouth was, “Where is my car, is it damaged?” Against the dictates of common sense, instead of first seeking to know whether his wife was injured or not, he probed about his valuable possession. While this may be a popular and harmless joke, humour is often based on real life instances. Most men like sports, cars, motorcycles and electronic gadgets. Not to mention, they spend hours tinkering with their toys. It may sound like a cliché but does anyone notice or object? As a matter of fact, when exaggerated or told too often, such jokes do become a stereotype. However, stereotypes too exist for a reason.