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A Question for you to Ponder

Hi, folks,

Here's something that may take your mind off what's going
on in the list now.  It's not about the lawsuit, not so much
about plants but more about people - aquatic plant people,
to be precise.

Here's my question:

Why is it that women in the West take to this hobby of keeping
fish tanks while those in the East don't?  I have noticed this
syndrome for some time now and it puzzles me greatly.  I don't
have the figures to prove what I observed is true but here are some
"statistics" that may support it.

I have been keeping fish ever since I was a teenager (that's
something like more than 30 years) and I have met many fellow
hobbyists.  But I have yet to meet my first woman fellow hobbyist.
The only 2 Singaporean women I know who can tell the difference
between a Corydora and a Cryptorcoryne are both people in the business.
One is a fish shop owner and the other a plant farm owner. Even then,
neither of them would have been in the business if they had not
inherited it from their fathers.  You do find ladies hanging around
in the fish shops and farms here but more often than not, they
are there to accompany their boyfriends or husbands.  Either
that, or they are mothers buying fish to amuse their children.
My daughters show little interest in my fish tanks and my wife
puts up with my hobby because she thinks its better to have a
husband who stays home and fiddles with his tanks than one
who goes out to karaoke lounges every night.

I don't know how many ladies are there on this mailing list
but I'm quite sure there are more women here than woman-hobbyists
in the whole of sunny Singapore.  Among the people who wrote me
for the christmas moss, many were women living in the US of A and
Canada.  I can't be sure about the genders of some but I think it's safe
to assume that names like Shireen, Daphne, Susan, Roxanne, Charlene,
Amy, Lorna, Dierdre, Penny, Valery, Adrienne, Beverly, Kay, Lorelei,
Lindsay, Catherine, Cheryl, Julie, Joann and Joanna are woman
names.  I could be wrong with some, though.  I thought Cameron was a
woman's name too until Mr. Case told me otherwise.  Well, you
can't blame me on that one. The only Cameron I know is the actress
Cameron Diaz and I'm sure you will agree with me she's all woman,
every inch of her :)  By the way, is Lyndle a woman's name too?

Anyway, I have heard some theories.  A friend says that it's got
something to do with wanting to be in control.  He says that, unlike
women, we men are control freaks.  We want to set up our own
little worlds in our tanks where every living thing inside lives or
dies depending on what we do.  Well, even if that was true, it
still doesn't explain why only eastern women do not want to do
this controlling stuff.

Another friend says it's all about being interactive.  Fish, unlike
other pets like cats and dogs, cannot interact with their owners.
And according to him, women don't like that.  Well, I know you
can't take your Goldfish for a walk but then, why is it that
only western women don't mind this non-interactive relationship.

A lady living in Canada says she thinks it's because Asian women
tend to be very family-oriented.  They devote all their spare time to
their families, leaving no free time for fish tanks.  Maybe that would
be true to a certain extent but it doesn't explain why single women
here take to other hobbies but not keeping fish tanks.  The fact that
many women here take to gardening but not to aquatic gardening is
also another mystery.

I have my own theory.  I think it's got something to do with being
liberated.  But before I elaborate on that, let's hear some of yours.
I think the list should be done with arguing about the lawsuit by
now.  Let's argue about something else :)

I hope I didn't ruffle any feathers, male or female, with this post.
If you find offence, please note that none was intended.  Please put
it down to bad English and poor communication skills.

And don't forget to write me for your free christmas moss if you are
planning on making a contribution to the defense fund.

Loh K L

PS* Cynthia's a woman's name too, isn't it?  Oh, it must be.  Otherwise, we
would have been calling her listdad.  What a dumb question!!!!