So I was driving somewhere with my five-year-old son on Saturday night. The car paused at a stoplight long enough for him to look out the window at a large crowd of people, dressed for dancing and waiting for a tram to the city. Most were female, which caused my son to remark: “There are lots of women there.” And then, after a short pause: “And only one human.”
“Only one human?” I asked, guessing what he meant but wanting to make sure.
“Only one human – that guy,” he pointed.
“Only one man, you mean.”
“Only one human,” he insisted.
“No – the women are human too,” I found myself wondering how, exactly, I ended up needing to defend this point.
“No they aren’t!” he said in the tone he usually uses when I’m saying something deliberately absurd.
“Yes they are. ‘Human’ includes both men and women – it’s a bigger term than either.”
“Noooo…” he said, sceptical.
“Yes!” I said, with attempted enthusiasm.
He gave me a “taking it under advisement” look, but seems, on the whole, to remain unconvinced…
That story made my morning, thanks.
Absolutely priceless!
This reminds me of my neighbors, ages 2, 4 and 5 who confirm each morning that my house is full of us “neighbors.” Each morning when they see someone on the porch they say loudly “Hi neighbors!”
And we say, “Hi neighbors” back.
But then they look at us really skeptically and say, “but I’m not a neighbor.”
And we say, “Yes you are. We’re both neighbors.”
And they say, “No, only you are.”
Yes – those relational categories are difficult! :-)
Thanks for the comments, folks… :-)
Maybe he meant that women are a higher species?
That MUST be what he meant!