I’ve been testing PP the last couple of weeks, and have noted effects on male-male interactions. Generally positive, generating respect, camaraderie, and a willingness to work together.
I’ve been wearing it in work situations. The last few days I’ve been interacting with construction type workers in industrial settings. Yesterday after I expressed interest in a high area an ironworker lent me one of his personal fall protection harnesses and took me up in a mobile lift to the area of interest. It’s pretty rare for one of these guys to lend out his PPE to someone he doesn’t know. I think he may have jerked the lift a bit more than he had to to see how I’d react, but we both had fun up there and there was a feeling of friendship and working together.
Another worker I’d received warnings about because of his cavalier attitude and foul language, but he behaved very well while I was around. We had some good talks.
Today I worked with a couple of other guys, and they both seemed to want to talk quite a bit, but gave me the impression they were looking up to me. There was none of the feeling of repressed hostility that sometimes emerges in interactions with union workers.
I don’t think anyone is going to get the “Iron worker hoist you in midair with his protection harness” pheroproof effect… but I may be wrong about this.
Camaraderie? Hm! That’s unexpected (then again, some of these little mixes totally do unexpected things). How cool. I’ll stay tuned to this post, because I too am curious about male-male interactions.
Was it like an alpha-alpha interaction, do you think? Was there an elder-junior element going on?
Well Jasmin, I’ll bet these guys would take you up in their lifts anytime, but this isn’t about female-male interactions!
I’m not quite sure how to characterise the interactions. It seems like I am accepted as an equal and a friend but yet there is also a sense that they’re looking up to me. Sometimes in areas that they are more knowledgable about. For instance one guy was into cars as a hobby. We were talking and he asked what I drive. I told him about my beater truck and that I was going to drive it till it fell apart. He listened respectfully and we talked trucks, but it seemed that he was thinking what I said was wise and he should listen carefully to it. In fact, I know almost nothing about automotives, and wasn’t even pretending that I did.
I’m probably older than most of the guys, with a few exceptions. Perhaps some of the interactions could be compared to them thinking I was an older and trusted buddy. But it was more peer-to-peer than elder-junior.
I’m generally more fit in an overall sense and not busted up, although probably not as physically strong as most of them. If it came down to arm-wrestling most of them would beat me. If we had to outrun a fire I would beat most of them.