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Posted by: David M. Katz
« on: July 26, 2024, 01:34:29 pm »

Well, I have had opportunity to be in my local library three times in the past two weeks as I have been going with a family member who is studying for a certification exam.  I have been going for a change of scenery and to look around.

This observation that I made in East Tennessee last year seems to hold true for Middle Tennessee now. On my first trip, a Saturday, I encountered a large number of boys - easily 30. I only saw 3 girls.  (I saw no boys in long pants.) On the second trip, a Tuesday, they were less busy and there were 10 boys and 1 girl and she was older and I got the sense she was sitting for or the older sibling of two of the boys who were about 6-years-old. (One boy was in khaki slacks but he was also wearing a nice shirt and tie so I assumed he had been or was going to an event which required him to dress nicely or he just liked to dress up.) Today, a Friday, there were only two kids and they were both boys and both were in shorts.

As before, they were on the computers, sitting at tables reading, or browsing animal, or science books.

So, it still appears that only boys go to the library.  ;D

(School starts here in 10 days.)
Posted by: squarecutter
« on: September 04, 2023, 11:11:12 am »

Quote from: David M. Katz on July 20, 2023, 10:01:14 am
I would say they were in three main areas:

1. On the computers
2. Sitting on the floor in the fiction section reading
3. A group of late tweens who seemed to be friends browsing at the end of non-fiction 500's. I looked that up and the upper 500's is biology/zoology/animals

The others were just scattered about browsing or sitting at tables reading. The really younger ones were with their mother (presumably) at a table looking at books.

----------

The library does have a bike rack out front. There were several bikes parked in it so one can presume that some of the boys biked over.  That is especially unusual these days as it is rare that kids are allowed out on their own. Of course, they may have traveled in groups which is more acceptable.

Boy in jeans had a nerdy look to him. He was in jeans, a white t-shirt with a NASA graphic, black sports sandals, and wore glasses. He had sort of messy blonde curly hair that was faded around his ears.  He was at one of the computers very intently involved in whatever was on the screen.
Are nurds, no doubt unsporty, shyer about their bodies so even in hot weather choose to be covered up. Maybe there were one or two boys late to tackle school holiday-time assignments. Girls would naturally all have them done already being the more sensible creatures they (usually) are
Posted by: Jack
« on: July 21, 2023, 08:47:57 pm »

Why does a person wear long pants on a hot day? 

1) He'd been dropped off after doing something where he couldn't wear shorts.
2) He's fair skinned and burns easily?
3) He'd been recently spanked and his upper legs were red?
4) He had a badly skinned knee he wanted to cover?
5) He had some type of scar he's embarrassed to show?

One thing I noticed that TENDS to be true (though I don't mean to stereotype and there are exceptions), is that girls tend to roam less than boys.  I think part of that is there is still a perception that boys are less at risk of sexual assault than girls, and perhaps that they're better able to take care of themselves.  It also maybe be true that the average boy is less worried about getting sweaty and dirty than the average girl.  OR, it could be that girls tend to be quieter, and so they're allowed to stay home, while boys are chased out to give their parents some peace and quiet, and so have to find someplace air conditioned to hang out.
Posted by: David M. Katz
« on: July 20, 2023, 10:01:14 am »

I would say they were in three main areas:

1. On the computers
2. Sitting on the floor in the fiction section reading
3. A group of late tweens who seemed to be friends browsing at the end of non-fiction 500's. I looked that up and the upper 500's is biology/zoology/animals

The others were just scattered about browsing or sitting at tables reading. The really younger ones were with their mother (presumably) at a table looking at books.

----------

The library does have a bike rack out front. There were several bikes parked in it so one can presume that some of the boys biked over.  That is especially unusual these days as it is rare that kids are allowed out on their own. Of course, they may have traveled in groups which is more acceptable.

Boy in jeans had a nerdy look to him. He was in jeans, a white t-shirt with a NASA graphic, black sports sandals, and wore glasses. He had sort of messy blonde curly hair that was faded around his ears.  He was at one of the computers very intently involved in whatever was on the screen.
Posted by: ivor
« on: July 20, 2023, 09:33:50 am »

Maybe he is being punished by having to wear jeans on a hot day. Or he ripped his only pair of shorts yesterday so the jeans are all he has.

Why all boys does seem odd as one is told that girls are better students than boys, so you might expect it to be the other way round.

As Zyn asks, were they all in one area? If so, which?
Posted by: Zyngaru
« on: July 20, 2023, 08:33:25 am »

Dave.

Were the boys scattered throughout the library, or in certain sections?

Computer section?  Comic Section?  Adventure Section?  Photography Section?

The two places I enjoyed at the library when I was 10-14 was the magazine section, particularly National Geographic.  And the Photography sections, particularly n.u.d.e Photography.  If you don't have access to p.o.r.n you use the next best thing.

There is the possibility that the library is the only place they have access to what they want or need.

Also, if it is that hot outside, maybe they just wanted to cool off in Air conditioning without being told to go outside and play.

Another possibility is that we are at the end of summer vacation, with school starting soon, maybe they are out of ideas for things to do and went to the library for something different.  Out of boredom.  Boys do tend to get bored sooner than girls.


As for the one boy in jeans.  Lots of different reasons come to mind.  One is that he doesn't have any shorts?  Another is he doesn't like shorts.  Another is, he might feel he is too old to wear shorts.  Yet, another possibility is that is what he picked up that morning and put on without thinking, just put on what was handy.
Posted by: David M. Katz
« on: July 19, 2023, 11:08:57 pm »

I was recently in a very nice local municipal library. A very nice, expansive place.

I went exploring. I counted 22 patrons who I would guess were age 14 or less. The rough guess average was age 9.

Of those only 1 was a girl.

So, why do only boys go to the library?

I made a further observation and of the 21 boys, 20 were in shorts and 1 in jeans. The temperature was 92 (F). I was curious as to why the one boy (he was about 11) decided on longs on such a hot day.

What are our thoughts on these two questions?