Post #2779843

Frequently when someone complains about something they are looking not for a solution, but for commiseration. They want the other person to connect with and empathize with them. This isn’t inherently gendered, but the stereotype is that men always try to fix a woman’s problem without really hearing her. The video makes the cause extremely obvious on purpose, both because it’s funny and also because in practice it often does seem obvious to the person listening. But learning to empathize _before_ offering solutions is a really important step in learning to communicate, because humans are emotional beings and can feel like our problems are being minimized if the response to them is a solution.