This is the long version. The short version skips the “shoes” and “price” parts, and reads “The only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys.” But what with guys like Stephen Colbert salivating over the iPhone and other miniaturized, overpriced gadgets, I can’t help but think the longer version is more appropriate.
Either way, though, the message is the same: men can be immature, even childish, at times, and this is seen most clearly in their choice of material possessions. According to this little pearl of wisdom, luxury cars, plasma TV’s, and titanium golf clubs are all evidence of many men’s prolonged adolescence.
Is this a universal truth? Are all men just overgrown Peter Pans? I have no intention of going anywhere near that one in this writeup. But I can say that, as for myself, I have been known to act closer to 14 than 40 from time to time. Anything beyond that, you’re going to have to make your own call.
Walking down Franklin Street in downtown Richmond the other day, though, I came across probably the best example of this slogan brought to literal life that I have ever seen. It was a pickup truck, shiny and new, parked beneath an oak tree near the First Presbyterian Church. This truck was a beauty, a Ford F-350 Super Duty, Special Amarillo Edition. Four-wheel drive, heavy-duty suspension, all-terrain tires, extended cab with four doors, a bed liner and chrome running boards all combined to make this a dream machine for pickup truck fanatics.
But here’s the best part. The truck was painted “construction” yellow, like a new bulldozer or backhoe. The Ford emblem on the tailgate had been painted over. In its place stood a single word: Tonka.
I was sooooo jealous.