Bernice and My Friends

A few months ago I was boarding a flight out of Detroit, standing in a long line of passengers behind a woman who was with two boys aged maybe 10 or 11. As we approached the aircraft door, the woman turned to the boys and said five words. I contend that these are five words no adult has ever felt the need to say, in any language, to two girls.Those words were: “No spitting on the airplane.”She said this because the boys had been passing the time, as the passenger line moved slowly down the jet bridge, by spitting on each other. They were not doing this in a hostile manner. Au contraire, as the French say when they are not rioting. The boys were spitting on each other in the spirit of lighthearted fun. Saliva shenanigans! Because that’s how boys relate to each other. Boys also relate by burping, punching, and — if they’re in an especially sensitive or vulnerable mood — setting things on fire.You rarely see girls doing any of these things. Girls relate to each other mainly by talking.…