Employment Law Entry 12
I suspect it was a practical joke. Someone found an article from a May 1955 edition of Housekeeping Monthly and put it in Dr. B-A's mailbox. So without further ado, I give you "The Good Wife's Guide" (http://robinsweb.com/humor/good_wife.html). To surmise, it's basically a list of wifely duties that exemplifies how women were second class citizens to men.
In some ways, we've come a long way, but in others ways things aren't that different. That's where things get confusing, especially for me. I think social conditioning sends men a lot of mixed signals. In this case, the progress made deals with women becoming equals with men, getting the same opportunities based on capabilities. The confusion begins when women, who have pushed so hard for equality, continue to be attracted to the same basic man discussed in the article. As I sit back from where I am now, and look back at all the guys I knew who were always real good with women, I notice one thing. They all embodied authority in one way or another. It may have been a different form, but the function was the same.
Comparing my former roommate, Jesse, and my childhood best friend, Greg, is a good example. I roomed with Jesse last year, which was his first year in college. He was fresh out of high school, and he was amazingly dating a senior by the end of his first day at college. I kid you not. Jesse naturally has that leader personality. For instance, he took the captain position of our dorms frisbee football team. There were a few other things that exemplified this, but the end point was that he wasn't hesitant to lead, and most people (particularly women) weren't hesitant to follow.
On the other hand, Greg was sort of an authority figure in and of himself. Basically, he played life by his own rules. He didn't like studying, so he wouldn't study (at least until the night of the test). He may have made a poor grade, but he wouldn't even flinch. He had no problem making a smart aleck comment to anyone. In his mind, no authority figure superseded his own, and his attitude made that obvious.
Basically, I think despite all the push for equality, women still go for the alpha male, the guy who rides over the rest of the pack. Think about it. How many women are attracted to wusses? But there's the catch that boggles my mind. Should I be leading her or should we be walking side by side. I can be either a hot chauvinist or an ugly nice guy. Neither option sounds appealing, but the fact of the matter is that I like being a nice guy. I'd rather hold to my principles than measure my life by results.
I've posted this once before years ago, but I'll post it again. In Eric Berlin's "Babes and Brides," a character named Alan is trying to pick up a woman named Diane. Diane gives Alan three minutes to describe himself and why she should go out with him. After a couple of false starts, the following diatribe ensues.
Alan. (His frustration and anger builds gradually as HE delivers this) "I'm a nice guy. I'm a godd*mn nice guy. I say that not because I think it's true, but because that's what everybody says. Ask any girl who's known me for more than a week, and that's how they'll describe me. "Alan? He's a nice guy." They say that because, you know, h*ll, you know nice guys, right? Don't try to hurt people, try to be a gentleman. Treat people right, especially girls. Because that's what we learned girls are attracted to, they want to be treated right. Right? You get a bunch of girls together and get them talking about guys, and they'll dream you up the perfect gentleman. But when it comes to real life, oh man!, that's very different. Because you get those girls together and get them talking about real men, not figments of their imagination, but real people, and what do you get? (Mimicking.) "Ohhh, men are scum! Men are slime! Men are sh*ts!" (You notice how all those words begin with "S"? I think there's something to that.) So, men are all these "S" words, all these and more, but who do the girls date? Who comes on to them at bars and who do they go home with? The slime! The sh*ts! And after they get hurt, and they always do, they call me up to confide in me, because long ago we decided that we were "just going to be friends." (I swear, you girls need to get a whole new vocabulary; you've started so many godd*mn clichés it's not funny.) So, these girls call me up and they say, "Alan, all guys are sliiiime!" And then they realize that they're talking to a guy, and they say, "Oh, except you, Alan, you're a nice guy. When you find a girlfriend, she's going to be such a lucky girl. But it can't be me because, well, I'm attracted to guys that are going to sh*t all over me." So great. So now I have all the friends I need, so why should I be a nice guy anymore? Huh? I think I'll be a sh*t now. Yeah! I think I'll learn some stupid pick-up lines and use them on girls who are dressed to get laid. I think I'll be proud of how loud I can belch. I think I'll use women like they're Black and Decker screwdrivers! Sure! That's what girls really want to hear! So great. Life begins now, okay? OKAY? Come on, babe, lets go home and F*CK!”
In some ways, we've come a long way, but in others ways things aren't that different. That's where things get confusing, especially for me. I think social conditioning sends men a lot of mixed signals. In this case, the progress made deals with women becoming equals with men, getting the same opportunities based on capabilities. The confusion begins when women, who have pushed so hard for equality, continue to be attracted to the same basic man discussed in the article. As I sit back from where I am now, and look back at all the guys I knew who were always real good with women, I notice one thing. They all embodied authority in one way or another. It may have been a different form, but the function was the same.
Comparing my former roommate, Jesse, and my childhood best friend, Greg, is a good example. I roomed with Jesse last year, which was his first year in college. He was fresh out of high school, and he was amazingly dating a senior by the end of his first day at college. I kid you not. Jesse naturally has that leader personality. For instance, he took the captain position of our dorms frisbee football team. There were a few other things that exemplified this, but the end point was that he wasn't hesitant to lead, and most people (particularly women) weren't hesitant to follow.
On the other hand, Greg was sort of an authority figure in and of himself. Basically, he played life by his own rules. He didn't like studying, so he wouldn't study (at least until the night of the test). He may have made a poor grade, but he wouldn't even flinch. He had no problem making a smart aleck comment to anyone. In his mind, no authority figure superseded his own, and his attitude made that obvious.
Basically, I think despite all the push for equality, women still go for the alpha male, the guy who rides over the rest of the pack. Think about it. How many women are attracted to wusses? But there's the catch that boggles my mind. Should I be leading her or should we be walking side by side. I can be either a hot chauvinist or an ugly nice guy. Neither option sounds appealing, but the fact of the matter is that I like being a nice guy. I'd rather hold to my principles than measure my life by results.
I've posted this once before years ago, but I'll post it again. In Eric Berlin's "Babes and Brides," a character named Alan is trying to pick up a woman named Diane. Diane gives Alan three minutes to describe himself and why she should go out with him. After a couple of false starts, the following diatribe ensues.
Alan. (His frustration and anger builds gradually as HE delivers this) "I'm a nice guy. I'm a godd*mn nice guy. I say that not because I think it's true, but because that's what everybody says. Ask any girl who's known me for more than a week, and that's how they'll describe me. "Alan? He's a nice guy." They say that because, you know, h*ll, you know nice guys, right? Don't try to hurt people, try to be a gentleman. Treat people right, especially girls. Because that's what we learned girls are attracted to, they want to be treated right. Right? You get a bunch of girls together and get them talking about guys, and they'll dream you up the perfect gentleman. But when it comes to real life, oh man!, that's very different. Because you get those girls together and get them talking about real men, not figments of their imagination, but real people, and what do you get? (Mimicking.) "Ohhh, men are scum! Men are slime! Men are sh*ts!" (You notice how all those words begin with "S"? I think there's something to that.) So, men are all these "S" words, all these and more, but who do the girls date? Who comes on to them at bars and who do they go home with? The slime! The sh*ts! And after they get hurt, and they always do, they call me up to confide in me, because long ago we decided that we were "just going to be friends." (I swear, you girls need to get a whole new vocabulary; you've started so many godd*mn clichés it's not funny.) So, these girls call me up and they say, "Alan, all guys are sliiiime!" And then they realize that they're talking to a guy, and they say, "Oh, except you, Alan, you're a nice guy. When you find a girlfriend, she's going to be such a lucky girl. But it can't be me because, well, I'm attracted to guys that are going to sh*t all over me." So great. So now I have all the friends I need, so why should I be a nice guy anymore? Huh? I think I'll be a sh*t now. Yeah! I think I'll learn some stupid pick-up lines and use them on girls who are dressed to get laid. I think I'll be proud of how loud I can belch. I think I'll use women like they're Black and Decker screwdrivers! Sure! That's what girls really want to hear! So great. Life begins now, okay? OKAY? Come on, babe, lets go home and F*CK!”