Aug 16
85350767
Andrew’s a bit wrong in attributing this self-righteous behaviour exclusively to American women… it’s quite apparent in some British women as well. It’s the upshot of feminism: while you can be just as accomplished as any guy with your skills, you can also be just as much of an ass, if not more so. Even some of the founders of the feminist movement are claiming it’s gone too far. A few months ago, Doris Lessing claimed that some women were using feminism to slag well-intentioned men off, to split the infinitive.
Frankly, it can be a bit confusing for us men at times. The Evening Standard reported on a study showing that while 9 out of 10 women expected men to hold the door for them, only 3 out of 10 accepted a man picking up the restaurant tab, and out of the other 7, 5 would be insulted by the man getting the bill. What’s a man to do? These days, showing chivalry can cause women to brand you as self-centred, demeaning, etc, while not showing it can lead to the same accusations. Of course, with this type, nothing is ever her fault. So what’s to make of the ‘modern woman’? Her unhappiness is her fault, given that she either avoids anyone not good enough for her, or mangles her paramour after he makes the slightest error. This is not to say that all successful women fit this profile, but quite a few of them tend to.
With a sizeable portion of both men and women these days acting like such, no wonder Bridget Jones’ Diary and About a Boy are hits. After all, doesn’t BJD emphasize that while nice guys may finish last and not be as trendy as others, they’re usually the best match? For some reason, Paltrow and her ilk seem to believe that men don’t have the same categories to choose from. Andrew’s right about one thing, though: leave them be. They’re not worth the trouble. (I’d advise the same to any woman who found a man acting the same way.)
