Tonight, I put Big Love on autotune (thank god for this), and channel surfed to find something to put on in the background. I opted for Wingman on the Fine Living Network, which I watch because it's one of the only places that still plays the Japanese Iron Chef. The premise of Wingman is that a professional wingman helps out a more socially uncomfortable man get used to the social dating scene. And I thought, "Great! I am socially uncomfortable, and although not a man I'm sure the tips will qualify for me to." For the most part, they did.
However, for the commercial breaks they gave little tips for women. One of them amounted to this:
"Men aren't naturally romantic, so their girlfriends/wives need to bring it out in them." That's right, all men are defective (because every woman wants romance), so you have to do all the work to fix it. Not that women should adjust their desires (or find a romantic man oh wait there aren't any of them) or that men should make an attempt to meet their partner's needs without having it almost coerced out.
And then, once you've got him being romantic, "Let him talk. Men actually like to talk if you just let them." I'm paraphraising due to memory, but really, that's what they said. More generalizations, but now your man isn't talking because you talk to much! Better hope that he doesn't have Bridgestone tires. And as a person who doesn't like to talk all the time, I love it when my friends can supply most of the conversation because I, *gasp* like listening to them more than talking myself, and I'd be inclined to seek the ability to talk at length in a partner.
They actually had some good tips, why do they have to destroy them by gender stereotyping and putting all the blame and responsibility on the female half of the relationship?


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