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Seriously, The Rules simply do not work if you're looking for a loving, equal partnership. It's all manipulation and games. Same with the "pua" approach. The

• btilly 17y ago
  You are right that neither is a recipe for an equal partnership. Both are based on setting up a power imbalance from the beginning that makes what you want more likely to happen. However I emphatically disagree about what the vast majority of people do and do not do. In our culture men generally prefer to date younger women of lower socioeconomic status who are physically smaller than themselves. And it seems like most women find this acceptable. How is that not a built-in power imbalance in the relationship? How does that square with having an equal partnership? This is yet another example where an obvious truth about the relationship between the sexes offends people.
  • dgabriel 17y ago
    It's not offensive, it's just sort of incorrect. Most people date and marry those in the same age and socioeconomic bracket. You are greatly exaggerating the socially condoned differences. Like any partnership, both parties bring valuable things to the table, some of which are less quantifiable and tangible than height and money - organizational and management skills, social benefits, etc. Depending on context, the partner with less physical and monetary power may still be the stronger party in a relationship. This is where trust and honesty and a will to please the other, rather than just take what you want, come into play to keep the power balanced and the relationship healthy. Any sufficiently imbalanced partnership, romantic or otherwise, is doomed to eventual failure.