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> This is a dirty tactic. It is not good faith engagement. It's not a dirty tactic, it's an analogy meant to snap the reader out of reductive thinking. It's ea
by root_axis 9y ago
> This is a dirty tactic. It is not good faith engagement.
It's not a dirty tactic, it's an analogy meant to snap the reader out of reductive thinking. It's easy to throw out these kind of generalizations when you reduce people to animals, but when you're forced to consider individuals from a human perspective (like in the case of your own mother) suddenly there is a wave of humanizing rationalizations to explain why characterizing marriage as glorified prostitution doesn't really apply in grandma's case.
> most women don't have sex with their husband because they like him
Neither one of us can prove what is in the head of most women when they get into bed with their husbands, but it seems absurd to generally ascribe a financial motivation for married sex-life. Women like sex too, some more than others, it doesn't make a woman a whore if she also enjoys financial support (and you know, all the other qualities that people care about in lasting relationships.
> If you are a well paid man and tired of feeling like women only date you for your money, fostering a world in which women have money of their own on pat with men is the single best antidote to your dating problem
This simply isn't a problem for the vast majority of people. Most eligible bachelors do not make enough money to such an effect where they have to be worried about goldiggers beyond the normal common-sense signs.
> As just one supporting citation, this article talks about the fact that pro athletes frequently marry their high school sweetheart because you can't trust that women who met you after you struck it rich really like you
Individuals with multimillion dollar salaries are clear outliers that have to contend with the impact of their wealth in every personal relationship, trying to generalize that example to the general population doesn't make sense.
> There are also rap song lyrics about how poor men from the hood can't get a date, but once they strike it rich "it's a puss buffet."
Once again, if you become rich and famous you are an outlier that is pointless to apply as a general rule. Also, as someone from the hood, where almost every individual is poor, I promise you that there are LOTS of dates and LOTS of sex, even for broke guys, the most common distinction between guys getting dates and those who are not is confidence, looks, and a sense of humor.
> a guy lost his job and his wife quit having sex with him
Yeah... nobody is saying that doesn't happen, but that is obviously not a common occurrence as any married man who has been unemployed can attest to.
> While I was homeless, no one wanted to open doors for me career wise. But lots of men wanted to offer me money or a place to stay if I would sleep with them.
The fact that men have solicited you has means nothing with regard to the nature of sex within marriage.
- dang 9y agoPlease don't "snap the reader out of reductive thinking" by using personally abrasive rhetoric on HN. Thoughtful conversation works better on a peer basis anyhow, not when one party presumes higher consciousness than the other.
- root_axis 9y agoDang, I have the greatest respect for your efforts to improve discourse on the site, but I have to disagree that this is "personally abrasive rhetoric"; the personal aspect is a critical component of the logic within my argument, it is precisely the fact that when we consider our own loved ones in the context of the GP's stated position, it becomes clear that the reasoning is not consistent (because we offer our loved ones a more humanizing outlook when considering the nature of their circumstances rather than describing our mothers and sisters as prostitutes). On a personal note, I am a little surprised that my comment has been flagged as "personally abrasive" but the GP's rhetoric suggesting that married women in general can be likened to prostitutes is not similarly flagged as inflammatory. I am not asking for permission to continue debating this thread, I am only asking that you consider the nuance and context of my reply before judging it as abrasive. Thanks for your hard work.