What Does Anyone Want

What do men want? What do women want? Why does anyone, anywhere think that people, who may only have their naughty bits and sexy time proclivities in common, want the same things?

This Psychology Today article begins by, basically, saying that men are machines. Show a man, ANY and EVERY man, a sexy thang and that dude’ll be up and eager, instantly ready for the mattress olympics.

Whereas women ALL want lurv, commitment and a house in the 'burbs before they’re up for roasting the broomstick.
Right. Gotcha.

Why do articles like this get mag space? Mind you, this one goes deeper and wider but then, Psychology Today, pop-ish though it is, tries to be more serious and intellectual than Your Tango and Cosmo.

Simple answers to simplistic, reductive questions moves product off the racks. Sex sells. Cosmo and Maxim sell more than Psychology Today and Selfhelp Magazine.

Here’s what The Amazing Bob wants:

* Dark chocolate chip cookies with the occasional butterscotch cip thrown in. They should be baked with real butter and contain zero calories. Healthwise, eating one should equal running a mile. OK, I want that too.
* To run, catch, pitch and dive after balls on a glorious, clear blue 70º spring day just like he did when he was 50.
* Mixed nuts—to be able to eat and digest crunchy mixed nuts.

Here’s what I want:

* Egg pizza for brekkie.
* For all our cats to just get along and be indoors during this brutally cold weather.
* To hear Shapes of Things (Jeff Beck, Ron Wood, Rod Stewart), the second side of Abbey Road (Beatles) and The Downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails) again.

What Jen wants:

* An endless supply of Sauvignon blanc
* Confidence
* Justice for all

What Oni wants:

* To be happy
* To make others happy
* "To live my life with the love of my life." (that'd be Jen, by the by)

Oh yeah...we want that stuff too!

~~~

While playing Words With Friends this morning, these two ads flashed up (at left and right).

I’m not the audience they’re looking for (not Christian OR single). I thought online ads were all targeted now, a la Minority Report. You know, based on your intertoobz surfing history. Guess not.

Additionally...‘the fuck? Chickie, with her bikini top, bad dye job, heavy make up and extreme orange tan looks more like a porn star. Dude looks like a jolly but dim footballer.

I suppose skin flick queens and rugby thugs can be all Jesus, Jeeeezuz, Jayzuz Kee-riced too. Funny and sly way for a ‘Christian’ dating site to bring in the marks—focus on the surface. Go for the lowest common denominator eye candy. Sex sells.

Back to the Psych Today article— they come around to an interesting bit:

more recent studies show that gender differences in the number of sexual partners are reduced or disappear altogether if women are told that they are connected to a lie detector and that the information they provide will remain confidential. In other words, when women feel safe enough or otherwise compelled to tell the truth about their sexual behavior, the story they tell resembles the male story. Moreover, if women believe that they will not be harmed and that the sex will be good, their willingness to engage in casual sex equals that of men.

~~snip~~

Recent studies indicate that the objects of female sexual attraction vary with the menstrual cycle. During their fertile days, women tend to fancy high-testosterone men who are not good candidates for monogamy (ed. note: footballers? soccer hooligans? bikers?) but have healthy male genes.

Huh, so maybe we’re NOT all so different after all.

Moreover, the evidence suggests that women initiate divorce more often than men, and that they benefit less from marriage than do men on measures of health, happiness, and wealth.

Huh, interesting and reminds me of Kevin Tudish’s tremendous recent novel where the wife seemed to be on a hair trigger for divorce. I may be remembering that inaccurately.

What do you want?