It's a Man's World

They say it's a man's world, but the truth of that statement depends on what specifically is being looked at. Discrimination based on gender is an issue society as a whole needs to address, but given the lack of progress in almost every area to do with women's rights, it doesn't appear that change will happen anytime soon.

In Australia and other progressive nations, there has been a steady increase in the number of women entering politics and becoming elected representatives. And there has been some progress with wages, but there is still a long way to go before we can claim true equality. It seems there are always more important issues to tackle and more excuses to be made to place equality for women on the back burner.

It's easy to see why women get the short end of the stick when it comes to wage equality. Corporations don't pay their workers any more than they have to by law and when women first became workers instead of homemakers in the traditional sense, in the corporation's mind, paying women less to do similar work to a man, made good business sense.

And once a standard like that becomes entrenched within a society, especially a society that is run by men, this small difference isn't that big of a deal or that important. Women should be glad they have jobs at all...right boys? And it's NOT that big of a deal unless, of course, the talk turns to equal pay for equal work...and then see the concerned looks of wealthy, white patriarchs turn from little difference to we can't afford it, as quickly as you can say fair dinkum.

And that's just one of many issues women must endure. Then there is the absolutely horrendous and shameful number of women who are subjected to domestic and family violence by their current or previous partners. And while there are occasional cases of women harming their ex-partners, they are rare and pale in comparison.

I doubt many men would even consider the fact that a woman simply walking down the street can be turned into a confronting situation if a group of men decide to single her out in a gender-specific power play. A power play that is far from powerful and is no game. I imagine if it was their daughter who was being treated in this manner how they would feel about it then.

Most men who are alone or with only one friend would not act like this. But, put a group of men together and a mob mentality can quickly surface, especially when alcohol is added to the equation.

I'm sure there are women who will enjoy the attention and men who can be less disrespectful in the same situation, but what these men hope to achieve by acting like a bunch of horny chimps is anyone's guess. I wonder what their wives would think of their antics. It's normal to notice when a pretty girl goes by, but being subtle about it without making her feel uncomfortable is being respectful and doesn't portray our gender as a stereotype.

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Now, it's not all good or all bad, no matter who you are and there will be positives and negatives attached to every situation regardless of gender. I'm sure that being pretty with a slim build would be something simply wonderful. And although being pretty sounds like it can't have too much bad going on, there will be negatives attached. Rich or poor, tall or short, it matters not, there will be both positive and negative things about it.

If we stop presuming that because someone is tall or rich or pretty or whatever it is we would choose to be more like if we could have that particular attribute, one that we assume must make them happy, would make for a better world. Because in general, these people are no different from anyone else and will still have issues they need to deal with.

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If in reality, it is a man's world, then there is no greater divide between the sexes than when we compare the male and female orgasm. No man has ever experienced a female orgasm...and visa versa, but I believe on average, if we did a survey asking to rate the level of pleasure from one being a sneeze, up to ten as eyes rolling, back arching and toes curling (and for some lucky gals, put this on repeat), there would be a lot of fives and sixes for the men, and a lot of twelves for the females.

I get it though...that the male's orgasm had to be limited by necessity. Can you imagine a world where it's possible for men to feel what women feel sexually? Nothing would ever get done...except him of course.

Women in general, take their sexual athleticism in their stride, but it may all be an act, so as not to make us any more envious than we already are. Or perhaps over time, women have forgotten this gift that sees so many with headaches instead of taking full advantage. If this is the case, I can guarantee that men wouldn't be as blase` about their newfound abilities, if the roles were reversed.

Another way to look at it is the male orgasm is the joke God played on man. A joke which goes something like, "I'm gonna come." And once those scant few seconds of pleasure pass and the man's lesser version of an orgasm, is over, you would think that the only thing we have that comes within cooee of her wonder, we would jump at every time. But enjoying the afterglow that comes from mutual sexual satisfaction that great sex brings, along with the closeness that is the glue that binds a couple together...a closeness that endures long after the pleasure of the physical act is over, is for some, replaced by an overwhelming urge to sleep,

And that's not even the joke...here's the joke...God made man in His own image. It was the first time He had made such a being, and as He stared lovingly at His creation, He thought, "I can do better next time." And so He did when God then made a woman.


Well, that's how I see it, and if there is such a thing as reincarnation, I would love to come back as a woman...a very sexy woman. One who is not afraid to explore her own decency. But I can do without all the horrible stuff that women have to go through. Things like PMT and periods. Competition between themselves, when they should be supporting one another. The likelihood of being sexually assaulted. Marrying a man who either forgets or no longer cares about her and her needs. The guilt she feels for things she thinks she did wrong in the past. The cheating husbands (who can no longer live with the guilt, but feel better once they confess). And the million other things that could affect a woman for whom most men have no understanding or empathy.

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In my opinion, because a man can never truly feel a woman's pain, we should at least try to understand why she is feeling that way. It's not rocket science and it pays dividends for any man who wants his partner to be content and wants to contribute towards this goal. If our partner rips our head off for no apparent reason and we want to understand what we did to cause such a strong reaction, in order that we might avoid doing it again, is male logic at its very best. The problem with this is there will be times when we just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and it isn't always about us. In fact, it would rarely be about us.

In saying this, the responsibility of finding happiness is ours and ours alone. If we can accept that it is no one's job in life to make us happy, we are already halfway there. It doesn't matter if it's a couple in a relationship or just us on our own, the biggest copout is to hold someone else responsible for our happiness and/or misery. Yes, there are times when other people and their actions can affect us negatively, but the reality is, we make our own decisions and they are choices that we need to own. Otherwise, we go through life blaming others for where we find ourselves. This is a denial of responsibility and from it, we learn nothing to help prevent it from happening again in the future.

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No matter who you are or what the situation is, using positive reinforcement in your day-to-day life makes a difference. This can be something as simple as a compliment on someone's appearance or for a job well done. It then flows onto the rest of their day. Telling someone they have done well (if they have) costs nothing, and yet, will make the receiver become more engaged and happier.

My mother is an octogenarian and loves a chat. In order to get what she wants, she uses positive reinforcement by complimenting others about their appearance or something good she notices about them. She won't lie though because people are savvy and will detect this in a heartbeat. But a genuine compliment or to see the good in others and you might be surprised at what they see in you.

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And then, there is the dating game.

I think we need to be honest here. When we speak of a man and a woman (or same-sex prospective relationship seekers) who are looking for something that being on your own can never bring, first impressions very much count.

For a man, it is important that when things advance and sex is (literally or not) on the table, we put our best foot forward when it comes to the act of lovemaking. To consciously and determinedly delay our pathetic little orgasm, or PLO for short, with the sex machine we know we have no chance of keeping up with, is a good start. We must at least try to satisfy her needs, although when the relationship is in its infancy, it's lucky for us men that our effort is just as important as the finished product...so to speak. And since we are being honest, the truth of the matter is, even if we do get the tick of approval in the bedroom, that is no guarantee of ever seeing this woman again.

There is so much more we must do to impress. Do we have ambition? And from her perspective, this means, do we have money? Or alternatively, will we potentially have money (cynical I know, but I doubt that a man who fits the bill AND has plenty of cash, that the latter would not be a huge turn-off for most gals...no matter how shallow this may seem).

And there is so much more. Is he tall (not too tall but definitely not short)? Handsome (this ideal image counts only if he has no money or ambition, otherwise, he can be a dog's breakfast and may still be a contender). Even if there's a huge age difference between a rich man and a younger than his daughter, beauty, she'll hang off his arm like the eye candy she always hoped she would be (just ask any of the multitudes of young women who dated Jack Nicholson over the last few decades).

Is he funny? But not so funny that her best friend will move in on her prize (if he is indeed a prize and not some knockoff that looked and sounded the part when she took him for a test drive).

And so it goes, until either,1: she drops her standards (which ironically, coincides with a drop in some of her most strategic body parts).
Or, 2: he 'gets it' and they are happy (at least until he leaves her for a younger and prettier version of herself).

Obviously, I am being facetious in this instance. Most people are reasonable, care about others' feelings and are not out to hurt anyone. But the fact remains that we all have standards we would like any potential partner to at least try to live up to.

Believe me, I am no expert in any of the fields discussed here and this is my opinion only. The last topic was produced more for entertainment purposes rather than a guide to life. But I do hope there's something here that may help. We are very complicated, yet very basic critters in how we think, feel and operate, but every now and again, we do need to take a step back and laugh at just how serious we can be.