My opinion.

I began a comment on Legally Blonde's blog and felt a stirring behind my shoulderblades that usually indicates when I'm about to commit a ranting and have insufficient forethought to accurately represent my true feelings. When people ask my opinion about something I really haven't thought about, rather than say "I don't know," I usually resort to the West Texan method, which is to cock my proverbial head aside and state a relatively obvious fact.
For instance:

"Wes, how do you feel about a woman's right to choose?"
"Well... (proverbial head-cock) I'm not a woman. So I guess I don't."

That should be a sufficient cue for someone who knows me well enough that I'd rather not get into it. Not that I'm not interested in investigating the topic, or that I agree or disagree on any particular school of thought... just that I haven't thought about it long or hard enough to present a sensible opinion. After all, I don't like my opinions to be how I feel at just that moment, but based on a core understanding of some personal truths I've arrived to as I get older and wiser.

Don't get me wrong, though. I already feel a little hotness in my cheeks as I write this. I'm not saying I always think about things or always run certain issues through my gauntlet of personal values. I don't. If it's an issue I really care about, though, I'll think on it and get back to you.


Anyway, all that aside, I really thought about the issues I have with dating today. I don't know what it says in my profile, because I basically made it all up for the sake of anonymity (aNONymity... NON...Nobody of Note... get it?) but I am in my mid-20's, I work, and I'm going back to school in the Fall. Here are the things I have going for me:

I'm funny, attractive, smart, and I'm great in bed. All good qualities to have, and usually the qualities that most women (except for the great in bed part) will say that they are looking for when describing their wishes. I'll get back to this, because, ladies... we all know that is an obvious pageant answer.

Things I do not have going for me:
Mostly material things, such as having a nice car, which I don't, or a big apartment, which I don't. I do not have the key to my uncle's lakehouse, much less have an uncle with a lakehouse. I am not a member of a fraternity, nor do I plan on being a doctor, lawyer, MBA grad, or really anything that involves obscene amounts of money or wearing suits. (In fact, I plan to be a low-paid secondary education teacher)

In other words, my down side is that I'm not rich, nor are my parents rich. I also do not play a musical instrument or rugby. I can't even sing, or even run very fast.

I can almost feel your eyes rolling. Back to the pageant answer bit. A lot of women say they want a guy who is charming, funny, smart, attractive, etc... and I believe them. The problem is... women allow a ton of play to a guy who is only charming when he's drunk, only funny when he's quoting a movie, and really smart... when it comes to the stats of his favorite sports team. Why? Cuz he's freakin' loaded, baby! Whooo! Money money money!

Now... this is not what I have a problem with. I don't care that women are drawn to money (= power) because I'm not looking for a chick who cares about my wallet. (as a disclaimer, I'm mainly talking about the women I meet, who are usually 20-somethings in college and work. Hard-core gold-diggers are what they are, and god bless them for it. Without their obliviousness, it would be difficult to recognize them) The women I meet like to hang out with regular guys and wait for that special someone to come along. While they hang out with us, they go slackjaw in shock when one of us jumps at an opportunity to buy a woman a drink in exchange for looking down her low-cut shirt for a while friendly conversation.

You're shocked!? Why!? As easily as most women overlook the average working joe, they sit disgusted by both the joe who jumps on these opportunities and the women who impersonate such opportunities.

I once conceded to my father that it was hard to meet women that are genuine. He replied, "You'll never meet your wife at a bar." I jumped for joy. I've been hiding out at bars ever since.

But seriously, for a guy who lives in a college town, who is college aged, who is not a religious freak in the land of the socially-diametric bible belt... there is truly nowhere else to look.

TBC...