Be a “Creature” Unlike Any Other: Best chapter title from THE RULES poll

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^followed all the rules except for the last one^

xposts

I'm not sure that they are about accumulating maximum power per se as much as they are about orchestrating a relationship based upon all sorts of dubious assumptions along "Men are from Mars..." type models which would maintain that women and men are so vastly different from each other that one need employ all manner of machination in order to achieve one's "relationship goals". I don't doubt that generally speaking, one can find observable differences in the ways that men and women tend to approach sex, romance, relationships, dating, what have you...but the idea that the opposite sex presents as some alien entity that one need go to elaborate measures to decode and borderline deceive has always bugged and sort of mystified me. it seems much more rewarding to relax and approach potential mates as one would a friend one longs to be closer to

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^followed all the rules and landed a husband^

* 31: Don't Discuss The Rules with Your Therapist.

wtf

* 34: Love Only Those Who Love You

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^rulebreaker^

I imagine "Don't discuss The Rules with your therapist" is kind of like my family's "don't go to women's empowerment groups" rule – they might make you get off of a fucked-up train.

(My aunt got divorced & left the Mormon Church after going to a "women's empowerment group" so my family sees them as being tools of Sainten.)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Jesus, "Dont discuss the Rules with yr therapist" is the creepiest fucking shit I've ever read. On multiple levels.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

blowout by 36 and 31, I guess I'll know which chapters to skip to when I read the Rules

I will be a creature from the black leather lagoon.

blowout by 36 and 31, I guess I'll know which chapters to skip to when I read the Rules

all the others?

Is this just the female equivalent of PUA game?

both are essentially lessons in "how to emotionally manipulate others & give you a sense of control in a chaotic situation"

Both try to convince people that men and women haven't changed in any significant way since the early Seventies.

ha, yes, yes, yes

I still love "Don't Stare at Men or Talk Too Much"!!

http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/2010/06/01/the-next-to-marry-list/
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lol oh Jesus that's bad

This is such a hideous book.... it, for example, advises women to pretend to be to busy to take phone calls as not to appear overeager, which in turn will attract men by making them try harder to win you over. Really? Here's a better idea - instead pretending to be busy, live a rich life where you really are busy doing interesting things? It will be more fun for you, and, not coincidentlally, also make you more attractive to men.

The whole gist of the book seems to be: be a passive wallflower and men will go through hoops wanting to marry you. Lost seems to be the importance of finding a man who you'd actually (i)want(/i) to be married to. It's relentlessly self-contradicting - "You're a Rules girl! Your life is never on the edge because of a man." But women who buy into this drivel are *always* on edge because they're obsessed with getting married and will incessantly subvert their every action in pursuit of that goal.

It offers up such gems as "Don't tell him that his behavior (being 30 min. late for a date) reminds you of your ex-boyfriend who was also never on time. Even if this is true, don't tell him. Don't worry. By doing The Rules, you will automatically attract a loving, attentive husband who will be around so much that you won't have time to think about your abanadonment issues!". No, you'll attract chronically rude men who'll walk all over you every chance they get, secure in the knowledge that they can be unpunctual and thoughtless with impunity.

gawd, what nonsense....

sry about the misspellings and mispunctuation

'Doing' rules is odd terminology. Like something a four year-old would say.