I've recently been renting the HBO Series "Sex and the City" on DVD. For some reason I get a kick out of watching four 30-something women babble on about their sex and single life.

I was watching Episode 7 "The Monogamists" tonight. The main character, Carrie Bradshaw, saw the guy she has been dating out on a date with another girl. They had never discussed exclusivity before and he casually brushes it off.

This leads Carrie to ask the question, "In a city like New York with its infinite possibilities, has monogamy become too much to expect?"

This is the response of one of the people she asks. She writes a column called “Sex and the City” for a local paper and has a huge network of people she speaks with.

"I have been involved in a monogamist relationship for over a year now. It's been wonderfully fulfilling. Of course, my definition of monogamy includes sex with prostitutes."

I wonder how many guys here that applies to.

I very much enjoy "Sex and the City" as well, not so much because it IS about reality, as because most people who view it (young attractive women included) think it SHOULD be about reality. It's like learning Russian in 1954 ...

The latest episode bar one included a fabulous discussion over the ubiquitious trendy dinner table. The girls are all there, plus Carrie's new boyfriend. One of the girls (Miranda) goes through a long discussion of all the reasons that her latest date hasn't called back yet. Viz.:

"So, I know he was really into me, because he smiled when I joked, and we really got along. And I invited him up but he couldn't come up because he had an early meeting, so I'm looking forward to him calling, but then I remembered he said that he had several things to do this week, like paint his cat and wash his boss' bulletin board with lye, and, umm, oh yeah, scale a fish with tweezers! yeah, that's it. So I hope he calls soon."

And all the other girls give her positive support: "Well, if things went so well, then he'll call soon." But the guy says, bluntly, "He's just not that into you. Guys don't do double meanings. We don't send hints. He will mail you an uncomfortable email soon, because if you offered to invite him up, speaking as a guy, I'M GOIN' UP if there's the REMOTEST chance of sex."

So then it's like a GODDAMNED REVELATION to the women, that all this "what did he mean by that" and "he has to blowdry his vacuum cleaner" was all just bullshit. Basically, he wants to fuck her or he walks away. And, like, the women were amazed by this utterly new and simple way to live life. As though it hadn't occurred to them. LOL Miranda even tries to pass it on to other women a few scenes later, but the new girls refuse it, preferring, "Well, he said he had to play pinochle with his grandmother this month, but I know he'll call soon after that!"

So, learning just how stupid women can be, is a wonderful by-product of "Sex and the City." Unfortunatley, I think the core viewership (adolescent to young adult females) doesn't view the series that way. Instead, they TRY HARDER to be obtuse, frivolous, clueless, and inept, on the model of their heroines Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte, and Samantha. I would have thought they'd recognize the GRIEF that being a typically flighty single-something brings, and AVOID it by choosing DIFFERENT, rather than similar, behaviors. But NOOO, it just FEELS TOO GOOD to act like Carrie and fuck up your life ALL OVER AGAIN ...

Ah, women.




(Message edited by book_guy on July 17, 2003)