Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

WCDT - 6-10 September 2010 (1746-1750)

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no one special:
Then there was this comic...

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1307

So, it's not like Sven's not a douchebag. 


But yes, yes, I agree, takes two to tango, blah blah blah.

J:

--- Quote from: Akima on 06 Sep 2010, 22:07 ---
--- Quote from: Near Lurker on 06 Sep 2010, 21:17 ---Did it occur to you at all that the face a man presents to you while he's trying to pick you up might only be a facet of his personality?  Or do you see him as an uncomplicated Martian, existing only to try and fail to fuck you and then go off and get himself killed in some manly contest of strength?
--- End quote ---
I see what he chooses to present to me. I see what he chooses to present on the basis of what he believes will impress me. Let us imagine that the pick-up artist is a complex, multi-faceted individual who sings madrigals in his spare time, befriends stray cats, and is kind to his Mum, but chooses to hide that complexity behind his douchebag front. That he does so suggests that he believes the douchebag will appeal to me more than his real self, revealing both a lack of confidence in himself, and a profound contempt for me. Neither is attractive. At all.

--- End quote ---

that seems rather simplistic and uncharitable. first of all, 'douchebag' is a subjective assessment, and our straw-man would probably disagree that it describes his approach, as might some hypothetical straw-women. second of all you're speculating on someone else's internal internal motivations. this is all well and good with a hypothetical straw-man, but not with an actual human being. the fact is that unless you actually know them, you have no way of knowing why they are using the 'douchebag' approach. though if i might join you in speculation: presumably the fact that he is doing so implies that he thinks it will work, which would suggest that it either has in the past, or that he is operating from bad information. neither of which indicates 'contempt' for you, or a lack of confidence.

third: the fact is that we all adapt and moderate our behavior based on what we believe will be most appropriate/effective in a given context. you don't behave the same way on a date as you do at a job interview, nor do you usually speak to your coworkers the same way as your friends. this is how humans function as social animals. how a man approaches a woman is no diffrent.

raoullefere:

--- Quote from: Akima on 06 Sep 2010, 16:05 ---
--- Quote from: raoullefere on 06 Sep 2010, 04:07 ---I wouldn't treat a dog like that, and I detest dogs. (Sorry, Shelby.)
--- End quote ---
Well, I do declare! And you call yourself a Southerner, suh? (Typing that brought an image to mind of me in a Southern Belle outfit. I'd look very odd.)

--- End quote ---
To be honest, my body hates dogs with an intensity that's beyond holy, and makes me suffer if I allow them near me. Add to that the idiocy of several relatives (a few decades seems to me enough time to figure a few things out), together with the vapidity with which many people treat their dogs and the resulting disasters, and I wind up not caring much for them at all.

I'm sure you'd look wonderful in a hoop skirt. Not that I'm implying anything about your appearance one way or the other, but, odd as it may seem, very few ladies don't. I think the dress takes over. As much trouble as it looks like, it ought to.


--- Quote from: lunakitten on 06 Sep 2010, 16:07 --- :|
Nothing against a nice boink, but when you need a hug and a friend to talk to and cheering up? It's not remotely enough. It's sad that it was all he was able to offer her, and sadder that she thought it was all she deserved to have.

--- End quote ---
Exactly. Although I wonder if it was able, or willing? I honestly don't know. Maybe we'll find out.

westrim:
*glances around, glances at last thread* Wow, I missed a lot. 'scuse me if I don't chew through it all.

Sven sure is doing well. He seems to have evened out quite nicely psychologically.

Akima:

--- Quote from: J on 06 Sep 2010, 23:59 ---second of all you're speculating on someone else's internal internal motivations. this is all well and good with a hypothetical straw-man, but not with an actual human being.
--- End quote ---
Er... Speculate is all one can ever do about other people's internal motivations, no matter how well one thinks one knows them. Only their behaviour is observable.


--- Quote ---the fact is that we all adapt and moderate our behavior based on what we believe will be most appropriate/effective in a given context. you don't behave the same way on a date as you do at a job interview, nor do you usually speak to your coworkers the same way as your friends. this is how humans function as social animals. how a man approaches a woman is no diffrent.
--- End quote ---
Granted, but the key words are "most appropriate/effective". If a man approaches me in a manner I find repellent, how is his approach effective? In choosing it, how has he demonstrated the ability to communicate with me?

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