-male (in heteronormative romantic relationships in the US, we are largely subservient to the female's desire, or lack thereof, of a relationship with us)
It appears to me that for our species, and particularly in Western societies,
women are the sexual selectors (at least in heteronormative sexual relationships).
"When a woman chooses a mate, we call that a relationship. When a man chooses a mate, we call that rape."
The former might get you what most of us want out of life--love, affection, children, peace, security, and intimacy. The latter
should get you prison time. It is obvious to me that this dynamic favors women.
Note that the italicized aphorism above is copyrighted by me. You are free to use it, but, if you do, please give me credit (or discredit) depending upon your particular, personal response to it.
all in all, i think men have it a lot more rough than women perceive us to
Agreed. I still think it unfair that women get paid less than men do for doing the exact same job. I also think that it's unfair that women do most of the world's work (up to 70% according to some estimates I have seen). That said, nearly every social ill you can imagine affects men more than women. Consider the following list:
Which sex is more likely to die at a younger age?
Which sex is more likely to be homeless?
Which sex is more likely to be injured on the job?
Which sex is more likely to be arrested?
Which sex is more likely to go to prison (by a 9:1 ratio, roughly)?
Which sex is more likely to be raped (and you must include prison rapes to fully grasp the situation)?
Which sex is more likely to be injured (physically and/or mentally) in military combat?
Which sex is more likely to be injured (physically and/or mentally) in physical confrontations with civilians?
Which sex is more likely to be denied (or fail to qualify for) government benefits due to their genital plumbing?
Which sex is more likely to be disbelieved by law enforcement personnel?
Which sex is more likely to have a serious substance-abuse problem?
Which sex is more likely to be committed to a mental institution?
Which sex is more likely to fail to find a mate and, instead, live in solitude?
Which sex is more likely to lose a custody fight over children?
Which sex is more likely to have to pay child support?
Which sex is more likely to have to pay alimony or spousal support following a divorce?
Finally, and most importantly, which sex can never be 100% sure that "their" children are actually theirs? Paternity equals uncertainty.
I don't begrudge women the tremendous advances that they have made over the past hundred years, but they're wrong if they think that they are at a major cultural or social disadvantage in Western societies. My experience has been, and the evidence seems to show, that it's
harder to be a man.
