Donna Garcia42 said:@Morgan Cook10: I find myself unable to agree with you, primarily because your argument rests on the flawed assumption that everyone begins their journey from the exact same starting line...
Even if we were to brush aside all the obvious environmental pressures—things like systemic poverty or a desperate need for immediate income that might force someone to drop out after just three years of high school when they actually had aspirations for college—there are still those innate, personality-driven factors at play. An extreme extrovert and a deep introvert simply aren't operating from the same baseline, which means that even under identical circumstances, they won't arrive at the same conclusions...
Gender carries its own set of distinct characteristics as well. Since you brought up the issue of domestic violence, you're likely aware of how cycles of abuse tend to perpetuate themselves through generations; men who were victims often grow up to become aggressors, while women who experienced abuse frequently end up marrying them. Furthermore, there's the tendency for men to approach problems through a more pragmatic lens, whereas women lean toward emotional processing. These gender differences, when layered atop all other variables, fundamentally shift one's initial standing in life...
As for your comments regarding rationality, I honestly can't take them seriously. Humans aren't rational creatures by nature; therefore, your own reasoning isn't entirely objective either, as it remains susceptible to various stereotypes and categorizations... including the ones you've presented here, which, at first glance, come across as quite chauvinistic and misogynistic... 😁
Alright, I'll give you this much: not everyone starts with the same hand. But we need to be really careful about how we define "freedom of choice." For instance, I don't have the "choice" to decide whether I buy a Ferrari or a Porsche... I just have the choice of what to do with the money I actually have. Let's get back to the actual topic. Most women don't have the "choice" to marry Tom Cruise or Leonardo DiCaprio... but they do have the choice of whether or not to marry a specific person. My point is simply that everyone is responsible for the consequences of their own free will.
Now, look... if you're telling me that freedom of choice is just an illusion because we're all driven by these external forces you mentioned, then why wouldn't my stereotype—the one you just criticized—be wrong too? It’s the same logic: if victims of violence usually divorce and abused women often marry abusers, then it follows that men are more rational than women. Call it "gender differences" if you want.
Look, I'm happy to walk back my stereotype, but only because the core principle is that people are equal and free, and thus accountable for their actions. But if we're playing by those rules, that applies to everything, not just my stereotype. Just like a murderer can't claim they didn't know killing was illegal, a woman whose husband abuses her for years can't claim she had no choice but to leave him after the very first slap.
And if anyone thinks I'm off base... I'll just circle back to my original question: does anyone here have a list of women who don't have the choice to say no to sleeping with me?