J . M A I L

Complaints of a Disenfranchised Gender

Yesterday night I found myself in a room with two female friends, one had recently started a new relationship and the other who was single, who were discussing the lack of single men in Guelph.

They began to list a number of single men they collectively knew, followed a discussion of those persons’ flaws. Flaws, that presumably make these insufficient to date or to have a romantic partner. Adjectives used by the two girls tended to focus around the terms weird and odd. Each time a name was brought up I sensed a mutual sigh of disappoint from both girls.

A single single guy was mentioned as being attractive but was it was then quickly noted that this guy had never shown any interest in the girl that had brought him up. Personally, I have the feeling that the particular guy in question enjoys the company of gentleman rather than the ladies.

As bad as the adjectives used to describe the men were, worse was the tiny number of the single men listed. Are there really no single men in Guelph? I used to know a lot but not so much anymore. Is is really that easy for guys in Guelph to find girls (I have never found this)?

The conversation got me thinking what this all meant for me, a single man living in Guelph. What adjectives would be used to describe me if I had not been in the room at that moment. Am I a rare exception to the rule that single men in Guelph are flawed or am I one of fatally flawed men myself.

Now call me crazy but I am old fashioned in believing that people should get together when they share common interests, outlooks, temperaments, and when they really like one another.  I was not under the impression that if a theoretical guy scored highly on some unwritten list of required attributes that he was then date-able. Where does liking the person fit into that shopping list of requirements?

Really are we not all flawed. Isn’t possible that the guys and girls in relationships are just as flawed as the guys not in relationships? Why is a guy suddenly seen so differently because 1 of the 3 billion women on earth determined they wanted to date that individual? Why does being vetted by one girl seem to change what a lot of other females to think about a particular guy?

Being single can be pretty awesome yet if a guy is single and isn’t out picking up at the bars he is seen as flawed. If he is picking up then I guess he is seen as tom cat that cannot be tamed. My final question is this … Why can’t a guy just be single and awesome?