How Male Intrasexual Competition Led To The iPhone
And the lightbulb, the automobile, and, oh, the wheel.
Here's the iPhone:
The origin of the iPhone as told by @forstall pic.twitter.com/lATMxGVyAc
— Eli Schiff (@eli_schiff) June 21, 2017
And as I tweeted to @YeyoZa, from whose retweet I found the Steve Jobs quote:
You and I understand that so much of modern civilization is (at least in part) about a man asking himself: "How the fuck can *I* get pussy?"
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) June 21, 2017
Okay, potty language (I'm the girl who writes science-based books with "F*ck" in the title), but this really does underlie so much of human accomplishment.
Women didn't achieve as much in previous generations for other reasons, but the reality is, women, in general, just aren't as driven as men -- in general -- to create and achieve. That's surely because, throughout human history, female achievement hasn't been the primary way women attract partners or better partners. As I point out frequently in my science-based advice column, men will date the hot barista; women will not:
[Anthropologist John Marshall Townsend] showed men and women photos of hotties and homelies of the opposite sex, dressed in either a Burger King uniform or biz exec-wear and a Rolex. When he asked which they'd go for, men were indifferent to how the woman was dressed -- picking the hottie no matter what she was wearing. Women, on the other hand, went for the homely business dude, and tended to nix even a hookup with the hot hamburger helper.
More and more, men are looking for women who match them in educational level and intellectual ability, but still, there are reasons that not as many women are leading companies or coming up with inventions, and sex differences in how we get mates are a part of this and probably a substantial part.
Cars get guys laid. Guitars get guys laid. Sushi, trinkets and vacations get guys laid. Anyway, that's how it worked back in the day.
Do cell phones get guys laid now?
Crid at June 22, 2017 7:03 AM
Do cell phones get guys laid now?
Allegedly, yes. I think one app is called "tinder". But I've never used it so...*shrugs*
I R A Darth Aggie at June 22, 2017 8:42 AM
Women, on the other hand, went for the homely business dude, and tended to nix even a hookup with the hot hamburger helper.
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Seems to me that would depend a good deal on one's age definition of "woman."
In the 1950s, after all, half of all "women" marrying for the first time were teens. (This was NOT the case in earlier decades, mind you - for various reasons, the 1950s demanded more conformity than ever before and at younger ages.)
Not to mention that in this century, people extend their "teenage" lives into their 20s. So if Townsend meant women over 25, he should say so.
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More and more, men are looking for women who match them in educational level and intellectual ability
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Not exactly a new development. It's partly about class. What people always ignore about Cinderella's story is that she was BORN into a rich family and raised to have genteel manners, which is why she dared to even THINK of going to the ball - and it's how she was able to keep the prince's attention. So it wasn't exactly a "rags to riches story." (Unlike, say, the Egyptian version of the story, where Rhodopis was a courtesan/prostitute.) Granted, even upper-class women weren't as highly educated as upper-class men until the 20th century, but even middle-class college-educated men have never been in the habit of marrying high-school dropouts - unless maybe the woman had more money.
lenona at June 22, 2017 9:08 AM
In marriage, men are a lot more forgiving of how much the wife accomplishes or does. It is ok with him if she spends lots of time on the phone or stays home and doesn't work (I am not saying the wife who does NOTHING). But women are very demanding. If a guy isn't handy, the wife will be scornful about it. If he isn't a go-getter she will push him to become one. I know many couples where the reason the guy got his Master's or became successful was being pushed. I know no cases where the husband pushed the wife to work harder.
cc at June 22, 2017 9:21 AM
"More and more, men are looking for women who match them in educational level and intellectual ability ..."
That is almost entirely due to trying to find people with the same culture as well as risk mitigation. In the western world marriage is such a high risk situation for men we've just about inverted the courtship rituals.
Ben at June 22, 2017 9:29 AM
cc, that reminds me of James Thurber, who, it was said, would never have been the success he was if his wife (wives?) hadn't pushed him. Rumor has it that was one reason he hated women.
lenona at June 22, 2017 9:56 AM
Men trying to literally distinguish themselves in order to get laid (and then stay attached to their children) is half of the reason why all the amazing things have been invented by men. Men's motivation and ability to provide more than they need for themselves has been the foundation of the family and the driver of economic growth, and thus of civilization itself.
The other half? IQ. The fact that men average around 5 points higher is not insignificant. However, the key is in the different distributions. (A recent study trumpeting that females had finally caught up with, or even surpassed males by a few points, was done with adolescents -- the age when girls have matured faster. More "fake science news" in service of feminism.)
Measured from the average to the stupid, women are significantly smarter than men -- it takes a certain level of intellectual horsepower to successfully rear children, after all. There are more really stupid men than really stupid women -- which perfectly explains why the majority of socially dis-functional behavior is attributable to men. (It is also somewhat useful when you are looking for cannon-fodder!)
But, the magic happens when you measure from the average to the genius. There are a LOT more really smart men than women, and among the geniuses who are smart AND driven enough to come up with smartphones, space vehicles, radio, television, antibiotics, skyscrapers, hydroelectric dams, interstate highway systems, indoor plumbing, etc., women are very rare, indeed.
Let's face it. There is no shame in acknowledging that women couldn't be too stupid, but they also didn't need to be particularly smart or adventurous, either, when a nice figure, lustrous hair, a pretty (neotenous) face and a sweet manner -- not to mention the ability to bring a new person into the world and then feed it the perfect food -- would do the trick nicely to ensure the protection and provisions of a mate.
Oh, dear, my soggy knees!
Jay R at June 22, 2017 12:55 PM
Camille Paglia had it right. When asked what would have happened differently if women had always run things, she said:
"We'd all still be living in grass huts."
She's correct.
Chester White at June 24, 2017 5:57 AM
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