sadhrj

I can't imagine that this book got much attention back when it was published in the '40s because the guy that wrote it was named Ramirez. I mean, maybe Latin-types were revered the same then as marketing-types would have you believe they are now. But I'm thinkin' no. The truth about the Latin male, I have learned, is that he incorporates the worst traits of these stereotypes -- he has all of the wanton lustfulness, but none of the panache, of the first; and all of the rebelliousness, but none of the ambition, of the second. [image error] Now. If we are to take this book seriously (and don't we?), your typical (white) male of 1940s America was less the father figure from Leave It to Beaver and more the Morlock of H.G. Wells' Time Machine fame (I'd put up pictures or even hyperlink here, but I've filled my review bauble quota already). The author implores him to do things like cut and clean his nails; to get rid of his dandruff; to actually listen to and compliment the female he is courting; and, most jarringly (to me, anyway), to not be a "wet blanket...If you belong to this group, take stock of yourself. Compare yourself to the people around you, those you are always criticizing. Are you really superior to them? Perhaps you yourself have some of the very traits you so intensely dislike in others." You know what, you Latin Ozzie and Harriet wannabe motherfucker? Fuck you. I've always clipped and cleaned my nails, I only had a minor bout with dandruff back when I was thirteen, I've always extended the courtesy of listening to everybody -- male and female alike (granted, sometimes I look at a female's boobs, but that's Darwinian) -- but I'll be damned if I'll throw my lot in with the farmer-tanned illiterates I'm always harping on. Why? Well, because they make my life a living hell. And guess what? Adhering to this anti-moron policy bagged me the girl of my dreams. I tried to fit in, as you advise the bachelor to do, and all it got me was a series of dates with also-rans, the most memorable of which cited Titanic as her favorite movie. And speaking of Titanic, chart your own course: You may not be popular with the ladies in the short term, but you'll end up happier because you'll find that other black sheep. Then the two of you can thumb your noses at the boorish, platitudinal society that spawns books the likes of this. That stated, I like that Fontaine quote you introduced me to: "The desire for perfection is the worst disease that ever afflicted the human mind."

2022-11-14 16:01