In the “Televised sports manhood formula” by Michael Messner, there were ten formulas to produce a successful environment to lure in men to watch: 1) White Males are the Voice of Authority, 2) Sports is a Man’s World, 3) Men are Foregrounded in Commercials, 4) Women are Sexy Props for Men’s Success, 5) White People are Foregrounded in Commercials, 6) Aggressive Players Get the Prize, Nice Guys Finish Last, 7) Boys Will Be (Violent) Boys, 8) Give Up Your Body for the Team, 9) Sport is War, and finally, 10) Show Some Guts! While all of these are true, the one that particularly interests me is number six.
Aggressive Players Get the Prize, Nice Guys Finish Last.
The reason I have to wonder about this one is because I am a nice guy, and there are sooo many times I think that it’s just not fair... I deserve better. The subject I am talking about though is not gaining male viewership... it is all about getting the girl. Do the same criteria apply? That nice guys finish last in getting girls? Hall and Bogle might call me and guys alike, “the good other”, but forget that… why can’t I be the hero?? This is really a sentiment of popular culture, and it sickens me when I see the asshole guys with awesome girls.
“Nice guys finish last, | you're running out of gas.”
(Green Day has a song, appropriately titled “Nice Guys Finish Last”, and I’ll work it into this journal entry. That was its first insertion above…)
Messner says that both the images and the commentary reinforce the idea that rewards come to the most aggressive competitors while negative consequences await those who play “soft” and lack aggression. This suits the “nice guy” image pretty well.
Not that I can’t be aggressive... but to not be a nice guy, I cannot do it.
“Your sympathy will get you left behind.”
Thanks a lot!! I know this… but I am total opposite. I definitely am not gonna be a dick (if being a dick and aggressive are correlated... I don’t think it has to necessarily, but in many cases it does). You may think after this long of living, and seeing the dick guys prosper while the nice guys struggle that I’d just change my ways by now. But no, I can’t do it! I can‘t be the dick.
I also know the saying “love and hate are close… and hate is closer to love than like” or however it goes, but I always thought that was bullshit. I know that maybe it’s sometimes true for some people’s relationships, but seriously, this can’t be true for me too. I have never have had any hate girls, and thus I have few love girls too?? Are these correlated? People have told me I’m too nice to hate, but am I also too nice to love?
CAN’T BE!
This love-and-hate thing is sometimes true, no matter how illogical it really is. Do you really have to hate in order to love? Well I don’t think I’ll start randomly hating at any rate…
Girls, do you wanna be treated like the enemy, or like an angel?
Your call, but I’ll show you how it should be…
I can be aggressive though, so I think I’m just gonna wing that.
Michael Messner, I am determined to prove your theory wrong! Atleast in the field of getting girls... I will be the nice guy, and I will not finish last!
Because I’ll be aggressive and take what I’m given.
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