That’s the problem. If this book didn’t exist, I’d have to straw-invent it:
There is a book making the rounds in America. It’s called “Why Men Marry Bitches”, by Sherry Argov. I work at the library and we bought quite a few copies in both English and Spanish, and it is being reserved by a lot of women who can’t wait to read it. The revues on Amazon.com, by women of course, are 100% positive! You’d think that it would be an insightful, self help book for men, warning them of their tendancy toward marrying women who start out nice, but later prove to be, well, bitches, but it is not. The authoress states that in order to get a man to the altar, you have to be a bitch. She describes the best ways to manipulate men and make of yourself, a challenge….
I say, if you see this book on a woman’s bookshelf or next to her bed, hot foot it the heck out of there!
This aligns rather nicely with a personal theory of mine, which is that people usually worry most about that which should least concern them. For example, the jerk always worries about being too nice, whereas the nice guy is constantly concerned that he’s being too much of a jerk. The cutthroat rich guy is always afraid of leaving money on the table while the less-affluent, more easy-going guy tends to fear ripping people off.
I don’t think it’s completely reliable, but applying it on a regular basis might help some people view their actions and motivations in a more objective light.
And naturally, I second the recommendation regarding the book and its readers made by Miss Carnivorous. If a woman is trying to manipulate you to the altar, then you can either ensure that her manipulations amount to nothing in the end or resign yourself to Gamma Hell.