Ahhh, where to start?
Is it the ability to expel urine while standing or the fact that men don’t bleed involuntarily once a month? Is it the accepted level of ineptitude or the ability to appreciate the finer points of most sports (read: football, soccer and hockey, not figure skating and ballroom dancing)? Whatever the reason, I believe I got off easy thanks to the Y-chromosome I lucked into somewhere between copulation and conception.
That’s not to say that life with a penis is pure, unadulterated bliss. The assumed lack of emotion, the male machismo and the expected athletic ability can cause significant psychological problems for those who can’t live up to them. But when everything is considered in relative terms, men have a distinct advantage and an easier journey through life.
We live in a patriarchal society and despite shifts toward gender equality, anyone who believes the playing field is level is either blindly optimistic or completely deluded.
A man who has a revolving door policy in the bedroom is virile, a stud, revered by his "boys." Conversely, a woman with a similar penchant for variety is a slut, a tramp, loathed by many of her "sisters." The mindset is the same. So are the actions. The difference lies in societal attitudes.
Men are not to be trusted and will do what they will. Boys will be boys–for better or worse. Women are faithful to a fault and constantly seek love and commitment. Sugar, spice and all the rest. Men have absolute sexual freedom while women have a strict set of unwritten rules that govern their behaviour. Actions that afford me some kind of twisted prestige are a scarlet letter for a woman doing the same thing.
Many will argue that women have an advantage due to the ability to exploit their sexuality and get their way because of their looks or their charms. So all of a sudden being reduced to an ass, two legs and a pair of breasts is some grand blessing? What about respect, legitimacy and the opportunity to be taken seriously? Respect is a virtue sought after by all, regardless of gender. Yet we live in a society where men are given it to lose while women must earn it against steep odds.
That lack of respect is the greatest inequality between the sexes and the ultimate root of many problems and dichotomies. Women and men are not the same, they are not equals in every situation and they cannot be compared directly to one another–it’s apples and oranges. However, they are both deserving of basic dignity and basic rights.
Sadly, we still exist in a veiled boys club and while many have accepted women leaving the kitchen, there are yet problems accepting them in the corner office.
Men may be heartless, emotionless baboons who think only with fists and cocks, but we live in an emotionless world of aggressive, sexual baboons so we have a distinct advantage–in spite of our general inability to get free drinks at the bar.