To the NYTimes headline, "Men, Where Have You Gone, Please Come Back," David Burge said (at your link), "Text us some titty pics, maybe we’ll think about it."
So someone responded with this:
Posted on 06/22/2025 2:02:49 AM PDT by Cronos
We have moved into an era where many men no longer seek women to impress other men or to connect across difference. They perform elsewhere. Alone. They’ve filtered us out.
I recently experienced a flicker of possibility. With James. We met on Raya, the dating app. There was something mutual from the start — wordplay, emotional precision, a tone that felt attuned. It was brief, but it caught light. I remember saying to him, “Even fleeting connections matter, when they’re mutual and lit from the inside.” I meant it.
There was just enough spark to wonder what might unfold. Enough curiosity to imagine a doorway. But he didn’t step through it. Not with a plan. Not with presence. He hovered — flirting, retreating, offering warmth but no direction.
Sexual tension and a spark aren’t reason enough to sit still and hope there’s substance behind the shimmer. So I named what I felt. I texted him clearly, with care, not simply to declare attraction but to extend a real invitation to explore what was possible. I didn’t chase. I invited, leaving the door open. If he ever wanted to cross the threshold — not just to take, but to meet — I was willing. I wanted. I still do.
He never replied. He still follows my Instagram stories — one of those small gestures of passive engagement that so many of us now mistake for closeness. It looks like interest. It feels like silence.
There are thousands of Jameses. I have known dozens. The arc varies, but the undertow is familiar.
...here’s what’s real: We never needed you to be perfect. We needed you to be with us. Not above. Not muted. Not masked. Just with.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
To the NYTimes headline, "Men, Where Have You Gone, Please Come Back," David Burge said (at your link), "Text us some titty pics, maybe we’ll think about it."
So someone responded with this:
For reference, in my early 60’s here (in great physical shape and not unattractive...7-8/10)
What I didn’t see mentioned here about why 54 y/o women can’t get a date;
*Narcissist Personalty disorder (fake personality, all about MEeeeeee)
*Way too many modifications like fake boobs, fake lips, fake tiktok eybrows, fake, or many missing teeth (fillers,surgery stretchers, botox, etc). Fercryinoutloud, brush your teeth. If you can’t smell stink just one inch below your own nose, then...?
*Overbearing helicopter grandma wants someone to “join her team”
*Failure to exercise, eat right ...and take gertol
*Needs a rescuer, not wants a life partner. If she isn’t taking care of herself, she certainly won’t care for me.
*Wants to “keep her options open” (I’m not anyone’s “option”)
A buddy asked me why I didn’t have a gf.
I replied with the question; “well, we know all the same people & go to the same places for the past 20 years, so which woman do YOU think I should persue?”
He thought for a moment, while his wife was outwardly laughing and replied; “you DO have a point there”.
It’s like going to the fresh fish market for a sale, after their refrigerators broke day before yesterday. Not much of a bargain.
I’ve got a dog who’s happy to see me.
I want better than that.
Until I find it, fuzzy is a great companion.
She doesn’t clean, or cook (no thumbs...gotta have thumbs), or help with the finances, but then again, my ex-wife didn’t do those things either, so I’m conditioned.
...and content
Ladies—be 110% loyal to your husband and your children, stay in shape, be available and responsive for intimacy, pay attention to your appearance, dress attractively but modestly, be financially sensible, keep the household on a schedule, keep the house ready for company at all times, meals on a schedule, care for your pets and animals, care for your parents, be free of drugs and alcohol, attend your church or synagogue, act like a lady at all times.
The biggest tone deaf moment was when the author said that women were once signifiers of value. She's right but that is back when women HAD value. Now, they're blue haired, overweight, tattooed loudmouths that have zero value and don't enhance a man's life in the slightest. If anything, modern women make men's lives more difficult and that is not what we are looking for.
And finally, there is no photo of the author. That makes me wonder.
May I please add one more to your list of advice? Stop killing your babies. We had a hand in making and wanting them too!
She looks pretty delighted!
Well, itch, what is it about YOU that made “James” refuse to engage? Eh?
Could it be that you and thousands of other “Rachels” castrate men while expecting them to provide an expensive house, food, car, and travel? Could it be that you are hyper critical and seize upon one of the man’s shortcomings to dump him and replace him with another?
While you’re figuring that out, Rachel, take yourself out of the flesh market. You’re not such a great catch yourself.
LOL!
I missed that, may not have been posted yet.
I’ve already had my morning latte, I’m done with milk for the day. I may dump another double espresso in the remains.
“women were once signifiers of value”.
Let us be absolutely clear on what she is missing.
A beautiful 24 year old woman on your arm is still a signifier of value.
A 54 year old woman on your arm is not a signifier of value.
BTW, IowaHawk, David Burge, used to be a regular here. On X now.
Appears to have left in 2010. Time flies and all that.
https://freerepublic.com/tag/by:iowahawk/index?tab=articles
He pretty much eschews politics any more. He does some GREAT stuff on IDing old cars in pics. You post a pic and put the right tag on it, he’ll pick up on it and tell you make/model/year. He’s really, really good. Worth checking out his feed just to check that out.
Jeri Hall once said, and I am paraphrasing, “The key to a happy marriage is a woman needs to be a cook in the kitchen, a host in the living room and a slut in the bedroom.” My perfect feminist is Sarah Palin. She had her own career, was into outdoor activities, raised a family and was friendly and warm.
Today, no modern woman (of course the exceptions are conservative women) does any of this. They b*tch and whine about their problems, meanwhile us men are thinking, “who needs this crap?”
Date
Woman: “Even fleeting connections matter, when they’re mutual and lit from the inside.”
Man: “Um... yeah... Oh my, I just remembered something. I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere now, I just have to make a quick phone call.”
Door to restaurant slams shut, tires squeel as the corvette peels out of the parking lot.
That, in part, depends on what the 54 year old woman has been doing to add to your life and help you achieve your status.
May I please add one more to your list of advice? Stop killing your babies. We had a hand in making and wanting them too!
****
Should be illegal to kill your innocent babies. Abortion is murder.
A beautiful 24 year old woman on your arm is still a signifier of value.
**********
You look like a fool if you a very much older than she is.
That is a fair point and I often laugh at it as well—but notice many older wealthy men view attractive young women as a status symbol.
Erika Mitchell, aka "E.L. James", author of "Fifty Shades of Grey" has entered the chat.
That is a fair point and I often laugh at it as well—but notice many older wealthy men view attractive young women as a status symbol—case in point: Bill Belichick.
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