The other side of the dating story

By Josh Fedder

I've got to respond to the article in last week's issue about relationships at Santa Clara. The article finally made me realize how much of a pig I am. I don't want to have a relationship with anyone. I'm much happier trying to hook up with a new girl every weekend because that's what I care about in life.

As a Santa Clara male, it is so easy. I mean, young women are literally throwing themselves at me all the time; how can I resist? Thank you for reminding me that my goal is simply to get women into bed.

Unfortunately, last week's article was seriously one-sided and completely generalized the male population at this school. I think a good amount of the men at Santa Clara have plenty to offer to the fine young women at this school.

I agree, dating has become somewhat taboo at Santa Clara, but that doesn't mean it is completely out of the question. If you're going to be a slave to social norms your whole life, like Santa Clara's anti-dating norm, you'll probably end up as boring as you think your parents are.

If a woman really wants to go on a date with a certain guy, couldn't she just ask him out? What's stopping her? It's probably a much better alternative than sleeping with someone to start off a relationship.

But we men do understand that dating can sometimes be difficult, especially when it comes to asking someone out on a date. I mean, seriously, think of the pressure.

You've got one chance to try to make something happen with someone you're interested in. You wouldn't want to be rejected -- that would be a major drag.

In last week's article, the author asserted that "it is socially acceptable for guys of all grade levels here to date women of all years. But women are only allowed to date guys their own year or older."

So if a sophomore man dates a junior woman, she'll be stigmatized and he won't? That seems strange, especially considering that a lot of people are accustomed to guys dating down only. If anyone at Santa Clara decides the standards for female dating, it's probably females themselves.

"Another factor to consider is that there are more women than men here. Consequently, the guys get the pick of the litter, while the women are grasping for what is left, becoming highly competitive amongst one another and acquiring unhealthy self-images."

Really? The difference is 56 percent women compared to 44 percent men. Grasp tightly to that 44 percent -- that's a little less than half of everyone.

It's sad to think that we males of Santa Clara have nothing to offer. While I'm sure there are vast numbers of men here who really don't have anything to offer, I'm equally sure there are vast numbers of women who don't have anything to offer either.

So how do we find the good ones? If you're a female, maybe start by dating down, or break out of Santa Clara's and society's constrictive dating rules. If you find yourself in a happy and healthy relationship as a result, what's the problem?

Josh Fedder is a photographer for The Santa Clara.