Women could be more direct.

I read this story, first of all, to make sure that men were reading DIRECT signals, which is very important like "Stop" and "No."

As long as they're doing that I don't see the problem. Maybe women should learn to be a little more direct.

The "let's be friends line" has been disasterous since its inception somewhere around the Stone Age. We all know what it means, we all hate it, we've all probably even used it.

The point of the article, is clearly that men have problems reading such an indirect line. Advice: Next time just tell them it's over.

Fine. Take Oprah and Dr. Phil as gospel, and dismiss my advice entire.

You do not understand. Perhaps in fifty years you will. Perhaps not.

Nonsense. I adore women. But under the circumstances I have no reason to trust them with my heart to my detriment.

I think you adore pussy. Not quite the same thing. I see absolutely no chance that your heart would become endangered.

In point of fact, any advice I could render to women with regard to men would be deeply resented.

We will never know, will we?

This is why Dr. Phil tells women what they want to hear, rather than the truth. People in general, and women in particular, do not want 'truth'. They want sweet little lies, the more softer and more saccharine the better.

I don't know. I have never watched Dr. Phil. I did once read something he had written about ADD and disagreed with it. I barely know who doctor Phil is or what sort of advice he gives to women.

I do believe most people want the truth because they want to live their lives with a measure of dignity and integrity. Lies cheat people of doing that. People who cannot find a way to tell others the truth kindly and decently simply want to hurt others or they lack imagination.

Nothing is so destructive to a relationship than blunt honesty.

Who said anything about blunt?

Every woman wants to be told that she is strong, that her husband is handsome, and that her children are above average, truth be damned. Tell me it's not true.

Depends upon the woman. Too bad that men are not more often privy to women's conversations. I dare say that they would be shocked. Women who have been married any length of time tend to be more honest about their husbands to other women than their hubands would like. Scarcely anyone has children who has not experienced some disappointments, but many women do tend to be protective of their children and discrete about how they speak about them. However anyone who has ever been to a parent-teacher conference knows you have to take the good with the bad

My rudeness here is intended to make a point: women can play these games with men, but woe to the man who plays them with women, or even has the self-respect to stand up to a woman who has decided to be disdainful. Point taken? Can you be honest, or did you miss the point?

Oh were you being rude? Once when I posted anonymously about something that troubled me, you answered me very compassionately and I appreciated it. I know that the side you have presented here is not the only side to you.

I hope you will find more happiness than your words here would seem to entitle you to.

Nice sparring with you. You count the score your way, I'll count it my way.

I never keep score. You see, you were playing, but I was being honest.

I'm not sure why you're so hung up on Oprah and Dr. Phil. You do realize there are other cultural sources out there, right? My personal gospel comes from Dostoyevsky, but if you wanna go down the low road, you sound like someone who worships at the altar of Mystery the Pick-up Artist and The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Assholes.

Once again, I do understand. It's just what your advice is meant to achieve is not what I want.

P.S. There are also those who would consider bragging about how many dates you have in order to win an argument on an Internet messageboard pretty pathetic and perhaps even indicative of the fact that you've built up this whole womanizing thing to mask some deeper insecurity, but I'm not gonna get all Dr. Phil on you.

I do not disdain you at all, but I do disdain games. It is not that I don't know how to play. It is just that I long ago decided that I don't want to. If any guy ever wins my heart again it will be because I can trust him to forget the games and show me who he really is.

Does that make me childish or idealistic? Maybe. However, I do not worry about it. There are so many other things to worry about. If love arrives, then celebrate. If it does not, then all it means is that one is less lucky in that particular realm. Nobody gets it all.

If you can't blame someone for something?

I think you adore pussy. Not quite the same thing. I see absolutely no chance that your heart would become endangered.

Here it comes. Crude and insulting, and not at all honest. Judgemental and dismissive, characteristically full of yourself. I decline to exploit your weaknesses, but others evidently have not.

You never did answer my questions, but I expected you would not because it is part of your dishonest persona. Not only are you dishonest with others, but you're not even capable of being honest with yourself. I had hoped for better.

Have you considered maybe getting in touch with your masculine side? It might do you some good.

So, is that a yes or a no for the make-out session?

If the amount of enthusiasm during a passionate clinch is about equal on both sides, it produces in the male, at least, a feeling of euphoria which mere words won't really change. It takes three verbal signals to equal the message in one hand on the (male) chest, the moving of lips out of the line of fire, or a very loud clearing of the throat as the (female) body is reoriented.

At least that's how it was pre-Sexual Revolution when I was making out with a woman classmate.

Penetrate the euphoria, that's my recommendation for stopping the action.