I think it's time we stop dating...and start a relationship

"Wait...what were we just doing?"
"Oh, that? That was meaningless. In fact I've had the exact same thing with countless women, countless."
"Countless?"
"Countess...Count Choculous?"
What?

The 1950's signaled a very important time in American History, (I wish I could underscore that and have it link to wikipedia where you could read about it. Actually, one day I hope to post entirely with underlined, blue highlighted words that take you to different reference sites. By the last paragraph they'd take you to porn sites for no reason) especially in terms of American Culture. After WWII or WW!! as I almost wrote (World War Whooo!!!) Americans began a large winged migration, out of cities into the surrounding towns and neighborhoods thus creating the rise of the suburbs (thunder clap). We, people from the suburbs, today are descendants of those people who moved to the suburbs so long ago - namely our grandparents, and quite possibly our parents. Thus, a brief history of suburbia. That's under urbia. Super Urbia? That's above Urbia. That's the OC.

So culture, oiy? In the 1950's dating practices were similar to this (although I wasn't around in the 50's). Saturday night was date night (also bath night [not baath night unless you were in Iraq]). On these rarefied occasions in the teenage suburban landscape, people would occasionally go out on dates with people. It might be one person one Saturday night and someone else the next Saturday night - unless you weren't cool. But really, I think getting into the mindset that everyone just exchanged partners every Saturday (Unless you were going steady [as represented by giving a girl your pin {I'm still not sure what pin you're giving}]). I think that that practice occurred and was somewhat prevalent, but I don't wish to mean that that's the standard. In truth, our parents didn't really even come of dating age until the end of the 50's or early 60's.

In my archaic view of thinking - or forward view of thinking - I didn't think this was still in practice today. I am, as I have been informed, wrong. The 2007 version of this archetypal model that was created some 50 years ago still exists. Apparently, it is not uncommon for a man to date one woman on a Monday, another on a Wednesday, and a third on a Friday. To me, I would consider this cheating, but as long as you're not in an officially defined and controlled "relationship" this is okay (or Tokay as the spell checker would have you believe.) Everyone, willing or not, has agreed to the basic compact that says "as long as we haven't declared it official, it's not official." As with many things, this is my response. If this is how we want to live in the world, fine, let's live there. You can do what you want, you just to to be able to live with the consequences. If everyone's agreed to this, that's fine.

My problem, and I wouldn't be doing my job as a blogger, is that to me this sounds ludichris. Wait...ludicrous. Here are some reasons why:
1. The sexual revolution. The sexual revolution (vive la sexy-stance!) has made it much more common for men and women to sleep together after 1 or a series of dates. Of course, here, I'm talking about adults. So, my issues lies with the fact that a man could be sleeping with many women during the course of the week, each one may or may no about it. Hey, I love that world, but I don't think it's possible. Would you want to be dating someone who you knew was sleeping with other men or women? (Think about the herpes) Would you want to be with someone you didn't tell you they were sleeping with other women? It would make me feel less important in that person's life, certainly one person might like another unfairly disproportionately. It would be like that person was cheating on me. Yes, cheating, that's what it is. It doesn't make sense to me in an age of more sex and sexual repercussions for someone to carry on multiple sexual relationships at one time. That my friends, is high risk sexual behavior. It's nice work if you can get it, or get away with it, but if you itch down there, don't look at me.
2. Patriarchy. Dating multiple women at one time without any emotional involvement? (because what is a relationship if it isn't dating with emotional involvement) Doesn't that sound awfully like a bunch of guys got together and came up with that over beer while watching porn. It's right after that part in the conversation when someone points out that a bunch of dudes are watching porn together. I guess I don't know if it's possible for someone to date multiple people and have no emotional involvement. There also seems something sexist about it. It's like lining up a bunch of women and grading them on their performances as a lover. "Ummm...you, blondie, turn around...uh, huh. I'm gonna go with number 4....can I super size that?" The inverse is true as well.
3. Isn't that cheating?
4. Over Analysis. How like our generation to over think, or over analyze something. Not our grand parents generation. Nazi's bad, kill Nazi's. (good time for another hyperlink). Our generation, very much with the thinking and the thinking again. "I like her...I like her...positive thoughts...I like her...what if she says no...what?...what if she doesn't remember my name...what's my name?...Oh, hi Cindy...see you later....shit!" Thus, the thought process of the modern suburban male. Think about over thinking this way -- "You're hanging out, but you're not hooking up, you're hooking up but you're not dating, you're dating but you're not in a relationship, you're in a relationship, but it's not a serious relationship, you're in a serious relationship, but you're not getting engaged, you're getting engaged but you're not getting married, you're getting married but you're not having kids, you're having kids, but you're not staying married...." If you're with someone, be with them. Don't over think it. Terms like "dating" or "relationship" or even "marriage" are just labels we put on two people who like each other enough to hang out. I mean, who cares what you call it. We've gone too far with labeling things and we've forgotten about just living.
5. I concede. If you can get 2 or 3 or 4 men or women to date you at once, you are awesome and more power to you.
6. Are we sure that's not cheating?
7. Biology. The biology tends to bear out the trend that men want multiple partners and women want one. Thus we have the creation of a patriarchal society. I don't mean to be a spokes person for women, and I'm sure many people don't want me to, well, they wouldn't want me to be if they were reading. I just happen to think that it's easier said than done, and that one time or another you're going to get involved with someone emotionally who doesn't want anything to do with you emotionally. On the average, I don't think it works like that. And if it does work like that for you, if you can be with someone intimately physically or emotionally and never get emotionally attached (I'm not even going to try physically attached) well, to me, there just strikes me as there being something wrong about that.

Again, It's nice work if you can get it.

In my world, you'd spend time with someone, and if you like each other enough you go out on a date. If you still like each other, you later, rise, and repeat. If not, you find someone else - according to TV and movies, it's not that hard. In my world someone wouldn't date multiple people at the same time because there seems like there's something universally unnatural about it.

I think that's all I have for now. Thanks for reading, dear viewer...of words.

I love you all.