Tag Archives: nice guys

Men Who Go Out Of Their Way To Describe Themselves As “Good Guys” Make Me Suspicious

Jessica WakemanJanuary 18, 2013 //
Crazy Blind Dates
Would you let OKCupid set you up on a "Crazy Blind Date"? Read More »
Things To Tell Your Ex
13 things you want to tell your ex, but never will. Read More »
Courtship Isn't Dead
Courtship isn't dead, it's just taking a nap. Read More »
date

Earlier this morning, I was reading a piece on How About We’s blog The Date Report about men who are “serial daters” thanks to the ease of online dating web sites. Blogger Justin Rocket Silverman wrote about a piece in The Atlantic by Dan Slater called “A Million First Dates” which argues that online dating allows people the ability to act like kids in a candy store.  Some men feel they can easily discard women or brush off getting dumped , because there’s always the chance someone “better” is waiting for them online (AKA “Bigger-Better Syndrome”). Keep reading »

The Soapbox: The Self-Righteous Bullies Of Tumblr And Their Feminist Apologists

Ally FoggJanuary 7, 2013 //
Shaming "Nice Guys"
nice guys of OK Cupid
All about the Nice Guys Of OK Cupid Tumblr. Read More »
"Nice Guys" Who Rape
Intent isn’t everything, but it does matter. Read More »
Do Not Date These Guys
12 guys you shouldn't date in 2011. Read More »

I’d been planning to let the issue of the Nice Guys of OK Cupid blog on Tumblr slide. [NOTE: The blog has since been taken down.] It is pretty depressing from every perspective. I’d squabbled and grumbled about it on Twitter with a few people, and then thankfully the Christmas break pushed it out of my mind.

If it passed you by, the Tumblr scours the dating/social networking site OK Cupid for profiles of men and then posts their pictures (without permission) alongside selected quotes. The typical entry shows a less than attractive guy with a few quotes from his profile proclaiming himself a ‘nice guy’ who is fed up of being ‘friendzoned’ and then a ‘wrong’ answer from the set profile questionnaires such as “Should women feel an obligation to shave their legs? Yes.” Keep reading »

“Nice Guys Of OK Cupid” = The Scariest Tumblr Of Dudes You Never Want To Date

Jessica WakemanDecember 21, 2012 //
Ugly Is Good?
OKC says being uglier actually makes you more attractive. Read More »
OKC Enemies
Y'all got issues. Read More »
"Nice Guys" Who Rape
Intent isn’t everything, but it does matter. Read More »
nice guys of OK Cupid

How do we feel about this new trend of shaming people by attaching their photos to douchey stuff they say online? I’m not arguing that some of the gents on Nice Guys Of OK Cupid are not pigs. The Tumblr is unmasking all kinds of misogynists and power-hungry freaks. Like, say, the guys who answer “yes” to the question, “Do you think there are certain circumstances a person is obligated to have sex with you?” Keep reading »

The Soapbox: On Nice Guys As Rapists

Amelia McDonell-ParryDecember 10, 2012 //
I Was Date Raped
Amelia was date raped in college by a guy she liked. Read More »
Drunk Is A Feminist Issue
Why women everywhere should be concerned about binge-drinking. Read More »
Too Drunk?
If you're a drunk woman who gets raped, will you be taken seriously? Read More »

Almost a year ago, I wrote an essay about having been date raped in college. The piece got a strong reaction from commenters, many of whom debated whether or not I had given or not given consent for this guy to have sex with me. Much of the back-and-forth centered around the fact that I didn’t realize that penetration had actually occurred until days later. I had had a few beers, it was dark, I was a virgin and generally sexually inexperienced, and I had told him explicitly that I did not want to have sex yet, all of which added up to me not realizing what had happened until he told me.

I perceived this man to be “a nice guy.” (We had a good date. He was funny and smart and liked animals. He seemed trustworthy.) He genuinely seemed surprised that I hadn’t realized he had penetrated me, that he wasn’t able to “help” himself. That’s what he said: “I couldn’t help myself.” I still clearly remember his tone — it was sort of sheepish, but also complimentary, as though he was trying to flatter me by saying he couldn’t stop himself from doing what I said earlier not to do. As I thought about it in the days after, I excused his raping me as a breakdown of communication. He hadn’t meant to rape me, so therefore it couldn’t be rape. Besides, he was a nice guy and nice guys just don’t rape. Keep reading »

Mind Of Man: Do Nice Guys Really Finish Last?

John DeVoreAugust 17, 2011 //

A recent study has concluded that it doesn’t pay to be a “nice” guy. Scientists have found that men who are “agreeable” in the workplace don’t earn as much money as men who are more cutthroat. This groundbreaking finding serves to prove that tired old saying that “nice guys finish last.” When did you become so starved for attention, science? I know that modern society is allergic to reason and that facts and the boring pursuit of truth aren’t sexy. But why bother drumming up controversy by using social research to confirm a statement that only reinforces gender cliches? Do you need a ratings boost?

When women hear that “nice guys finish last,” they wail and shake their fists and wonder aloud, very loudly, if they’ll ever, ever, ever find a guy who isn’t a jackass. Then there are the men who are actually jackasses who tell themselves they’re “nice guys,” because even jackasses need to sleep. But then they read, for the 1000th time, that “nice guys finish last,” and resign themselves to being jackasses. Because why bother being a nice guy if you’re doomed to failure? Both men and women respond emotionally to the phrase “nice guys finish last.” I don’t care how scientifically sound the study happens to be because I’ll bet all my credit card debt that it was inspired by a desire to steal some spotlight instead of illuminating the human condition. Keep reading »

Dear Wendy: “I Moved Too Slowly And Lost The Girl”

Wendy AtterberryApril 13, 2010 //

I’m 18 and have made the mistake of taking Mr. Nice Guy too far. Like so many men, I use my manners, and my charm, even my flair for romantic gestures (I write poetry and love sending flowers), as a shield. Actually, it takes me a long time to open up at all to people and, get this, I can’t go anywhere physically (even a simple kiss) with someone I don’t trust. I take things slow, and eventually they work out … usually. But my most recent relationship just fell apart. We’d been seeing each other for 5-6 months, and I felt we were really starting to get somewhere. We haven’t even kissed yet though, and her friends were beginning to wonder if we were really seeing each other. So, I called a “Talk” to really open up, let her know that there was a reason for things going “slowly,” and that I really wanted to take things to a more tangible level with her. She then informed me it wasn’t going anywhere in her opinion, we were just friends and ought to stay that way. That set me back into polite mode, and I told her that would be fine and I was okay with that. Then I cried for hours after she left. True to her word, we’re still friends, but the feelings I worked six months to feel are still here and our conversations are as intimate as they’ve ever been. More, she seems sadder than ever, and some of her friends have hinted that breaking up wasn’t what she wanted to do. Worse, my newly dawning sexuality says it rather wants to get closer to her in every way. Do I take the plunge and just kiss her? A lot of me wants to show her how I feel, but I’m so afraid. — Shy Guy

Keep reading »

Sorry, Girls — There Are No Nice Guys

LemondropDecember 28, 2009 //

Here’s the thing — on paper, I’m actually one of those Nice Guys you often hear and/or read about. I’m uncomfortable to the point of nausea at the idea of being a jerk to women in order to manipulate them into sleeping with me. I do everything in my power to make a girl I’m interested in comfortable and happy, and I refrain from any remotely creepy or suggestive behavior.

So, although I actually do qualify as one of the Nice Guys, there’s a paradox — there’s no such thing. Read more … Keep reading »

SexReally Tries (& Fails) To Explain Why Nice Guys Finish Last

Jessica WakemanJune 30, 2009 //

The second SexReally podcast by anti-hookup crusader Laura Sessions Stepp is online, this time looking into the subject of “Why Nice Guys Finish Last.”

Jorge from NYC told Sessions Stepp that he “stopped being nice” because he wasn’t getting any girls and added, “I know guys who are a**holes because they think that’s the only approach to get women.” Brittany, a student at George Washington University, gushed over bad boy “confidence” and “swagger” and dished about a relationship she had with a guy who “made [her] feel lower in some way” and wasn’t “gainfully employed legally.” I guess we women just don’t know what’s good for us!

Keep reading »

Do Nice Guys Really Finish Last?

Catherine StrawnJanuary 28, 2008 //


sweet nothings by ~Bob-Rz on deviantART

What do women have against nice guys? Honestly, I don’t think we have anything against them. It’s not like we want to be treated like crap. If a guy we’re totally into is super nice, that’s amazing. But if a guy we’re not quite sure about or completely crushing on starts doing really thoughtful things, it can come across as trying too hard. Yes, sometimes his thoughtful gestures are enough to win our hearts. This happened to me in high school. A guy I didn’t really like sent me 16 roses on my 16th birthday–we started dating and were together for more than a year, which is a lifetime when you’re in high school. But other times he can seem a bit too intense and make us want to exit the situation ASAP. Thoughts? [deviantART] Keep reading »