Sam Vara wrote:Of course men can be attracted to stupid women. But the comment in question was that men prefer stupid women. They might well prefer stupid women to involuntary celibacy or to some other non-sexual thing, but it is not the case that men prefer stupid women to more intelligent women. Not only is it proven by personal experience and anecdote, it would in evolutionary terms be a disaster for the species if this were generally true.
I think the terms "stupidity" and "intelligence" can be used in many different ways, and in the context of binocular's input, she was using the word "stupid" referring to the health risks of making sex on women including the use of contraception and abortion implying that it is not worth it.
I said there is a grain of truth in what she said because a certain amount of stupidity is needed (from both, men and women) to engage in sex. I have an uncle who is a sex addict and slept with a lot of women throughout his life. He is not handsome, but a skillful liar, and his sweet talking enabled him to sleep with a lot of women.
Sartre was in love with Simone de Beauvoir and yet had many mistresses. He was once asked what does he do to keep all these women around him, and he said that he lies to them, then he was asked even to Simone de Beauvoir, and he answered "especially to Simone de Beauvoir". The inability to detect lies and to believe in romantic non sense is a form of stupidity.
Porno is a good place to explore human fantasies. One of the recurring themes in porn movies is that the woman is innocent and naive (in a childish way) and that the man "tricks them into sex". Many human beings seem to be pleased to exploit the weaknesses of each other.
If you look at women who are widely portrayed as "sexy" through media, it is not only that they don't seem intelligent, but i would argue that there seem to be a negative correlation between their sexiness and level of intelligence. Kim Kardadhian comes to mind, and the young model from the UK who got kidnapped in Italy recently (she was described as naive by her friend in an interview).
Evolution and sex are blind and futile forces that ensure the survival of the fittest, and equating the "fittest" with "intelligence" is a false equivalence in my opinion. What does it take to succeed and flourish in this world and to pass on your genes? If working 80 hours a week and to focus on status and physical beauty is intelligence, then Buddhist monks are the dumbest people on earth. It is also worth noting that fertility rate has a negative correlation with the level of education in both men and women.
This is generally true, but the cultural background needs examining here. In many Western countries it would be possible to find these types of sexual relationships (i.e. based on sexual desire alone) with ease. Many people base an entire lifestyle around them.
I agree that culture plays a role, but even in the west, women are expected to police their sexuality more than men. Feminists make a big fuss about objectifying women's bodies (as if the objectification is only coming from men). From my personal observations, women get offended if you only focus on their physical beauty. We are supposed to love them as a whole package especially their minds or their souls (whatever that means!).
Please note that i am not reducing relationship between men and women to lust, and i admit that there can be (and should be) respect and compassion between human beings. I also admit that intelligence can play an important role when we choose a long term partner, but sex is a small aspect (and i would say the least significant aspect) when we choose a partner. But when it comes to pure sex, intelligence is irrelevant at best and have a negative effect at worst.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"
This was the last word of the Tathagata.