Competitive Manipulation (Part 1)*

Dating, ughh...
i said it aloud & typed it...
yes, sorry, i know this isnt exactly advertising stuff...
(k there is some relevance, just wait & read da last part)**
but it's important 2 me & my loved ones plus it's my Blog, so go away if u don't like it...

Self love is easy. Learning to love, respect, and truly admire someone different from you takes more work. There is no more a greater, freeing feeling than being completely open, honest, and RAW with someone and knowing that they will still Love you and call you back in da morning...
None of us is perfect, we all want someone that will stand by our side, not just see eye to eye but understand and love the differences in each other, not just accept them as flaws or tendencies or even 2 forgive 'em, it's knowing that even though everyone else knows you have 'em, trusting that your loved ones wont hold 'em over you or throw 'em back in your face...
i guess that's where da work comes in relationships...

Finding that certain someone to accept and love you for who you are & not for who you are not, means you have to date, thus the competion begins...
Truth is men & women love to compete with other men/women. whether in sports, gambling, or just about anything someone else thinks they r good at. Men & women alike want to win, the differences r in everyone else's justification, but at what cost? We all want to be chosen by a person who could have any other person he/she wants. No person of caliber wants to win said person by default. They want there "Significant Other- S/O" to be a prize, a good catch, someone they can be proud of and show off. When you tell a person that there significant other is beautiful, handsome or intelligent, they’ll likely beam with self satisfaction. In complimenting there S/O, you’ve complimented them. You have told them, in so many words, that they r capable of attracting a quality mate. The people who rail against this usually have a low self esteem and thus avoid competition because they fear they’ll always fail….or they’re just ugly, take ur pick...

The point of this is to illustrate how inclined both sexes are to compete against their peers, even in terms of dating. Hell, especially in terms of dating.

We r all guilty of at one point or another manipulating and or using our gifts/qualities (Be they looks, money or influence etc.) to try and garner some edge over somebody else. (and if u disagree with me, let me take a look at ur resume...)

Above all, respect the role that competition plays in our personal relationships. If you slack off during a race, you’ll likely lose that race. Likewise, if you slack off with your relationship, that relationship will probably die.

splitting up,losing, ending, breaking up whatever u want to call it... walking another path...
I will stipulate that moments like that usually occur when one person(or both) stops putting effort into the relationship. Unless, of course, you’re cheating, then it's on like Donkey Kong... :P
Remember, the cheater usually gets caught at the end of da story...

So is it all really just about competition?
Yeah, the logical part of my mind can hardly believe that, either.
But dating isn’t about logic. it's about love and as they say, there r no rules in love & war...
it’s all maneuverings and subtle manipulations...(Sociology, Biology & add a dash of Psychology... Great, dat explains it.)

Men & Women alike compete daily...

hmmm, men being competitive... do i really have to make a list....
Sports, drinking, gambling, cars, food, money...
oh yeah, i almost forgot WOMEN...

So i started thinking about all the ways in which women compete.(yes da same list applies for both sexes)
Now as an example of girls, lets say, fashion. (BTW thanx Kimberly for this tidbit on women...)
Women don’t dress to impress men. Us men are just as happy to see you wearing one of our shirts than in a smart pants suit. Women dress to impress other women. Women also compete with other women in terms of popularity and prestige. They gather friends and worshipers around them like little status symbols(yes just like some guys do). Men don’t care about how many phone numbers a woman has programmed into her cell phone (k, men do).
Before you claim that I am, judging men & women too harshly, I will concede that a good portion of men & women grow out of this behavior as they age. True, in current generations enlightened people are becoming increasingly fewer, but who knows? The world isn’t stagnant. It can change. one person at a time...(thanx Yvonne for dat lesson.)

But I’m digressing once again, back to this whole kharma wheel...

So with that said i offer my humblest & deepest apology to all my loved ones that i ever made our relationship a competition... I am sorry i ever treated you or our relationship as a game... it was not...
i love you all... & thanx for all of the life lessons you taught me... u know who u all r...

P.S. *Can anyone think of a better way to describe advertising then with the title of this post, "Competitive Manipulation".
Funny how the most effective, compelling ads dat work, r da ones dat thouch our heart/soul... anyways, something 2 ponder...
**This is only part one of what will become a larger more in depth look at these trends not only in advertising but my friends, family & myself...