WHY WOMEN ARE NOT REALLY FROM VENUS

My wife and I argued this morning. For us, an argument is a difference of opinion. I believe that I come armed with logic. I believe she comes, as most women seem to be, armed with emotion. Nothing wrong with that in itself. But it does tend to shut out rational debate. To argue against passion is like having a dispute with someone who bases an opinion on “faith.” It’s a dead end proposition. A Mexican stand-off. A dialogue of the deaf.

If you live in Toronto you know that our T.T.C. is agonizing over running bus and subway card advertising that appears to promote adultery. I say “appears,” because the reaction to the ads for an internet registry of people wanting to have an affair no more causes adultery than condom advertising promotes promiscuity, or ads for lotteries promote prodigality, or ads for beer promote drunkenness.

The T.T.C. apparently, in a fit of righteous indignation, will not allow this company to advertise its website, which, very simply, does what other “dating” and “relationship” websites try to do: to put people together who might otherwise try to do it with bar-crawling.

Paradoxically, I have negative feelings about the Ontario Lottery Corporation advertising with stuff like “the Happy Dance.” It is bad enough that millions of people indulge their fantasies in a tax on the stupid, but that it validates and make acceptable to a whole generation, that luck is what makes you rich.

I am much more irritated by the ads which appear regularly in the business to business sections. Aside from the usual bankruptcy and dividend notices, there are some pretty insidious ones like: you can earn 15% on your money now! There are always a rash of financial eruptions, especially among older folks who need income and succumb to these often blatant come-ons. (Not that all or perhaps even most are cons.) If the TTC can delete "improper" ads, why can't the newspapers operate under standards of vigilance to prevent exploitation and perhaps even downright larceny?

It’s not the same with the adultery website. They are simply taking advantage of an appetite that millions of people have. But, you might say, the same thing could be said for legitimizing drug dealers because there are millions who have the habit. Not the same. Adultery is not against the law. Against moral code I admit, but so is lying, or gambling with other people’s money and a host of other forms of “aberrant” human behaviour.

I think we should all cool it and get off our moral high horses. Without advertising of any kind the existence of a website where you can meet other “party” type marrieds, will become popular. It has underground appeal. It doesn’t happen because some sexually unfulfilled person sees a website ad.

Adultery is, whether we like it or not, a fact of life for many. The governor of South Carolina, the senator from Nevada, and of course Tiger.

I rest my case.