It’s About Making Babies!

Scott Adams writes the Dilbert cartoon. And blogs various topics, some of which he considers ‘true’, others of which he is interested in the reaction of others.

Today Scott wrote about preferences, how women prefer taller men. And how people choose beauty.

The usual explanation for why humans have certain preferences in mates is because the preferred traits signal good health, and that is an advantage for baby-making.

In his series The Adventures of Conrad Stargard, I think book two, High Tech Knight, author Leo Frankowski claims that in a primitive society, mate selection is made on the basis of survival and in a decadent society, mate selection is based on beauty. When choosing the right mate means you have a stout warrior, a mate likely to protect family and children, then appearance runs way lower on the list of desirables than health and skills. When survival is relatively assured, then the issues are about status and appearances count, there. So I think Scott is generalizing incorrectly when he assumes that all peoples and times set beauty as the most desirable attribute in selecting a mate. Especially when he assumes this practice spans ages, with his reference to evolution pressures. I think Leo has thought this through much better than Scott has.

Hollywood figures are marketed to sell newspapers, movies, and other media. Cosmetics and provocative clothiers pander a sexy or heavily contrived image as ‘desirable’. Beer, auto, and other companies using sex to products. It is no wonder, then, that the assumed social epitome is ‘beautiful’ – a contrived appearance that uses as many highly marketed products as possible, including silicone breasts and body jewelry and tattoos.

But I contend that in the larger picture, men still choose a mate that enhances his chance to succeed. There is less emphasis on needing children to provide for old age – so men go ga-ga over tits rebuilt to look big but no longer function biologically. We teach our daughters to be trophy wives, not crafty, homely mothers and mates. And we let Playboy and porn teach our sons to demand sex, to pick the most contrived appearance and highest social status. That is, decadence. Elsewhere in the world today, women are choosing men that can provide for a family, men are choosing a woman that can keep a home, healthy enough to bear children, and suited to surviving.

Look at those who have been in harm’s way. Just like in many novels, when times get dangerous, people tend to pair up with the nearest surviving, available, competent mate-prospect they encounter.

It is the decadent, those exuberantly and conspicuously consuming, that fit Scott’s model.

Booking Through Thursday asks about favorite heroine:

Who is your favorite female lead character? And why? (And yes, of course, you can name more than one . . . I always have trouble narrowing down these things to one name, why should I force you to?)

It seems lately that many of my favorite books have had female leads. Sometime the lead character just happened to be female, others the fact that the lead is female is central to the story.

A favorite for many years now, is Pyanfar Chanur, of C. J. Cherryh’s “Pride of Chanur”. Of the Hani race, Pyanfar trades among the outworld species – she finds she has little taste for the petty gossip and infighting at home, and a knack for the trade.

Robin McKinley tells wonderful stories. Aerin, from “The Hero and the Crown” is classic fantasy story, and Beauty, from “Beauty” (a telling of Beauty and the Beast, McKinley style – wonderful) is both headstrong, dutiful, and very devoted.

Tamora Pierce makes a living writing wonderful young adult and young reader fantasy. Alanna, from her first quartet of novels, The Song of the Lioness, starting with “Alanna: The First Adventure”, and Keladry (‘Kel’ to her friends) of the Protector of the Small quartet starting with “First Test” are sturdy, heroic warriors – in training. Aly – Alianne – of “Trickster’s Choice” and “Trickster’s Queen” is bright, cunning, resourceful – and daughter of a spy that wants to follow in her father’s footsteps in a world of sword and sorcery. Three of the four lead characters of Magic Circle and The Circle Opens quartets are girls, growing into their magic powers, mastering the world they live in, and overcoming their pasts – Sandry, Daja, and Tris are different people that learn to make a family with their fellow mage, Briar, to replace the families each has lost.

David Weber has written an immense body of space opera, following the career of Honor Harrington. From On Basilisk Station through In Enemy Hands, and on through a war between star nations, Honor, in some books happens to be female, in others, she is granted titles in a neighbor nation that is strictly patriarchal – and gender equality is central to the story on Grayson. But I think I like Helen better, from “Shadow of Saganami”, as a person.

Elizabeth Moon has impressed me with several story lines. I think the one I respect the most, was fantasy in the Tolkein sense, The Deed of Paksennarion trilogy started with “Sheep Farmers Daughter” and takes rustic Paksennarion from her family farm to a mercenary training camp, to wars-for hire and a call to serve her gods as a paladin. Wonderful to read and re-read. Esmay Suiza, daughter of a prominent planetary government, chose a space navy career in “Once A Hero” and the following novels.

Anne McCaffrey enchanted me with “The Ship Who Sang” – a tale of a mentally brilliant girl, born in a body incapable of sustaining life. The child is encased in a metal ‘shell’ that provides contact and support, until she graduates and is installed at the ‘brain’ part of a scout ship, partnered with mobile ‘Brawn’ companion to perform such courier, investigation, and rescue assignments as come their way. One of Ms. McCaffrey’s longer running story lines centers on the colony planet Pern. “Nerilka’s Story” is a twist, a nearly historic romance set in a fantasy universe – and lovely to read and re-read.

More recently, Patricia Briggs wrote ‘Moon Called’ the first of her Mercy Thompsen stories. Mercedes Thompsen, auto mechanic, lives next door to the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, is friends with one of the friendlier vampires in the area, and works with the fae Zee Adlebertsmiter with a personal past longer than the middle ages. What I call a paranormal adventure, the story is great and Mercy is a good person; I feel I am better for having met her.

Mercedes Lackey as written a lot of books. The “Arrows of the Queen” introduces Talia, a girl wiser than her years growing up bereft of family and destined for awesome duties.

Mike Shepherd introduces Kris Longknife, a very competent and talented rich girl that wants to be taken seriously for herself. This space opera tale begins with “Kris Longknife: Mutineer”. I think my biggest criticism of this series is the author’s fascination with ‘boobie bombs’, introduced in “Kris Longknife: Deserter”. *sigh*

Kelley Armstrong wrote a loose collection of paranormal adventure. I think my favorite might be Paige from “Dime Store Magic” and “Industrial Magic”. I enjoyed all her paranormal fantasy novels. Her latest, though, is a mundane detective novel that I found disappointing, “Exit Strategy”.

Almost forgot – Ayla. From the series of Earth’s Children books by Jean Auel, the one that I like best, by far, is “Valley of Horses”. The others are OK, including the first, “Clan of the Cave Bear” that is way better than the movie with Darryl Hannah.