It’s About Making Babies!

So, I caught a snippet of Paul Harvey, Jr. “That’s News” this morning.

A bit of rant about Paul Harvey, Jr., vs using his Dad’s morning news spot.

Personally, I feel it is rude for Junior to stick his populist pap stuff, claiming “That’s News” – actually, much of the time I do need the reminder. Because he only covers stuff that *doesn’t* make the news. He sleeps in, so he can’t try to keep up to date like Dad did. And, yes, it gripes me that Junior calls his elitist pap “Paul Harvey’s Comments and News Update”

Back to the research

As I recall the snippet, a university in Florida claims that a man looks away from the face of a beautiful woman faster than an average-looking woman – if he is in love.

Sorry I didn’t catch the name of the school.

What caught my attention is that the school claimed this is “nature’s way of defending monogamy.”

What a Christian way of making assumptions.

The new horseshoe.

A friend tells me that a nosy neighbor is lurking while a farrier (horse shoer) is adjusting a steel shoe to fit a horse. The shoe is heated to a glowing, flexible temperature, and beat with hammer on an anvil to make desired changes in shape. Now cooled barely enough to lose the glow, the farrier sets the still-hot shoe on a nearby surface.

The nosy neighbor looks a the shoe – and eventually picks it up. And quickly drops the shoe. The farrier raises an eyebrow, “Still hot.”

The nosy neighbor replies, “Naw, it just doesn’t take me long to look at a horseshoe.”

Back to faces, beauty, and monogamy.

Not everyone lives in monogamous relationships. Various cultures practice serial families, extended families, group or casual family forms, and polygamy and harems. Not all monogamous relationships are actually all that monogamous. The English language includes relationship labels from history like consort, mistress, call girl, kept woman (man), gigolo, prostitute.

Guess 1 – glamour vs. beauty

Glamour was a fey form of magic, to conceal true appearance with an illusion of great beauty. Today glamorous photos, magazines, etc. rely on cosmetics, surgery, fashion, etc. to weave a concealing image.

Take a guy and gal. Stick them in close relationship for a few years, maybe some hard financial times, distractions like children, extended family, and shared hardships and adjustments to each other. In many cases, the attraction between them matures into trust and reliance on each other, an appreciation for compassion, character, and respect for ability. They share joy in life and the wonders of the world.

They learn to see past glamour.

So the guy looking away from a “beautiful” face might just be dismissing the shallow weave of illusion. He might be judging that anyone with enough character to be interesting or useful to a community – wouldn’t be practicing deception (glamour) as a life style.

Guess 2 – mating ritual.

Many cultures practice use of cosmetics, special dress or occasion to signify an individual is engaged in looking for a mate. That one is available and interested in mating.

When one is “in love” they are no longer interested or available to those looking for a mate. Especially when today the search of a “beautiful” woman is for sex-based social position, sex-based personal status, or triumph in comparison to other sex-image contenders.

If your current vehicle is satisfactory, you won’t be interested in a used car salesman at work. When mated, someone interested in mating (dressed/made up for a mating ritual) won’t have similar needs and interests.

Guess 3 – avoiding temptation.

Much of human activity is based on repetitive behavior. A good work ethic, fidelity, habits, and addictions are all repetitive behaviors – we make a choice, and tend to leave that choice in place, then adapt our daily responses to life and situations to suit.

We tend to avoid things that conflict with the values and choices we already accept. Having a mate, one would tend to avoid those situations, objects, and people that cause trouble.

Depending on the neighborhood you live in, you might avoid people walking an aggressively-acting dog, authorities, or belligerently acting groups. I am told one of the most common factors in divorces – is living next door to a single person. So avoiding people blatantly engaged in living a single lifestyle would be a good way to avoid trouble at home.

People actively and aggressively living single – dating, pursuing personal goals – would have fewer common interests and concern about family issues such as school, accommodating a mate’s interests and schedule, etc.

Where did the monogamy come from?

I can understand a highly-churched modern Christian jumping to the conclusion that a man devoted to a mate is an example of monogamy. That assumption seems to be pretty prevalent in America.

But I don’t see any reason to think that any of the reasons for a gentleman glancing away from a “beautiful” woman’s face quickly – that has any implication about who or how many wait at home.

An apology

I made one particularly glaring assumption here. That is, that what the college types called a “beautiful woman’s face”, as opposed to a more ordinary appearance, is a dolled up cosmetic display.

The faces and appearances that come to my mind that don’t involve makeup, jewelry, or tattoos or surgery or piercings – mostly involve an expression of joy. Seeing someone joyful doesn’t challenge any belief, or cause one to turn away.

Which isn’t to say that someone couldn’t be joyful and made up at the same time. I personally dismiss “beautiful” people for having adopted a shallow and deceitful life style.