I was watching History Channel International the other day. It was about the "Chinese mob."
One of the most amusing lines went as follows:
The Emperor became concerned that the mafia were an organization that was undermining the
dynasty.
The Chinese state is so busy looking down trampling the little bugs underfoot that it's going to slam its
head against a tree branch one of these days. And boy will that be fun to watch.
The second amusing thing that happened was that the commercial for
href="http://www.fox.com/joem/">Joe Millionaire aired on E!, and it was longer than the one
on Fox. Boy, these women are going to humiliate themselves. I was crying I was so laughing so
hysterically. And it's just the teaser commercial! I hope it doesn't turn out to be like a movie trailer that
promises a lot more action (read: humiliation) than turns out to be the case in the full length feature. (the
premise is that a bunch of women are given the false impression that the bachelor is inheriting $50
million dollars when he actually only makes $19,000 a year)
I find the show, at least the hype and trailers, a sad commentary about entertainment these days. It is this
kind of stuff that makes me watch cable only channels more & more.
I winced in sympathy pain when I saw that commericial. But a part of me just says "That's what you get
for being on a reality show." They'll be the Darva Congers of 2003
it's mean to laugh at people that don't ask for humiliation-but these people are going on TV of their own
free will. it's the price of 50 million dolars (so they think!).
speaking of gold diggers.. i wonder if there is a difference between gold diggers across societies. are some
cultures more prone to produce gold diggers?
Good question, Wes. Obviously, wanting a husband with high status is universal in human cultures
(though not in all people). I'd guess that in patrilineal cultures with strong marriage bonds sex-for-money
becomes a less obvious part of marriage when the primary focus is on raising children. In cultures where
marriage bonds are weaker and more based on romance and entertainment there's more gold-digging.
Prime Example: You know those rap videos where a drug dealer is sitting on a leather couch surrounded
by dozens of beautiful women? According to my sources, these videos are based on mating habits
common in the ghetto. A dealer will make a lot of money on a major deal, and when word gets around
the projects all the welfare moms go over to have sex with him. The little boys see this and think it's the
most fabulous life possible. And we wonder why these little boys become crack dealers.