Jack Antonoff Gushes About His Lady

Jack Antonoff on Lena Dunham: Lena Dunham's Boyfriend Jack Antonoff Gushes About His Lady: ''I Still Want to Know Everything About Her'' Feb 18, 2015

Lena Dunham on Jack Antonoff: Dog or Jewish Boyfriend? A Quiz March 30, 2015

Google the reactions. Apparently the media thinks this would be OK if "Jewish" was removed and it was "Dog or Boyfriend? A Quiz".

This is a pure and horrible example of the kind of talk I hear all the time from men about the women they're with vs. women about the men they're with. Women don't have a tithe of the social pressures to treat the opposite sex decently that men do, and thus many of them seem to be going the Lord of the Flies route.

Or is it giving up?

After actually writing it down in the Turning Asexual? post, it brings up clearly that the idea that female sexuality is of infinite value and male sexuality is of negative value is an attitude imposed by outside propaganda that I don't actually believe. I have to live in a culture that acts that way, and I may still not participate under this culture for that reason, but I shall not knuckle under and believe it myself. I am worth as much as a woman in every way.

Turning Asexual?

Back to writing something out for therapy. If anyone reads it, thanks.

For the last two years I've been dating the same woman. I have not been enjoying it much, she apparently has. That's presumably for a couple of reasons; one because I only feel comfortable giving, not receiving. And two, because I see any sexual interaction of a man with a woman as her giving and him receiving. And three, because I don't have any personal hope of being in a relationship that benefits me.

Back in 2010, one of the first posts on this blog was Giving and Mutuality In that post I mentioned:

I learn easily, but tend to take hyperbolic lessons literally and too far. While learning to solder pipe I was told that you can't overheat it; they said that because the most common problem is underheating it. I overheated it every time and the solder would bead and run off instead of coating the pipe and being sucked into the joint as it should.

From sources calling themselves social conservative or feminist, intending to prevent loss of chastity or sexual aggression respectively, from the male-dominated entertainment media, and from my ex, I have learned that female sexuality has infinite value and male sexuality has negative value. And that lesson has sunk in so deeply at this point that it short-circuits my libido in fantasies; I am changing in a temporary way at least from heterosexual to asexual. In my mind, sexual activity puts me in debt that I can never pay. I don't see a girl flirting, I see separately a friendly person and a price tag that says $∞. I interact in a friendly way with the friendly person and ignore what's behind the price tag.

This, by the way, seems to be incredibly appealing to women. A little while ago I was declared official convention date of a whole all-female dance troupe. It's all very ironic for a nerdy guy who was an involuntary virgin for a long time. (Later for religious reasons.)

At least as big as this sexual aspect is the one where I only feel comfortable giving and not receiving. In a relationship, I give and give, and I try hard to block any return. My health is not that great, and when I've given all I can I still feel like it's not enough.

So, as this has developed, I've less and less wanted to be in any kind of romantic relationship, and I talked to my girlfriend about that a couple of months ago. She has a very different view of the relationship, probably because she's thinking of everything she WOULD do if allowed rather than how I feel guilty for any giving she gets past me. She seemed to kind of blow off my feelings as something that could be fixed with antidepressants. Then she was diagnosed with cancer.

I threw myself into taking care of her as much as I could and moved the whole not wanting to be in a relationship thing aside. My work has suffered and I've been feeling pretty bad; I've had a cough for over three weeks now. I have an appointment with a doctor tomorrow for the first time in about four years.

She's been telling people that I'm her angel, and the only thing I feel is guilty that I haven't done enough. How can I be happy in a relationship thinking like this?

Rereading Giving and Mutuality was a little depressing because I have gone the opposite direction from what I was hoping there.

But in another way I feel like I'm getting closer to the Nirvana of freedom from desire. I don't really even want to change. I know there are men out there who are happier than they would have been alone, some of you used to read this, but such husbands seem so few, and I was so miserable in those last years with my ex.

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays!

Media spin and gun control

Ever notice whenever there's a tragic mass shooting, the reaction of politicians is to try to make the rest of the country more like the location of the shooting, and few notice that's what they're doing because the media never seems to mention that? Connecticut (where Sandy Hook Elementary School is) has an "assault weapons" ban. Sandy Hook and every mass shooting in the US except the one in Tuscon, AZ since 1950 has been in a gun free zone. Wouldn't it make the discussion clearer to say, provide a list of the laws the shooter was breaking? If, that is, the news media had a desire to inform people so they could make better policy. I have found with every subject I know a lot about, mainstream media is totally misleading, and it's always misleading in the direction of promoting more government control and less individual freedom.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everybody who celebrates it! And happy December 25th to everyone who doesn't!

Now I see it.

Every relationship cools a little eventually. It's just something you have to understand and allow for. But for me, there was a voice in my head saying that as soon as there was a commitment, the love my partner felt for me would fade and vanish. Like it did with both my ex-wives. With my girlfriend, everything that brought us closer freaked me out. I saw superficialities like looks as more lasting than her love. I wish I had seen it sooner. I can't attempt a serious relationship unless/until I fix this.