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Master Manipulator Flunks Her Own Class
posted by Scott on Saturday May 12, @05:40PM
from the news dept.
News Bill Kuhl sent in a short editorial about a recent episode of ABC's "Primetime," which interviewed Ellen Fein, co-author of the book The Rules, a guide for women on how to manipulate men most effectively when dating. Well, they've now released a second book, The Rules for Marriage, which explains how to keep husbands in the marriage (at least, until she wants to get rid of him). Click "Read More" below for Bill's comments...

Master Manipulator Flunks Her Own Class

Remember the '90's guide on finding a man through manipulation, "The Rules", the book that women purchased to the tune of 2 million copies? Well, its co-authors have put out a sequel. Naturally, their new book is a guide on helping women KEEP their men; it's called, "The Rules for Marriage." According to a report on ABC's "Primetime" this second book sounds like more of the same shallow drivel that preceded it. For example, one of the authors, Ellen Fein, is shown pleading with the interviewer, "It works so well ... it works so well," referring to a particular rule which states: "The key to a romantic evening is to pretend you're in a toothpaste commercial and smile, smile, smile." Certainly, the most notable aspect of the book has to be the story behind its writing - co-author Fein was herself going through a divorce while writing the book. The "Primetime" segment shows Fein on a couple of occasions referring to her own marriage in instructing "The Rules for Marriage" seminar attendees, hordes of women who had paid $50 a pop to hear how to avoid what Fein obviously couldn't. Later in the segment, Fein dismisses questions about her apparent inability to keep her man by saying, "... I was too tired [to apply all the rules] ...[and] I'm not here to talk about whether I slipped with the rules or not." Yet, still, the most interesting part of this story may be that during the period Fein was writing the book and simultaneously going through a divorce - she somehow failed to mention the latter to her publisher. Only because of a phone call from a reporter did Fein's publisher find out, but by this time the book had already been finished. Maybe Fein's real skill is in manipulating publishers and the public, not men.

Bill Kuhl, bridgewater6729@yahoo.com

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Ha ha ha ha ha! (Score:1)
by Nightmist (nightmist@mensactivism.org) on Saturday May 12, @06:08PM EST (#1)
(User #187 Info)
Oh, man! This may be cold of me (or not), but I find it so gratifying that an "expert" on how to keep a marriage together (through manipulation of the partner, no less) couldn't keep together her own. I wish I knew more about the divorce. Was it her husband's idea? Was he tired of being manipulated? Or did he turn the tables and manipulate her? I wonder.
rules for marriage (Score:1)
by Trudy W Schuett on Saturday May 12, @11:24PM EST (#2)
(User #116 Info)
I think the moment these girls attempt to quantify a marriage is when they lose it. A marriage is a dynamic relationship—it moves, changes and grows. So do the husband and wife.

That’s the exciting, wonderful thing about a long-term marriage. I’m not the same person I was 27 years ago; neither is my husband. Our entire relationship is different than it was when we first got together. We’ve helped each other through some really rough spots, and we stay together pretty much just to see what’s going to come up next!

I’ve never understood why women go into a relationship expecting to change the guy. Seems to me they could locate the right one in the first place. I did, and I’m not any cuter or smarter than other women. My husband tells me I’m so hot I could melt plastic furniture—but that’s because he’s my husband, and he loves me. I happen to think HE’s drop-dead, kick ass gorgeous, and he says that’s just because I’m his wife, and I love him.

Does it matter who’s tossing around the nice words? Not a bit. You just get into this habit, see, of being nice to each other and it sticks.

Well what do you know... (Score:1)
by Emanslave on Sunday May 13, @04:24PM EST (#3)
(User #144 Info)
To me, that author lost at her own game, by trying to change her man and play mindgames! I think maybe next time, she will learn that trying to spay, neuter, and soften up her man will not always bring a man or cause men to flock to her side...whatever that means! Anyhow, I think that author should try watching Men Are From Mars...Women Are From Venus!

Emmanuel Matteer
Emanslave@aol.com
Re:Well what do you know... (Score:1)
by bin on Sunday May 13, @05:05PM EST (#4)
(User #163 Info) http://www.student.math.uwaterloo.ca/~bj3beatt/
on the note of eliminating gender-based stereotypes, i remember reading a quote somewhere. "men are from earth, women are from earth. deal with it".
Re: Who's from where (Score:1)
by Andrew on Monday May 14, @09:05AM EST (#5)
(User #186 Info)
Actually, women are from earth, and men are from women. See Why Males Exist: An Inquiry into the Evolution of Sex, by Fred Hapgood (out of print, but can be found used or in libraries) for the key to understanding "gender relations." Homo sapiens(?) may be moving in the evolutionary direction of the significant number of species (plant and animal, including reptiles, but so far no warm-blooded birds or mammals) that used to have males, but have dispensed with them--for instance a lizard in the New Mexico desert whose population consists only of females, no males. To reproduce, she lays an egg, which hatches into a clone of herself: the ultimate feminist fantasy. (Some such lizard species must engage in lesbian "sex" to stimulate ovulation.) Note: the distinguishing feature of such species is that they have effectively ceased to evolve.
Re: Who's from where (Score:0)
by Anonymous User on Monday May 14, @10:08AM EST (#6)
I've heard of this science as well. I also know that many a science fiction writer has tirelessly pointed out the problem of stopping evolution when one simply starts cloning one's self as a means of species survival. I suppose there are two arguments to consider: 1) perhaps that species didn't need to evolve further; 2) perhaps that species stopped evolving because nature has decided it is time to eliminate it.
 
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