> I suppose what people might find objectionable about a male
> preference for apparently fertile women is that it might lead to
> prejudice in choosing mates against older women and also involves
> or suggests a relative lack of interest in other qualities that we
> think should matter more than physical appearance, such as
> intelligence, decency, niceness -- moral and psychological
> qualities we'd value in anyone regardless of sex.
Has there been any period in history when a majority of men had the power to select their partners for sexual and procreative purposes? For the longest time in history, a majority of societies vested that power in parents. After the sexual revolution, that power got transfered from parents to women (and a few super-rich men). Most working-class men (excepting a few pretty boys) are out of luck -- they feel lucky if they get chosen by some women -- _any_ women -- and get laid at all, whereas lusty ladies of any class have no problem getting laid if they so desire -- but most of the time, women have better things to do. :->
Yoshie Furuhashi <http://montages.blogspot.com> <http://monthlyreview.org> <http://mrzine.org> * Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: <http://montages.blogspot.com/2005/07/mahmoud- ahmadinejads-face.html>; <http://montages.blogspot.com/2005/07/chvez- congratulates-ahmadinejad.html>; <http://montages.blogspot.com/ 2005/06/iranian-working-class-rejects.html>