In response to the article “‘Saving second base’ stealing our dignity,” I would like to point out that one of the main points of the article, that the “second base” T-shirts reflect the idea that “women serve no purpose beyond satisfying men,” showcases a skewed notion of male thought processes.

That human sexuality can be treated as a game seems at first glance to trivialize it. In my experience, women do not appreciate this idea. They instead tend to think in terms of fate. “Love at first sight” and the concept of “soul mates” are common cliches in our culture. The majority of men do not think in these terms, and, to them, they seem rather silly. The majority of men see the competition in courting women (at least women who have a high social value), and I suspect that all people understand, on at least an unconscious level, that there is a competition but society tells us whether or not we are allowed to believe it. It is generally not coincidence or predestination that sees people in love. It is the connection they have formed while one was competing for the other. The “nice guys” who decide not to compete but to follow more feminine ideas of sexuality lose out. So it seems silly to slap men on the wrist for using the terminology “second base” when they, in fact, are in a game competing for the women that they care about. I would also like to point out that this “competition” is not something evil or wrong about our society, but is simply a reflection of basic evolutionary principles. Richard Dawkin’s “The Selfish Gene” provides a lot of insight on this topic.

Eric Lindberg

Senior in Engineering