4.17 billion exceptions…

Every man thinks he is an exception.

I could make a post about some weird man pushing my boundaries & trying to get one over on me. Random man™ could then read that same post, laugh and agree with me that some men are just weird & entitled.

And then that same Random Man™ will dive straight into my inbox without hesitation, trying to pull the exact same shit as every other man before him.

Because out of the 4.17 billion men on earth, there isn't one out there that doesn't believe he is not the exception.

Do you know what makes a man exceptional to me?
Just don't be a cunt, it's that simple.

I am genuinely not joking, it's really not that hard to be exceptional at all. Approaching me with basic respect & treating me like an actual human being are the two things that will bump you to the top of my priority list.

You don't need to drop into my DMs with unsolicited photos that I haven't consented to looking at. You don't need to send me a one-word message like "menu?", as if I'm a fucking McDonald's. You don't need to carrot-dangle money in front of my nose, like that will make me more inclined to twist my own boundaries in your favour - that's not happening, mate.

And there's actually some fascinating mindfuck psychology behind this behaviour, by the way. One of my favourite examples is the good ole' self-serving bias, which is essentially our tendency to interpret our own behaviour in ways that protect our self-image.

See, Random Man™ doesn't necessarily disagree with me when I call out another man's inappropriate behaviour. In fact, Random Man™ normally agrees with me completely. The difference is that he doesn't recognise himself as being part of the problem.

When another man sends an unsolicited dick pic, he's a creep. When Random Man™ does it, he's just being cheeky.

When another man repeatedly pushes my boundaries, he's entitled. When Random Man™ does it, he's simply chancing his luck.

When another man attempts to use money to manipulate me, he's disrespectful. When Random Man™ does it, he's making me an offer I surely can't refuse.

Then there's a load of cognitive dissonance, which occurs when someone's behaviour contradicts their beliefs about themselves. I can spot this shit a mile away, thanks to my ex mother-in-law.

If Random Man™ believes he's a decent, respectful guy, acknowledging that he's behaving like the very men he's just been laughing at would mean questioning that lovely little image he has of himself. And we can't have that, can we?

So instead, he convinces himself that the rules don't really apply to him.

I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about all those other men.

And that is how a man can read an entire fucking essay about respecting boundaries and somehow conclude that he is the exception to them all.

But are you ACTUALLY an exception?

If you really are, I do encourage you to contact me. All of the other Random Men™ can go and be weirdly rude to each other, whilst we have fun. Fuck them.