From: Alienthe@hotmail.com   
      
   ghost wrote:   
      
   > In article ,   
   >  Omixochitl  wrote:   
   >   
   >   
   >>>>>>Speaking of Darcy, did the ending of Bridget Jones 1 bug anyone   
   >>>>>>else? The story went really well until the last minute when   
   >>>>>>Fielding's all "Bridget's been wasting her time, should have just   
   >>>>>>let her mommy pick her boyfriend in the first place!"  Bleh.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>Hmmm, a bit like the Japanese "Omiai", semi-arranged marriages?   
   >>>>>Given sufficient desperation you could give this half a cyberpoint.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>Sure, as long as they don't call the rest of us (who do pick our own   
   >>>>partners) slutty for not having 3rd parties pick our sex partners*.   
   >>>>   
   >>>I wouldn't, nor do I think the Japanese think so.   
   >>>   
   >>I was thinking of certain snotty individuals, not any culture en masse.   
      
      
   I have the strange feeling of missing something obvious; are   
   said individuals here?   
      
   > It's still fairly common for middle aged men to take on misstresses in   
   > Japan and in some areas of the country the social stigma leans towards   
   > this and is "expected" to happen.   
      
      
   I think this is usual in countries with arranged or semi arranged   
   marriages where the official marriage is business and the mistress   
   is pleasure. In France it is all in the open and a powerful   
   politician for instance, can bring both his wife and his mistress   
   to the opera, at the same time. It is almost like it is expected,   
   a proof of manlyness. In the UK things are a bit different where   
   having a secretary perform above and beyond the call of decency is   
   detrimental to the career.   
      
   It is a bit different again in Japan where the mistress could be   
   called a "niece", where the quotation marks are quite audible, at   
   least on the occations I saw this.   
      
   > I get the impression that marriage partner and sexual partner can be two   
   > very different things on occasion. I know this was true up to, and in   
   > some areas into, the Meiji period, especially for nobles. And in many   
   > cases the lover wasn't always a woman.   
      
      
   Like in many other feudal societies the mistress was not always   
   volunarily so, as a Japanese friend put it, a pretty face could   
   be one of the worst things a poor girl could have.   
      
   >>>>>How do you dress when you reply to this?   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>Oh, regular stuff.  Today's was a green t-shirt and blue jeans and   
   >>>>beige barracuda jacket and white sneakers.  :)   
   >>>   
   >>>Hmm. That's all? I had expected something more drastic   
   >>>than lack of socks...   
   >>>   
   >>Oh yeah, those too.  :)  I wasn't giving a complete inventory, just   
   >>mentioning the main items.   
   >   
   > what? we don't all get dressed up in leather and trenches when we get on   
   > the computers? I'm so disappointed after seeing all the cool movie   
   > people do it I thought everyone did!!   
      
      
   And dark shades, do not forget the shades. Mirrorshades preferrably.   
      
   > (note the sarcasm, please)   
      
      
   Too late.   
      
   ==<)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)