Cheating on women is hot right now.  Tiger Woods and Jesse James are making all men look bad. But I’m not going to take the easy route and blame them for their actions. I’m going to go ahead and blame Don Draper. A fictional character from the hit Drama, “Mad Men.” It sounds silly at first, but let’s explore the impact this character has on America.

The previous season of Mad Men had nearly 3 million viewers per episode.  That’s a lot of people watching rich men blatantly ignore any ethics of marriage  and sleeping with any woman they wanted. Even when I watch Mad Men, I am in absolute awe of Don Draper. He’s like my favorite super hero. But technically, he’s not a stand-up guy, right?

Don Draper is such an incredible character. He’s our new Tony Soprano, except it’s actually believable that women would sleep with him.
Like Tony Soprano, Don Draper is an adulterer. He cheats on his wife religiously, and it’s ummm….awesome. I have never seen a character so beloved, that while watching him cheat on his wife all season, you cheer him on for every woman he sleeps with. It’s amazing. The word fidelity does not exist in that world. At least not for the men.

I don’t really know how I feel about cheating. I’ve never cheated on a woman before. I definitely don’t think it’s okay to do, but I also don’t care enough about the subject to pass judgment on someone who has cheated. Infidelity can definitely be hurtful to a relationship, but it’s amazing to me how much it happens and how common it is, that it almost makes it less of a big deal. It’s cliché. Watch this video below, as an example of how casual Donald Trump speaks about Tiger’s infidelity. No one sincerely cares about Tiger’s wife. She’s just a headline or just the punchline to a joke.

Couples get angry at each other, but we aren’t addressing what’s truly the problem. And that is that most people in relationships are not honest with themselves. You kind of have to be a bit of a bullshitter if you want to be in a relationship. You kind of have to lie to yourself day in and day out by saying to yourself, “this is gonna work out.” It’s hard to admit to yourself, that the only reason you have a partner is because you’re afraid of being alone.

Men like Tiger Woods and Jesse James would be just fine as bachelors. Banging all the brauds they want. But sex is not what they have ever been after. They need attention and approval. Boys like attention, and nothing feels better than a woman giving herself to you. The sex itself is wonderful, but the fact that she is offering herself to you, does wonders to a man’s psyche. The sex is a bonus, the approval is the true reward.

Cheating will never stop, and sadly, empty relationships won’t either. I respect love, but relationships gross me out.

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