Date Doctors

Can “Hitch” really help?

by natalie hall
Courier Staff

Would you use the services of a self-professed “dating specialist?” Apparently, there are many people who do. Dating “How-To” books are everywhere and the market for them seems to be growing. Neil Strauss, the author of “The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists,” traveled the world for two years researching what makes beautiful women date and sleep with men. Strauss mastered “the craft” and has been giving seminars to aspiring Casanovas. The author claims to improve these men's “pickup game” and improve their odds of “getting lucky.” This topic has become popular in light of the recent movie “Hitch” where Will Smith portrays a “dating consultant” who helps directionless, desperate men discover the Don Juan within them. It's an entertaining flick that's definitely worth a look.

To the ladies - do you think it's possible you could fall for such a man? If so, when you found out, would you be furious with your lover? In “Hitch,” Smith keeps his profession very secret until he's finally exposed. If this “secret” profession really exists, then how many of these “doctors” are out there now? On the other hand, men aren't the only ones who have dating books. There are tons of books for the ladies as well.

To name a few chick-friendly reading materials, may I suggest “He's Just Not That into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys” by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, and “The Rules: Heart of Mr. Right” by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider. Not only can you learn something from these books, but they are entertaining as well.

Even though there are dating books for both men and women, their respective content varies. Why is it that dating books for men are about “scoring” with beautiful women and dating books for women are about finding true love with Mr. Right? Maybe in order for these books to help men and women in their quest for love there needs to be a common goal. Men are wandering around trying to find a mate for bedtime and women are searching for a mate for life. How can this work?

What does this tell us about ourselves if both men and women are reading books trying to learn how to be better lovers? Perhaps we need to go back to the basics. Maybe if these folks got their heads out of books they'd meet each other! It seems that fate has been lost on the modern age.

The more people try to prepare and say the right things, the farther they get from themselves and the truth. Under these false pretenses, once the two get to know each other and their personalities, they will be disappointed since they fell in love with what was rehearsed rather than what was real.