Slog Comments
Something I Read this Weekend
1
Boyish is also thinking that women need men with big dicks to get off or even especially desire it.
3
@TVDinner
You're misunderstanding large penis in this context. Large in this context is the average penis size of men. It's only large in comparison to other apes.
You're misunderstanding large penis in this context. Large in this context is the average penis size of men. It's only large in comparison to other apes.
5
I think there is some truth in the idea that men are more interested in penis size ( their own and other men's) than women are.
Have had more than one partner ask me how his rates compared to others I've seen. There is NO good answer to this question. I see it as the male equivalent of "Do you think I'm fat?"
Have had more than one partner ask me how his rates compared to others I've seen. There is NO good answer to this question. I see it as the male equivalent of "Do you think I'm fat?"
6
to say that the large penis is not a result of millenia of natural selection by females is to deny them equal agency.
7
Of course the Mudede, a somewhat dim-witted and ugly creature, is most successful at mating in countries where the women can be simply raped and forced to marry.
8
The hypothesis makes sense because males typically spend an order or two of magnitude more time engaged in dominance displays with each other than in actual mating with females.
9
Has anyone measured the relative size of the vaginas of the females of these species? Maybe men are just responding to women... Remember that human babies have enormous stupid heads that also have to pass through the same vagina.
DIBS ON THIS IDEA.
I gotta go write this up.
DIBS ON THIS IDEA.
I gotta go write this up.
11
@9: fascinating thought. But then what about whales? Male whales have (relatively) little bitty johnsons but that whale vag has to pass, well, a whale.
13
Human males are different from our ape cousins in terms of size because our lady bits are tucked in and ape lady bits are more easy to access. Period!
17
He may be right. Her argument is about female pleasure. Except for, you know, the fact that the penis is almost useless in stimulating orgasm in women. If female pleasure was the impetus, I'd think nimble fingers and an agile tongue would be more common.
18
@11 - Whales do not have a birth canal that must pass through a pelvis capable of structurally supporting more than half the weight of the animal. The human pelvis is fused both with itself and with the spine; a whale pelvis is not (though it might be partially so in some species? I'm not a whale anatomy expert).
@9 is onto something, though it's muddied a bit by the fact that in common usage "vagina" is used to describe only the structure of the outer orifice of the birth canal (apologies, being precise here is inevitably going to sound kinda weird). @3 supports @9, indirectly. Also, vaginas of all "sizes" are capable of rather remarkable distention during birth, which dovetails a bit with the next paragraph...
@1 has the wrong argument against the "display" hypothesis. The more damning piece of evidence is that many nice, big human penises are "growers"; if the display hypothesis were correct, then human males would all be "showers." Er, I mean "show-ers." Not "shower-s." There is probably tremendous trollery potential to be had here in insisting this particular distinction among men is entirely psychological, and that "alphas" are the ones who show, and "betas" are the ones who grow. Have at it, if you're so inclined.
So, human dick size compared to other primates is probably due somehow to the fact that homo sapiens walks around on two feet, and the others don't. More interesting is the relative size of primate nutsacks, but that's off-topic.
It should also be mentioned that evolution doesn't give a shit about anything that occurs (or doesn't) after insemination. Particularly, if a "small" cock achieves fertilization, then evolution couldn't care less if someone doesn't feel "satisfied" about it. Evolution will eat your head while you're still fucking. Evolution doesn't love you.
More...
@9 is onto something, though it's muddied a bit by the fact that in common usage "vagina" is used to describe only the structure of the outer orifice of the birth canal (apologies, being precise here is inevitably going to sound kinda weird). @3 supports @9, indirectly. Also, vaginas of all "sizes" are capable of rather remarkable distention during birth, which dovetails a bit with the next paragraph...
@1 has the wrong argument against the "display" hypothesis. The more damning piece of evidence is that many nice, big human penises are "growers"; if the display hypothesis were correct, then human males would all be "showers." Er, I mean "show-ers." Not "shower-s." There is probably tremendous trollery potential to be had here in insisting this particular distinction among men is entirely psychological, and that "alphas" are the ones who show, and "betas" are the ones who grow. Have at it, if you're so inclined.
So, human dick size compared to other primates is probably due somehow to the fact that homo sapiens walks around on two feet, and the others don't. More interesting is the relative size of primate nutsacks, but that's off-topic.
It should also be mentioned that evolution doesn't give a shit about anything that occurs (or doesn't) after insemination. Particularly, if a "small" cock achieves fertilization, then evolution couldn't care less if someone doesn't feel "satisfied" about it. Evolution will eat your head while you're still fucking. Evolution doesn't love you.
19
I'm certain of few things more than this: Men love dick.
At the center of the screen of any porn film is a big dick. The camera zooms in on it. If men didn't like dick so much, every porno would just be a woman's breasts jiggling for twelve minutes.
At the center of the screen of any porn film is a big dick. The camera zooms in on it. If men didn't like dick so much, every porno would just be a woman's breasts jiggling for twelve minutes.
20
@18: Whales don't have a fused pelvis the way we humans do, and their pelvic girdle isn't even fused to their spinal column!
21
The hypothesis proposed in Sex at Dawn was that the human penis is sized and shaped to cause suction in the vagina (sorry robotslave, my vocab is lacking) during intercourse. This would potentially remove any semen that was already present in the vagina, thus improving the male's chances at reproduction.
This hypothesis is further reinforced by the fact that human intercourse lasts significantly longer than in other primate species. Male humans, comparatively, take a very long time to orgasm.
I agree that the idea of penises evolving simply so that men can show off for other men is silly, but I am also highly skeptical of the idea that they evolved 'because they may provide more pleasure to females'.
This hypothesis is further reinforced by the fact that human intercourse lasts significantly longer than in other primate species. Male humans, comparatively, take a very long time to orgasm.
I agree that the idea of penises evolving simply so that men can show off for other men is silly, but I am also highly skeptical of the idea that they evolved 'because they may provide more pleasure to females'.
23
"Men pride themselves in an area where gorillas are their equal and jackasses infinitely superior."
- Wilde
Other than that I have nothing to add
- Wilde
Other than that I have nothing to add
24
How about, human penises are larger because humans are smarter than other primates? It does make sense.
Those larger penises are needed to adequately fill the larger vagina needed to accommodate passage of big-headed human babies.
Those larger penises are needed to adequately fill the larger vagina needed to accommodate passage of big-headed human babies.
25
I’m reading a book on siblings right now, so this thought is influenced by that and not, you know, actual knowledge…
It is reasonable to believe that the “show” factor is involved. A guy who is bigger than his buddies will feel that boyish (juvenile?) pride. That pride would translate to more confidence in his abilities to please a woman (his perception, obviously and not accurate reality, like TVDinner spots). This confidence may lead to more sexual exploits than a less-confident man may find. A man with a small penis can still please a woman, but may find fewer opportunities due to his own embarrassment (how many letter has Savage printed that deals with this? This cannot be a new phenomenon.)
So the man with a large penis may find more opportunities to pass on his genes, not because it’s what women prize, but because of his own confidence when pursuing mates while a man with a smaller-than-average penis may find fewer mates out of his own embarrassment.
It is reasonable to believe that the “show” factor is involved. A guy who is bigger than his buddies will feel that boyish (juvenile?) pride. That pride would translate to more confidence in his abilities to please a woman (his perception, obviously and not accurate reality, like TVDinner spots). This confidence may lead to more sexual exploits than a less-confident man may find. A man with a small penis can still please a woman, but may find fewer opportunities due to his own embarrassment (how many letter has Savage printed that deals with this? This cannot be a new phenomenon.)
So the man with a large penis may find more opportunities to pass on his genes, not because it’s what women prize, but because of his own confidence when pursuing mates while a man with a smaller-than-average penis may find fewer mates out of his own embarrassment.
27
#22: the bulk of "straight" porn is exactly as he described it. Yes, there are other forms of porn, but 95 percent of hardcore porn movies feature dicks prominently.
28
i was able to read The Firm by John Grisham. a very intelligent novel, that i'm excited to know what will be the next move of the lead man there. fareastvision.com can't stop by finishing it one seat seat ;)
29
If you think that size is a major issue when it comes to pleasing a woman, I feel very sorry for your wife Charles.
Seems to me dominating other males with a large penis would have much more survival value then pleasing a woman sexually, something that would have little to no survival value on the African plains.
Before I get all the "how can you be so stupid to see that pleasing a woman sexually would not equate to more sex" arguments, just keep in mind that getting a woman in the sack a million years ago was very different than it is today.
Seems to me dominating other males with a large penis would have much more survival value then pleasing a woman sexually, something that would have little to no survival value on the African plains.
Before I get all the "how can you be so stupid to see that pleasing a woman sexually would not equate to more sex" arguments, just keep in mind that getting a woman in the sack a million years ago was very different than it is today.
30
@5 (julie russell): According to Tom and Ray Magliozzi, when a woman asks a man, "Do you think I'm fat?", the worst possible answer is, "Compared to what?"
31
@20
Sounds like you didn't make it all the way through my first paragraph. No worries, it was kind of long.
Sounds like you didn't make it all the way through my first paragraph. No worries, it was kind of long.
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