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From: rob@dadla.UUCP
Newsgroups: soc.singles,soc.women
Subject: Re: Yale-Harvard marriage study
Message-ID: <687@zeus.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Oct-86 16:23:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: zeus.687
Posted: Thu Oct  9 16:23:23 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 12-Oct-86 01:10:47 EDT
References: <14915@onfcanim.UUCP> <519@randvax.UUCP> <708@nrcvax.UUCP> <1069@dadla.UUCP> <2338@gitpyr.gatech.EDU>
Sender: rogers@zeus.UUCP
Reply-To: rob@dadla.tek.com (Rob Vetter)
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Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR.
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Keywords: Always choices
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In article <2338@gitpyr.gatech.EDU> cc100jr@gitpyr.UUCP (Joel Rives) writes:
>In article <1069@dadla.UUCP> rob@dadla.UUCP (Rob Vetter) writes:
>>
>>	Sorry, but the word used was "attractive" which to me ==
>>	pretty.  You want me to answer Nancy Reagan, Maggie Thatcher,
>>	or Jeane Kirkpatrick use the word "admired" (though Nancy
>>	will never be my response).
>
>I believe that the surveyors probably chose that word on purpose. It seems that
>they were attempting to find out what various men equate with the term 
>"attractive". You have answered that question quite well.

	Great, now we know that men in general use the word "attractive"
	as a synonym for "women-under-twenty-five-with-a-great-bod".  If
	this was a study to determine the definition for the word, it
	succeeded.

	However, the subject is titled "Yale-Harvard marriage study".
	The study is being used to say "Men will only marry women-under-
	twenty-five-with-a-great-bod".  It is further being used to say
	"Women over thirty five have no chance to find a husband".

	In other words, they assume that "attractive" == "marriable".

>                                                          To me the term
>refers to whatever attracts one person to another. There are a great number 
>of things which I might find attractive in another person. Physical beauty is
>one of them. 

	I would guess that after explaining it that way, many people
	would agree with you.  But a well thought out definition for each
	word is probably not foremost on the minds of survey takers.

Rob Vetter
(503) 629-1044
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