According to Serano, who is a transsexual – having had the experience of navigating my way through the world as male prior to my transition to female – nice guys finish last since assholes usually get the girls. She describes the assholes as men who fulfill the men-as-sexual-aggressors stereotype, and the nice guys as those who refuse such things (p. 232). Among her female friends, Serano severally sees that these girls are not into nice guys who accord them the respect they deserve. She indicates that the bad guys are highly demanded, thereby rendering the nice guys “the assholes.” She also indicates that men have become civilized to become sexually aggressive and sexual predators because this is how to get girls. Even though a woman might later realize that she had been dating an asshole, and eventually changes her heart, she had created the demand for the bad guys in the first place.
In her essay, Serano paints a picture of the asshole predator men that women always desire to have in their company as the same guys who turn out to be the harassers, abusers, rapists, and stalkers. She indicates that even the good guys have to change to assholes if they need the girls. However, Serano indicates that not until the girls undergo disappointing situations in their lives with the assholes, they keep entertaining the latter, and assume that these are the perfect definitions of a man. However, when they finally get disappointed, they turn to the nice guys: hence the title, “Why Nice Guys Finish Last.” This title indicates that girls would meet the abusers and rapists among other assholes before finally meeting the nice guys.
Work Cited:
Friedman, Jaclyn & Valenti, Jessica. Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power & a World Without Rape: Why Nice Guys Finish Last. New York City: Seal Press, 2008. Print
