I’d like to have a discussion about standards because I think it may help us understand each other more and have better conversations.

I see many posters here arguing that men and women are contradicting themselves when they express their standards, but I’m curious about whether that’s true.

One of the most prevalent examples I see is that men are being contradictory when they say (of themselves and each other) they’ll screw anything that moves but also that ‘we have standards!’ I don’t see this as contradictory though because it seems to me that people have different standards for different things.

So, when it comes just to sex, people have different standards than what they want in a relationship. People have different standards when it comes to a ‘situationship,’ friendship, marriage, etc. And these standards seem to depend on a whole bunch of factors (e.g. self-esteem, how attractive the other person is, how much money the other person has, etc.).

So, do you agree that people have different standards depending on (1) what they’re looking for, (2) the object of their desire, and other factors? What are you looking for? What are your standards for these different things and why?

EDIT: it might also be wise to define what a “standard” is. Maybe some of you think that if people do have standards for different things or people that they ‘don’t really have a standard.’ If you think this, try to explain how and why.