Deadlier Than The Male is a 1967 movie inspired by the enormous success of the James Bond, 007 series of films. Well, it was more than inspired by Bond, it's really a knock-off. British Super Agent, Bulldog Drummond, is assigned to catch a Master Criminal who uses beautiful women to murder his victims - pretty predictable (and forgettable!) stuff.
However, despite the rather inane plot, I still loved the title of the movie, Deadlier Than The Male. It's intriguing to me that the title suggests, despite the physical superiority that most males in most animal species have over most females, it is the ladies who, in the end, prove far more deadly.
And I find this to be factual. We can site examples of certain insect species where the females literally devour their male counterparts after mating. But that's not what I'm writing about here (although, of course, it has its own legitimacy). What I see as the key factor in making females more "deadly" than the male for humans is this: where men tend to use their physicality to exert their authority and win the day, females have something far more powerful and potentially insidious - they use their minds and their intellect. And, as we all should know, it the long run, MIND always triumphs over MUSCLE.
Now, the reason I say that their so-called deadly powers are potentially more insidious is a matter of Darwinian Survival. Since, in general, females cannot compete physically with males, in order to keep a high place in our society, women have had to rely on the resources available to them. This means using their MINDS to not only survive, but to strike back when they perceive threat, harm or danger. I see what harm this destructive power can cause when it is unleashed. It is so powerful that it can be more damaging than a blow from a fist, especially if has been "misplaced". Because sometimes it is justified, but sometimes it is not. It is always destructive.
Two recent incidents come to mind to support my "theory". One friend from work just went through an ugly break-up with his girlfriend. Classic story: he started to become involved with another woman, girlfriend gets jilted, she throws him and his stuff out of their apartment. This should have been enough to get the message across that the relationship was over and it was time to move on. However, in the classic hell hath no wrath like that of a woman scorned, the girlfriend trumps up a charge of domestic violence and had my friend arrested. I've known this man to be one of the most gentle of men. He doesn't have a violent bone in his body. He would NEVER raise his hand to anyone, much less a woman. It simply wasn't true. But the girlfriend was "clever" in using the system to have him punished for his transgression: he spent a night in jail for something he did not do. That, my friends, is vengeance 101.
The second case involves another friend whom I've known for nearly 40 years. We have drifted in and out of contact over the years but, still, I've always know him for his sharp wit and keen intelligence. He, too, recently went through a break-up: that of his long-time marriage to the mother of his children. I don't know all the details of the break-up (we are not THAT close), and I don't need to know all of them. What I do believe is that their was no violence or physical abuse involved. I know him well enough to be really sure of that. Again, I believe that his marriage was struggling and he became involved with someone else at that time. When that subsequent relationship also soured, the woman struck back - irrationally and viciously! She is now using social media (i.e. Facebook) as a platform to air their dirty laundry and destroy his character. I've read some of the entries and it is a sad reflection not on him, but, rather, on HER! I understand that mistakes can be made, promises broken, and feelings hurt, but one must realize that these things are a part of life and ruining another's as the consequence is just plain WRONG. It is an embarrassment for the both of them. Who wins here? No one, I sadly believe.
When I was a young man, both of my parents cautioned me to control my temper, never resort to violence when it can be avoided, and NEVER raise your hand to a woman. I have heeded those words my entire life. It was a great lesson imparted by parents to a young man. Well, I would encourage parents to have the same talk with their daughters. They should tell them words can be as devastating as a punch and they have a responsibility to tell the truth and control THEIR urges to do damage when it would be much wiser to just walk away. Remember with great power comes great responsibility. And women have the GREATEST power - the power of the mind.
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