Sometimes that's the crux of the problem in today's society. (Note I do say 'sometimes'; I don't like playing the Blame Game, but if we're going to, we might as well be fair and be all-inclusive of exceptions.)

If we go along with the Lilith vs. Eve idea or theory (that being that Lilith, the mythological First Woman, may have been the Serpent that tempted Eve in Eden), unfortunately we still are left with the notion that women are inherently sinful or bad. Without getting into questions as to how or why God, who is theoretically a benevolent and omnipotent Deity, would create such creatures, we have to deal with this world-thought. The differences between Lilith and Eve, however, is the notion that Eve at least is redeemable because she 'cleaves' to her husband and wishes to be right or good in the eyes of God. Lilith, however, rejected the notion of servitude (after all, despite the quality of the dust she was made from, she received the same Breath from God that Adam did and therefore was equal) or supplication and willingly rebelled, and therefore is irredeemable.

Fast forward to our very heavily media-driven and image-conscious society, and you see aspects of this dichotomy in all women, in various forms. There are the 'good' girls who wish to be just like everyone else. "Hi. Like, don't hate me because I'm beautiful. I'm normal, just like you. Let's settle down with a little house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, have 2.5 kids, a dog, and a family SUV."

Undoubtedly, I've just betrayed my own personal biases.

And then there's the 'bad' girls, the ones that want more from life, the ones that may not be the pretty one or the popular one, the ones that rebel against every 'good girl' image thrown at them. "If you think for one moment that I'm going to flip my hair and bat my eyes at you just because you've got a nice car or look like Brad Pitt, you've got another think coming, buddy. Show me that we've got something intelligent to talk about, and I can happily give you an evening or two out of this life I'm trying to carve out for myself. If I find myself liking you and your personality, heck, I might ask you to stop at the store and get some Trojans, too. Talk down at me at your peril."

Naturally you can see where the two clash. Now, I'm not saying that the whole wife and mother routine is bad; I'm one myself, and I'd also be doing a huge disservice to other women who are as well. However, this should not be defined as the be-all and end-all of our existences. We like to nurture, but we don't want to be everyone's mommies.

Especially not to our fellow gamers.

I'm lucky in that the majority of my gaming experiences have been great, which means that thankfully not all male gamers see us as dating material or surrogate moms. However, I have still come across this phenomenon of male gamer who, for some reason or another, can't relate to a female gamer except in those terms. These have been few and far between, but the fact that this still happens (and, I'm afraid, will probably still happen given the reality of society) is enough to frustrate some of us, myself included.

But what's worse are the female gamers who live up to every female stereotype that most of us would like to see eradicated. These women... or rather I should say, girls... sabotage the rest of us effortlessly with inane giggling, aimless flirting, or ostentatious yawning during a gaming session. The girlfriend that only comes to a game because her boyfriend is playing... the girl that comes because someone cute is playing and they 'want to get to know him better'... the GM's girlfriend/wife who gets away with atrocious roleplaying or rules-bending/breaking... and so on. The horror stories mount up. Half the time, it's a wonder to me that more male gamers aren't complaining about US.

So how do we deal with this? Good question. I can't tell you how to deal with it, but I know how I do: I don't tolerate it. Not for one bit. If a male gamer is simply misguided, thinking I'm there only for the ride, I politely let him know that I'm there to game and show him my collection of books, character sheets, and dice. If a male gamer decides to be completely chauvinistic and rude, either he or I leave the game. It's as simple as that, and I won't weep for the loss of a game. There's plenty more out there, and I'm just as happy writing out more stories or adventures.

As for my fellow women? Watch out. If you're there to simper and cater to the caveman mentality, expect to be treated like a maid. Especially by me. If you've got a brain in you, whether you want to game or not, though, I can be your friend and we might have a good time. We might even be able to work as a team, have a blast, and leave the male gamers begging for more.

Roleplaying, that is. :)