"I bet I would learn a lot about women if I were to try to date them." Indeed! Thanks for a true, laugh-out-loud moment. I learned a lot from explicitly NOT trying to date them or be sexual in any way whatsoever.

One of the things I wish that women knew earlier was how isolating it is to be raised male in this culture. Although it seems to be less so with each passing decade, I basically wasn't touched except for fucking and fighting from the age of six into my late thirties, and this created a lot of unnecessary isolation.

It would have also been nice if the women in my life had understood earlier how much rage there is in the male experience, and how normalized the sensitivity to violence is for many men. Men often swim in a sea of violence, and knowing how to maneuver that in a humane and just way is more complicated than it might seem from the outside. If you think fear of being killed can harsh your buzz, spend a few years afraid that you'll kill the wrong person.

Lastly, I think it would help for younger women (especially) and younger men to appreciate how little men are educated in even basic emotional literacy, and how much a little bit of knowledge there can help masculine health and support among men. Even being able to identify four basic feelings (mad, sad, glad and afraid) at a basic physical level and verbalize that is difficult for traditionally-socialized men. One of the first books I read on male psychology was Herb Goldberg's "The Hazards of Being Male," wherein he noted that 'asking a man to feel is rather like telling a cripple to walk.' It takes a bit of time to pick up what most women perceive as a basic human skill, but many men are never taught.

That and that the sexiest word in the language is "yes," spoken with the eyes and feeling.