the problem with nice guys

i've discussed some of these points with a variety of people, and decided to finally compile it into a single theory.

the problem with nice guys is ...

mainly that there simply aren't enough of them. and because there aren't that many genuinely nice guys, a variety of other problems result.

(1) nice guys tend to get screwed over by not-so-nice guys, and more often, by jerky guys.
e.g. in s3ep8 "the merger" of "the office" there is a question about the occupancy of the desk which was formerly jim's and is now ryan's. and ryan ends up with the desk. in ryan's own words "yeah, jim's a nice guy. that's why i got the desk."

(2) nice guys don't understand not-nice guys, and so when they get screwed over they don't realize why. being nice doesn't mean letting other people walk all over you and always giving them what they want. there's nothing noble about the nice guy letting the bad guy win!
e.g. a lot of nice guys get really upset when girls seem to go for jerks. although there may be some truth in the fact that the ''bad guys" are more exciting, most girls really want a nice guy: someone who will treat them with kindness and respect and care about them. but, there are some intervening factors: (a) there are so few nice guys that girls are skeptical that this one really is, (b) most girls have self-esteem issues and don't think that they deserve and/or can get a nice guy (since that's what everyone wants, there's a lot of competition), and (c) nice guys who are more respectful are also generally less pushy and aggressive, and in a patriarchal society where men are "supposed" to take the lead in male-female relationships, this gives the pushy, aggressive jerks the upper hand.

(3) these three intervening factors, coupled with the general lack of nice guys, leaves girls unable to properly analyze the nice guys' behavior. (now, i know that a lot of people say that girls shouldn't analyze so much, but i'm not going to say anything about whether or not they SHOULD, just that they do. besides, guys analyze too...i know, i've heard them do it.)
e.g. massive numbers of girls fall in love with their really nice guy friends, not realizing that the guy isn't interested in them "that way". they aren't used to any other guys being so kind and attentive, and they mistake this for more than it really is. the guy is just trying to be respectful to women the way his momma taught him, or maybe he is interested but just can't make up his mind; either way he ends up accidentally getting her hopes up and ripping her heart out. this may be even more emotionally distressing because he was such a great guy that i wasn't prepared for the outcome, and i can't even be angry because he didn't do anything wrong! (oops! did i accidentally slip into 1st person there? this of course hasn't happened to ME...ha!) and then, the next time she meets a nice guy she's more skeptical.

now...this last criticism may seem like i'm saying that guys shouldn't be so nice, but only if you weren't paying attention at the beginning. however, i realize that not all guys are going to be nice, so here are my suggestions to help the few nice guys out there level the playing field:
(1) keep being the great guys you are!
(2) encourage others to do the same!
(3) be open with girls about how you feel about them. this means not letting the one you want get stolen away by some punk who doesn't deserve her, AND letting your female friends know where they stand so that you don't accidentally cause them undue emotional distress, ruin your friendship, or mess things up for another guy who does feel "that way" about her.

*disclaimer* i know that probably many of the same things could be said about nice girls... e.g. my sister jacquelyn, who goes out with all sorts of guys that she doesn't like, because she's "too nice" (or too chicken) to say no.