Why You Can't Win

Now, we're not saying that he's jealous because you're so incredibly awesome and dude, he's so incredibly lame. We're saying that no matter what age you are, everyone feels threatened by younger members of the same sex. This is why we have these creepy stereotypes of "daddy's little girl" and "mama's boy" -- parents tend to favor their opposite-sexed children. It's partly because we condition boys to be our competitors, and partly because we're all petty animals at heart. You showing up on your girlfriend's dad's doorstep is like slapping the old man in the face with his own flaccid manhood.

Keep in mind, every middle-aged guy has some regret. You will too once you reach his age and realize that you will in fact never have your own rap label. So when you show up to pick up this guy's daughter, it's not just that he sees the douche who's going to be boning his little girl later (which he does, but more on that in a minute). He also sees himself at your age, and all the wasted years in between.

Then again, maybe your girlfriend's dad is a billionaire skydiving globetrotter who's accomplished everything he ever dreamed of doing. Maybe you're dating Virgin Branson Jr. Surely a guy like that won't feel threatened by some punk-ass kid such as yourself? Think again.

Why You Can't Win

He is hardwired to see you as the enemy of his kingdom. No matter how pathetically wimpish a man may be, he is always the alpha male of his own home and of his own children. For years, this guy has been the dominant man in his daughter's life. Suddenly his begotten is ignoring him and slinking around with another man.

And not even a real man, but some young kid, still wet behind the ears. One who, in the natural order of things, would easily be scared off with a simple growl, but who now gets to lurk around and hold court with the king's little princess. You're lucky he doesn't behead you in the town square as an example to the other horny young males. On a similar note ...

Why You Can't Win

He is programmed to kill you.

Your girlfriend's dad is like the Terminator, and you're Sarah Connor. And the program that has been uploaded into this guy is called reverse sexual imprinting, or the Westermarck effect. And once you find out what it is, you're going to be damn glad he has it.

Reverse sexual imprinting works like this: If two people are raised in close living quarters during the first few years of life for either or both members, they are desensitized against sexual attraction to each other later in life. In other words, the Westermarck effect is the reason you don't want to bang your parents or siblings, and the reason your girlfriend's dad doesn't see you as a sexual competitor.

Instead he sees you as the guy who is knowing his offspring carnally, and whatever sexual tension a non-relative would feel after constant interaction with a hot girl in his house is now converted to an overwhelming sense of protection. Protection against you. The enemy. So tread carefully after that inevitable first fight with your sweetie, or you might find yourself on the business end of Daddy's shotgun. He's been itching for the chance to use it.

Now, usually when young dudes hear "generation gap," they think of a lame, befuddled old man who's too square for the new awesome music and technology. But you have to look at yourself through his eyes. When he looks at you, he's going to see this:

That's Fred -- he of many, many YouTube videos in which he speeds up his voice and squeaks and squeals and gets millions of hits for it. If you don't know him, or have mercifully already forgotten him, think of another young YouTube star or musician or actor whose appeal you don't understand at all. The point is that everyone over the age of 13 wants to stab their own ears out when they hear his stupid voice or see his stupid face. He's just so stupid and annoying and immature and teenager-y.

To her dad, you are Fred.

Why You Can't Win

While you may want to punch Fred's stupid face ...

... millions of YouTube subscribers love him. Specifically, millions of children. How is it possible? How can they be so stupid and like something that so clearly sucks? You wouldn't know unless you were their age. They wouldn't understand why he's irritating unless they were your age. That gap cannot be bridged.

And that's exactly what your girlfriend's dad is going to struggle with the minute you walk in the door. The things you find funny, the way you talk, the way you wear your clothes and comb your hair aren't going to just be foreign; they're going grate on his nerves. Kind of like when you friend a young relative on Facebook and end up blocking them for their constant unironic LOL talk and heart-filled statuses. He will feel about you the way you feel about Fred. Only you now have to imagine Fred humping your little girl.

But even on a common-sense, non-chemical level, it's going to be pretty hard for the lady to not resent your gifts of chocolates and overstuffed teddy bears and 18th-century samurai swords that you keep bestowing on her daughter, when the best she can hope for is an occasional "Atta girl" and love handle pinch from her husband. You can bet your bottom dollar he is going to feel that resentment, and channel it right back to you. This s**t has a way of flowing downhill.

2017 Update: One entry removed due to questionable sourcing, in the name of trying to keep fake news out of your feed.

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