All Comments on 'My Fragile Male Ego'

Full fucking marks! THIS is the kind of story I've been waiting for. Finally, someone takes that "fragile male ego" bullshit to task and shows just how condescending and hypocritical it is. Plenty of stories present it as nonsense and use it as a way to make whatever character says it that much more unlikable, but more often than not the MC either lets it slide, or in the more idiotic ones actually thinks they might have a point.

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But this was a masterclass in flipping that shit, throwing it back in their face and watching *them* flip their shit.

Well done.. Thank u for sharing ..

Wow, just like that you explain it. So very true, home and a wife that loves you is wheee you take the armour off that you wear day in and day out when you’re out in the world. Amazing

Loved it. 5 stars

Great story.

Plausible, realistic and violence free! No one ended up in prison. No one was maimed, murdered or had acid thrown in their face. Just two people who came to the end of their story and became footnotes in each others lives.

Well done!

Not bad. Not bad at all.

You are a little more conciliatory than I tend to be, but yeah, this is good.

Yes, really enjoyed this story the lack of sex did not detract from the story eagerly awaiting your next story

I can see how Jezzaz's story gave you the initial inspiration but you developed yours in a different way. There are only so many ways an LW story can go, after all, and you set out clearly what you were doing. Whilst your ending is similar to his the route is not the same, the characters are not the same. Thank you for posting this, it works very well.

Brilliant! *****

Cheer. well done. 👏 5⭐

Finally someone who writes something sensible and intelligent safe from the ego.

We all have an ego: male or female.

And since we are all different: strong, weak, confident, shy, extravagant, reserved, calm, angry, cautious, adventurous, carefree, optimistic, pessimistic, ....

We all have a more or less fragile ego and it doesn't depend on gender.

A masterpiece, thx you a lot

4 stars. not the greatest thing ever on Lit but a pretty damn entertaining little read. the preface you put on it was just right. thank you for this and please keep writing.

Good story. It had the potential to be great, but then he “shows mercy”. When she asked “What do you see now?”, he should have said “A slut whose vanity is unjustified, with casual cruelty that is the most evil I’ve ever experienced”.

ZK

Excellent.

We'll done

FANTASTIC!!! This truly deserved 10 Stars , but as that is not allowed , I give it an EASY 5 !!!

I’m not going to take time to re-read Words again, but I think this story is its equal. The writing was excellent and the insights were solid. The BTB crowd might be able to overlook the lack of physical pain for Patricia or her lover, but I doubt that they would approve the noble path taken by the MC at the end. For me, however, his choice to be gentle spoke volumes about the MC’s strong ego. I sure hope that Bruce continues to share his stories with us.

Probable the best description of "The Fragile Male Ego". And ... the husband sank that nail with one blow, when he said it was " the fragile HUMAN ego. Ego can be fragile, anyone's, especially when we expose ourselves by placing our trust that the other person will cradle and protect it. Ego is fragile, but it can be repaired. Trust is the most difficult thing to be repaired ... if it can be repaired at all. Thanks for writing this story. 5-stars.

You nailed it. 5/5. Sad, though. I can see that some relationships could survive, but this one couldn't, because it lacked - something. Hafta think it over. What did it lack that he couldn't forgive her? D

Excellent. Well done.

Thanks.

Story was well written and enjoyable, but I really enjoyed the mini-essay on 'fragile male ego'.

It's a nonsensical claim. It only appears to be used by men and women that want to SHAME men. It's a phrase that has only a nugget of truth to it, and a lot of sophistry. If we were to compare the female ego with the male ego, the male ego would come out stronger every single time. And it has nothing to do with biology, but nurture. Men are, as you pointed out, conditioned to be tough when dealing with hurtful comments. And women are conversely shielded way too much from it.

Modern society, while attempting to virtue signal about how progressive it is, couldn't be more sexist if it actively tried. Gender roles are reinforced by feminists, while pretending to want to dismantle them. It's a sick game, and relationships suffer greatly as a result. And I think my biggest take-away was your point about seeing, "the big man falling over in pain". It highlights the whole reason for the phrase, "fragile male ego". It's not fragile, but it's still a human being with real emotions. A bunch of sick individuals get a kick outta seeing the stoic man bent over and weeping or gnashing his teeth. A common tactic used by those same manipulative individuals I'd like to throw back at them....to laugh at abuse so casually. "Who hurt you?" lol

I hardly give 5*, but this one didn't leave me any other choice. This is a masterpiece. It has the perfect balance of story, background and insight into the characters versus length.

Not erotic.

It wasn't "Words," but it wasn't bad.

Nice, thanks

You hit it. With every story heretofore about men's fragile egos, they over look Janus. You are one of the few to hit that vanity is every bit as much about ego. So fragile or not, everyone has some level of vanity and given how our culture operates, sadly women suffer this to a very large degree as they are always judges by their looks (though it seems some men are on that treadmill also these days).

So very nice to see this thrown back at one of those conflating fragile male ego as a gender problem. It's fragile egos all around in all too many cases.

I really like this story, it felt honest , truth hurts .

Great story, please keep on writing. You definitely show promise.

Outstanding. "Words" is probably my fave story here as well, and this is equally good. With the added plus of consistency, as I never liked Mike slugging the guy at the door. Words and fists are polar opposites. I especially liked the effect of her being a lawyer, a professional wordsmith, and in the end, she came up with no words to defend her actions. The asides to boxing and chin out were quite visual, and hubby wanting to be a good man whom he could respect is critical. Great job for only a second story, and a complete tale at only 3800 words.

Some serious truth revealed in your narrative - 5*

I loved it. Something different, well written and thought provoking. thank you!

JB in GA

Nice story but wished the ending had more dialogue. I'm a sucker for details, and the end just felt rushed, but still a good story

I loved it. Something different, well written and thought provoking. thank you!

JB in GA

Knocked it out of the ballpark.

That was solid. A well written story. The Coup de Grace is will she ever realize he propped up her fragile ego in the end? Her side ewould be an excellent chapter 2

Good work! That felt like a very real conversation.

Holy cow…so damn much truth And so well explained. 5 stars… 5 thumbs up…

Realistic, powerfully emotional, and always dignified. Bravo! Thanks for writing.

How did I miss this one - author knocked it out of the park. We share the evaluation of Jezzaz's "Words" -- it is by far in the top 20 stories on this site. Yours here is outstaning too - a 5* all the way. The old saying 'bout sticks and stones has always been BS ... word have a destructive potential far in excess of any physical weapon - when wielded with malice and skill.

Of all the non-cuck stories I've read today (11/06/2022)...

This one is the best of the lot.

Even though I did skim a lot on this.

Man, my like for Literotica must be starting to fade...

/

Thanks for the effort and sharing bruce1971.

what a well written and thought out dialogue! Best story in a while. 5*

Great story.

The issue with a cheating spouse isn't ultimately about the sex. Yes, a wife can find a younger guy as an animated dildo, or the husband can find a young woman's hole to use as a cum dump. The real issue is about the distance which grows between the couple, then the secrets and losing the trust, as one goes off to fill the gap.

The BTB stories ARE about fragile egos seeking revenge. But this was a refreshing look at just going their separate ways.

Yarn

finally, someone gets it. Someone knows how to tell a story. Someone understands that forgiveness is a sign of strength, but that isn't the glue that help repair a busted marriage. Finally someone was totally honest with his feels and in what he shared with his ex wife. I loves every damn word of this thing.

If I have one thing I would change it would be for the story was longer, going into more of the details that brought them to that one conversation.

what a great story.

It didn’t have to be a hardcore btb but by the end it was bland

Extremely well written Sir! I am in awe of your ability to write the words that many men have thought! A very easy 5*! I wish I could give you more! Thanks for writing!

Great counter to the "fragile ego" accusation.

slightly entertaining, but nothing special. 3*

God, it would be really tempting to go all glib here and say that despite the QuickMagazine 5, this doesn't come up to the level of "Words" - but I can't do it, because I don't remember this story's role model well enough to compare them. Nice that jezzaz himself commented here, and for the record, the jezzaz that I find myself re-reading is "The Wrong Side Of Smart." While hoping that he'll finally fulfill his promise to give Ryan ("Live From The Game") his due. As for "My Fragile Male Ego," it's definitely in the same World Series as "Words" - which is saying a mouthful. And in the end ("for the last year or so, it's been the same woman"), the good guy won.

Good story, thank you. I checked out your favorite authors list, it is very comprehensive and there are a few that I never heard of. I will check them out. You should check out Cagivagurl and Winterfrog.

Excellent story, excellent motivation, very plausible. I liked that the MC never lost total sight of who/what kind of person he wants to be. It is so easy when faced with another’s nastiness to feel justified in being just as nasty as they are, but the bottom line is that you can’t control other people, you only get to decide what kind of person you want to be. The MC was able to be clear to his cheating (formerly) most important person in his life, just how badly she had been acting and how much she had wounded him. He demonstrated how she had been solely responsible for throwing away their relationship. His revenge was that she will see the ugly truth about herself every time she looks in the mirror, not just suffer a one time ego smash that she can write off as an angry outburst by an insensitive jerk. She knows he is caring even after all she did and still he was able to expose her fat ass, droopy boobs etc. so it will haunt her for a long long time.

Very, very good. I love what you did about the fragile male ego BS.

Wow! A home run in one of your first times at bat.

Well, at least the husband finally got his wife to understand why the marriage was over.

Arguably the best NON-BTB burn ever read on this site. If there was ever a doubt " the pen is mightier than the sword ", then Matt just proved it.

A winner of a story. 5*

It's a rare treat, this kind of perfectly played dialogue, that covers all the bases in the LW genre. From the first to the last sentence, just the right words with not even one extra or out of place. Simply splendid. I can't speak for other authors, but this kind of piece is both inspiring and at the same time, a little tough on the fragile writer's ego.

As far as 'first' stories go, you should be very proud. I'm favoriting you right now, and look forward to more of your submissions! 10 out of 5!

Very nicely done!

This one is better than the one that inspired you. It would have been better if he had went for the kill and truly made her understand.

Best closing a relationship scene I have ever read.

"Matt, this isn't about me and about who I do or don't sleep with. "

.

The problem with that statement is that it is indeed all about HER ego, that she can do what ever she wanted and he just had to accept it. That's the point missing in all of the stories were the wife or her friends dismiss the husband's objections as just "fragile male ego".

Great story, well told and very insightful. A 5 all the way.

The incel's found a new Guru!

Just another one who was traumatized by the abandonment of his wife - who rightfully ran away from him - and instead of moving on with his life, he finds solace in writing "victory" stories over bitches from his lonely and smelly lair.

I would suggest you get your head out of your ass and move on with your life, but there's no point.

An educated guess: twenty years from now you'll be writing the same pathetic stories in which you preach morality to selfish bitches and the same lifeless wretches will be writing you exactly the same encouraging comments as now. just sad

I feel sorry for you.

Fucking loved everything about this!

Love, respect, and trust - need all three. Compelling story; well done.

Amazing story. This is the first story I’ve read a response to a cheating wife that truly was honest. You told her how fragile our love is for them.

4 stars - because you refused to go in for the killing blow to her ego - it would have been the greatest EQUALIZER.

The SLUT desperately needed to get her nose rubbed in the crap she created - you should have let her experience the same damage she inflicted on him. All is fair in love and war - if you are willing to dish it out - you better be prepared to receive the exact same treatment.

I would have led with the bit about her ass being fat instead of burying it after all the blah blah blah.

Good story- the Bear approves. He had the opportunity to destroy her, and, even though she deserved it, he didn't. When I got my overseas alert for Viet Nam9perhaps you heard of that) Mr.s Bear, the hippy peacenik who despised war, told me we could leave for Canada. And we weren't married, only engaged. But I told her I couldn't do that and look at myself in the mirror. She understood. Then she told me if I died there she would kill me.

I know exactly how he feels. 5 stars from me. To my favorite john Wayne line, "A man's got to do what a man's got to do."

The BEAR

Very good effort .

More please .

5*****! That was excellent. I suppose a real lawyer would know not to push the point, that she had a losing position, and instead promise fidelity. However, this was more interesting. He created the monster to a small degree, but what is worse is that he chose her originally. Time to escape. Good job.

Clever story and well done, 5 *.

A fragile male ego is not much compared to the fragile as crystal glass female ego if HE had the audacity to even look at or compliment another woman. :P And they know why – they can be very competitive in stealing away a man.

I seldom give 5 stars but this story earned every one and then some!!! Thank you

Nailed it. Well done.

Another pussy husband who pulls his punches after being handed the worst pain on the planet. Who gives a fuck what she does down the road and if my ex ever showed up at a family function with a dick, he would leave in a body bag and she would never be allowed in the same room as me ever again.

Very good points about fragility (aka vulnerability).

So many truths in here. Should be required reading.

FANTASTIC story!!!! Congratulations!!! 5 stars!

A decent "4" for the writing, but you lost a point for the lame virtue signalling. Oh, look at me, I'm so compassionate and gentle and forgiving. My supposed life partner just gutted me like a fish and now tries to convince me that I didn't really need those guts and organs: I never fucked him in our bed, or when I was supposed to be home with you; you didn't lose anything. Like the employee who removes money from the accounts on Friday and puts it all back, mostly, on Monday. Its called embezzlement, cheating, theft. And regardless of the crime, only a dumb shit would allow that employee to stay with the company. And their children would think the same about a father that allowed their whore mother to stay in his life and continue to fuck him over. What is amazing is, what happened? Why did a loyal loving faithful wife of 25 years start fucking a young stud? Martian Slut Ray, or was she always a slut, just waiting for the right person and opportunity? If would have made the story more compelling and dramatic to explore those begging questions than letting one plot device control the whole story. Is your writing that fragile? Still, thanks for the effort.

Great story. Very well done. 5/5

Nice story, I like it. AAAA++++

Well done, rook.

Hooked

Weird ain't it? How a piece in Loving Wives that's NOT about cuckolding or BDSM or lesbianism or interracial sex gets 4.54⭐️? And stories that are about those things usually land in the 1.5-2.5☆ range. Really weird.

Well done. Every human DOES have an ego of some degree of complexity as every human needs one with which to interface with the outside world. It appears that you might agree that, in the context of LW stories, the term "male ego" carries much more freight than a mere gender designation. In the LW context, it seems to mean "that which causes males to not conform their behavior to the desires of a female". Wonder what the equivalent is? Perhaps it is the notorious "entitled female vanity".

Nice story, Mr. 1971. Truth is, we all got frail egos, male or female, and as you said, our job to protect the ego of the ones we love. Write another, please. Randi.

Bookmark this tale and refer it back to anyone stupid enough to keep use the idiotic term 'fragile male ego'...

Thanks for the share, author.

Hoisted with her own petard! Apology to Hamlet and WS.

5

After reading the first five paragraphs I knew where this was going. Ego indeed. The way the MC turned the tables on his arrogant wife is gold.

Well extremely well done, on the second read it still stood up well.

A comment to others, it's not better than the original, just different. I sure like this one more, because the mc was "Nicer" to the ex.

Wonderful story and it explodes the "male ego" bullshit. Thanks for posting it. As we know the "female vanity" is every bit as fragile.

This one made my day! I think what I liked most about it was the part of tne exchange where hubby told Patricia that she really WASN’T the most beautiful woman on the planet — except to him. And then he refrained from delivering the coup de grace. The honest reality of that passage just struck me — given how very often we are treated to stories on here where 40+ Year old women are described as if they could have a career as a centerfold.

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5 easy *****

Would have been a 5 if in response to her query, "what do you see now" he had responded, "a cheap, disgusting, cheating, untrustworthy, undeserving tramp way past her prime."

There's a lot here. Thoughtfully, carefully, maturely written. So very much a five-star story. Thank you for the chance to read it! Following you.

A clever , well written, and insightful story A wonderful contribution to Lit. Please keep on submitting

"Fragile male ego" - She's an attorney. If a juicy case was assigned to another attorney rather than her, how would she react if her boss responded to her complaints with, "Oh, get over your fragile ego?"

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"You're afraid of competition. You're worried that, somehow, you won't measure up." - 1) Once you've exchanged vows there shouldn't BE any competition, and 2) Talking about him "measuring up" is a VERY poor choice of words!

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"Bradley's just a plaything. Like a dildo or a piece of exercise equipment." - So use a dildo, then.

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"We prop up our guys, build you up." - Why, just to knock them down?

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@SystemShock, yes, I've tried to make similar comments over the years, but Bruce really nailed it.

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@Anonymous Re: "Thanks" - I liked how he showed that the male ego, even while maybe hurt, is able to absorb getting ragged on by friends, maybe giving back as good as he got, while the female ego would be crushed if her friends did the same to her. She'd either be reduced to tears or there'd be a car fight.

It is a 5 exactly because, in response to her query, "what do you see now", he did NOT respond, "a cheap, disgusting, cheating, untrustworthy, undeserving tramp way past her prime."

"No. I wanted to see the same thing I saw now--a merciful man. A good man. A man with integrity."

See, why does he think "lying" to the wife at this point is being a man with integrity; Just tell her you don't see her that way any more and never ever will again. That person is gone to the past and doesn't exist any more. The wife he loved has been replaced with a lying, entitled cheat that has an over inflated ego and a body now that looks like ten miles of bad road.

Enjoyable story on a tough subject.

No contrary to some I agree with anonymous. Cheap, disgusting etc

And I could look myself in mirror having got some of my self respect back