Cougar Redux

I was on the subway on Saturday and a young nondescript young man got on the train. He was Hispanic, maybe in his mid 20s and with that bored and obvious resignation of someone on his way to work. I suddenly noticed his t-shirt; it carried the silhouette of a jungle cat on it and was embellished with the words "Cougar Bait." He hardly had the magnetism of obvious bait but I was pleased to see that the position is now being openly advertised. It has become part of the social vernacular.

And tonight as I washed the dishes after dinner, I flipped on the television in the kitchen. A summer reality shows was on--this one being the competition between the 20 and 40 year old women vying for the affections of a 30 year old tennis player. I don't watch this program but I was curious how my brethren were faring against the firmer enhanced attributes of the younger women. And whaddya know? At the end of tonight's program, the majority of the five women left standing were the 40 year olds. So clearly the mystery of the older woman is no longer a mystery; it's mainstream.

I am pleased that there's more pie for everyone. That will keep me going as I wade into my 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond. And while the concept of the cougar is part of the social fabric now, who came up with the term? Was there some behavior to cougars that was synonymous with a 40 something woman? I did a little research and here's a snippet:

The cougars are very stealthy, and their prey has no idea that it is being stalked until it is too late. Some humans who enjoy a walk through the woods will not hear a thing, then all of a sudden have a two hundred pound cat sinking its fangs into the back of their head. Cougars are solitary animals, and only congregate to breed. Cougars have a distinct home range that they protect and mark off regularly with urine. Cougars have a wide range of vocal sounds. They cannot roar, but they can chirp, peep, whistle, and some people say they even scream. This sound is made by a female cougar in heat.

Yeah, this sort of explains everything.