One of the downsides of political correctness, and there are many, is the belief that everyone should be treated exactly the same and everyone should have the same rules. That assumption is based on the premise that we're all the same and we're not. The course of our lives is decided, in large part, at the time of birth. The color of our skin has a large impact on our life chances. The social group we're born into has a large impact on our life chances. Our ethnicity, religion, and the reputation of our parents have significant impacts on our life chances. And all these things occur before we take a step or utter a word. All men and woman are NOT created equal and, consequently, will never be treated equal no matter how much we demand it happen.

One of the double standards that has literally existed since history was first recorded on the page was the different levels of expectations and judgments based on the sexual behaviors of men and women. If men were sexually active, they were considered "studs." If women were sexually active, they were considered "sluts." That unequal judgment and subsequent treatment continues today. Men were the hunters, women were the caregivers, men were dominant, women were submissive. These definitions developed as a result of the division of labor. Long before the concept of political correctness raised its ugly head, men and women did what they did best, for the sake of survival. That's how the division of labor and the different expectations of men and women evolved.

One of the fascinating things about being a sociologist is that I'm always on duty. My discipline involves the study of human behavior. Why do people do the things they do? Consequently, I'm never a casual observer of behavior. I'm always analyzing behavior based on the prompts individuals receive from the culture they live in. Nothing occurs accidentally or randomly. Everything we do and think is a result of all the things we've been exposed to since birth.

I included bar behavior in the title of this column because nowhere is political correctness ignored more than in a bar. There are long-term general assumptions people make about other people who go to bars and those assumptions are just as entrenched today as they were a century ago. Especially involving the motivations of men and women who visit their favorite watering holes.

Bars, historically, have been male habitats. Men came together to share a pint or two with each other while they told tales of wars, fights, and conquests, always spurred on by the testosterone flowing through their bodies. They could get drunk, get loud, fight, and, in general, make fools of themselves away from the watchful gazes of women.

That has changed in recent years and it is no longer unusual to see women visit bars, some on a regular basis. But it's important to note that the perceptions of "why" men and women visit bars hasn't changed very much. Men go to bars for a few basic reasons. To have a cold one or to shoot some pool or to talk with a friend or to pick up a girl or, perhaps, all these things.

Women, on the other hand, are perceived by both men and women to visit bars for one thing only and that's to find a man to take home. While men have a variety of reasons for going to a bar, the perception still solidly exists that there's one reason and one reason only for a woman to go to a bar, either by herself or with friends. Even though we've made tremendous strides in terms of male/female equality over the past 30 or 40 years, there are some areas of our lives still stuck in a time warp and "bar behavior" perhaps leads the pack. The "stud" and "slut" mentality is still in full bloom in bars and clubs around the country and regardless of the real motivation for women going to bars, the perception remains what is was a century ago.

And remember that perception is reality. If we believe it to be so, it IS so, at least to those who believe it. So, if other men and women believe that the only women who frequent bars either by themselves or with friends are women who are "on the make", that is how they will be defined and that is how they will be treated, whether feminists like it or not and whether it's true or not.