So much was wrong with the latest feature in “Encounters,” the St. Petersburg Times’ “small but meaningful” feature series, starting with its being on the front page of this morning’s paper.

I like learning more about the love bugs. They affect everyone and everything. I plan my day around avoiding them. So I appreciate the effort staff writer Amber Mobley made in getting the knowledge out there.

But using it to rant about the downside of being a singleton? Lame, lame, lame. She claims, “Love bug courtship is like your own experience with mating. Cold, brief and impersonal.” Please. Speak for yourself. Better yet, come to a girls night out with the CL staff and we’ll introduce you to some quality hotties.

The story was full of painful dating clichés. But Mobley’s biggest mistake was giving into the stereotype that promiscuity in females is “dirty,” while the Casanova status of males is okay, referring to the female bugs as “hoochies” while the males bugs got to be “lusty lovers.”

I’m an advocate for reciprocation and prefer equal opportunity love fests, such as that offered by Salon.com on the hotness of Hugh Laurie. The story may have knotted the boxers of some male readers, but the ladies had a rare chance to completely objectify this fine specimen of man for his mind and body. I concur. We can play doctor anytime.

This article appears in May 30 – Jun 5, 2007.