Is it the appropriation of the term or the apparent denigration of all guys who actually are nice which is bothering you? I couldn't quite decide from your entry.
The ironic capitals are quite important in my understanding of the Nice Guy, which, as 'Wulf pointed out, is a perjorative term used as shorthand for a small yet recognisable minority of men who fail at gender equality 101. (Actually, strike the 'gender' part, because I'm sure there are gay Nice Guys too).
The Nice Guy is often not a nice guy anyway, but his Nice Guy persona only describes his speech and behaviour when soliciting romantic liaisons, or bemoaning his lack of success in same. It's shorthand for an experience women recognise.
Most basically put, the 'Nice Guy' is the guy who assumes that by being nice to women he automatically becomes entitled to sexual rewards. He's the guy who bemoans the fact that women won't sleep with him even though he's done all the nice things (conversed with them, held their chairs, whatever he feels are the boxes that need ticking). Clearly the problem is with women, who secretly must only like badboys who objectify women, since he himself is such a Nice Guy and still isn't getting any.
Women who recognise this occurence and want a shorthand for referring to it use 'Nice Guy' because of the irony inherent in the bloke's use of the term to differentiate himself from sexist jerks without realising that his attitude to women objectifies them just as much as that of the creep who grabs your ass in a bar because he believes that liking what he sees entitles him to grope what he sees.
It is, perhaps, an unfortunate use of words because I suppose it can make it difficult to refer to a 'nice guy' and be sure of avoiding the ironic connotations, but it doesn't actually seek to disparage guys who are genuinely nice in any way.
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The ironic capitals are quite important in my understanding of the Nice Guy, which, as 'Wulf pointed out, is a perjorative term used as shorthand for a small yet recognisable minority of men who fail at
genderequality 101. (Actually, strike the 'gender' part, because I'm sure there are gay Nice Guys too).The Nice Guy is often not a nice guy anyway, but his Nice Guy persona only describes his speech and behaviour when soliciting romantic liaisons, or bemoaning his lack of success in same. It's shorthand for an experience women recognise.
Most basically put, the 'Nice Guy' is the guy who assumes that by being nice to women he automatically becomes entitled to sexual rewards. He's the guy who bemoans the fact that women won't sleep with him even though he's done all the nice things (conversed with them, held their chairs, whatever he feels are the boxes that need ticking). Clearly the problem is with women, who secretly must only like badboys who objectify women, since he himself is such a Nice Guy and still isn't getting any.
Women who recognise this occurence and want a shorthand for referring to it use 'Nice Guy' because of the irony inherent in the bloke's use of the term to differentiate himself from sexist jerks without realising that his attitude to women objectifies them just as much as that of the creep who grabs your ass in a bar because he believes that liking what he sees entitles him to grope what he sees.
It is, perhaps, an unfortunate use of words because I suppose it can make it difficult to refer to a 'nice guy' and be sure of avoiding the ironic connotations, but it doesn't actually seek to disparage guys who are genuinely nice in any way.