what is the porcupine's dilemma?

Question

I've heard of this before...is it a term..or is a story??? What is this?

Answer 1

THE PORCUPINE'S DILEMMA

By now, everybody knows the story of the two porcupines that were in love.
If they got too close, they would stick each other. If they got to far away,
The two of them would freeze to death from the cold. Hibernation, and sex,
Was quite a daunting proposition. It's exactly that way for humans too

There are only two kinds of phone calls I get from my sisters and brothers.
One group of calls, is where the porcupines are too far apart. Then my
Sister or brother is in the dumps. They feel neglected. They feel alone.
They feel depressed. And they feel inadequate because of it.

In the old days, these types of complaints were only in the realm of women.
The afternoon talk shows, were full of women who wanted to tell the world
Just how much more they wanted. And the sympathy got so dense, it was hard
To even think, that perhaps the situation was just about large rodents.

My sisters doubted their appeal. My brothers doubted their power. When you
Are too far away from another, things get very anxious. The other kind of
Phone call I get, is when the porcupines get so close, they stick each other
It is truly the mirror image of the problem. Here the issue is closeness.

My brothers, will sit and tell me that they are bugged. The women want too
Much from them. They want too much time. They want too much attention.
They want a relationship and, god forbid, they want commitment. My guys
Get almost frantic, in their rush to run away from such perceived demands.

What is truly amazing about today's world, is that women, can have the same
Feelings about men in this regard. Believe it or not, some of my sisters will
Complain that the wonderful men they are with, are very high maintenance too.
The men want their time. The men want them to adapt to their demands.

My guys are pretty affectionate puppies, and some of them can be too much
So one day, I wondered what would happen if I got the people who wanted more
Hooked up with the people who wanted more also. And the people who wanted less,
All set up with those who wanted their freedoms. The trick, was how to do it.

So told the 'too closes' to call me on Mondays and the 'too fars' on Tuesdays.
Then I got my conference call set up, to put everybody on the same line.
The results were incredible. Everybody finally had someone who understood.
Everybody had someone, who saw the world the same way they did. I was wild.

I couldn't wait to tell Chip, my Chipmunk pal, about how I engineered such a
Brilliant psychological success. I came bounding up to him, high as a kite, and
Told him about how I solved The Porcupine's Dilemma. He just smiled and said,
'If you think you can engineer the human heart this way, you really need me.'

Answer 2

How to get jiggy with another porcupine?

Answer 3

The porcupine's dilemma is a fable..."You can prick your finger...but you better not finger your prick!".

Answer 4

How to have safe sex, you know, avoid being stuck by needles.