Shallowness

First, let me state that there is nothing wrong with being shallow.  Everyone has the right to date someone they find attractive.  If you don't want to swim in the deep water, there is nothing wrong with wading.  But if you choose to be shallow, you give up the right to complain about hitting your head when you dive in to the dating pool.

The advantage of being shallow is that you get to date hot people - if, that is, you yourself are attractive enough to pick them up.   You look more impressive and everyone is jealous of you when you have a smoking hot piece of eye candy on your arm.  Also, if you are dating someone for their money, the lifestyle advantages are obvious.  In either case, it gives a great boost to your ego.

But unfortunately there are many, many problems with being shallow.   For many reasons, it is very hard for a shallow person to date someone that is not themselves shallow.   While there are attractive "deep" people, they tend to be snatched up quickly and don't get divorced.  Shallow people end up dating/marrying shallow people.

This often means:

1. Your date is more likely to cheat.  Tiger Woods is a perfect example.  Mr. and Mrs. Woods were both very shallow people.  He married a supermodel, she married a tall, rich, celebrity athlete.   Surprise surprise, he cheated on her. 
2. Your date is likely to have serious issues.  Perfect people get married early and stay that way.  If they are attractive, chances are they have issues.   Remember Tiger Woods?  His wife was no better than him.  When she found out about the cheating, she physically assaulted him.  Think about what people would have said if the genders were reversed.   If he beat her with a golf club after he found out she cheated on him, he would have gone to jail, even if she stoically refused to testify.  I am not going to say Mr. and Mrs. Woods got what they deserved, but they each got exactly what they pursued.  Neither of them have the right to complain about the other.  If you go chasing thunderstorms, don't complain when you get wet.
3.  Your date is not only likely to screw up, but also less likely to do good.  Shallow husbands don't buy flowers just because it's Thursday.  Shallow wives are less likely to fulfill their husbands' bedroom fantasies.  Frankly, those of us with a little more depth work harder at relationships - in part because we have a bit more anxiety about the prospect of replacing the relationship.  It's harder to find a new soul mate than it is  to find a new bed mate.
4. Your date is more likely to  drop you if times get tough.  Gain 30 lbs?  Get disfigured?  Lose your job?  Whoops, you no longer qualify as worthy of them.

I don't care if you are shallow.  If you enjoy it, go for it.  But if you start complaining about the quality of people you date, if you say something like "All men are pigs", or "Women just care about money", then the problem is NOT the opposite gender.  It is you and who you choose to date.

One more thing, some people don't know when they are being shallow.  When you care about anything except mental characteristics, geographical incompatibility, STDs, or children, then you are being shallow.

Rejecting someone over their job is shallow, while caring about their ambition is not.
Rejecting someone over their body (yes that includes man's height as well as woman's breast size) is shallow, while caring about their vegetarianism is not.
Rejecting them over a non-transmittable health condition (missing limb, diabetes) is shallow, while rejecting them over AIDS is not.

Finally, people often fool themselves.  People pretend they care about ambition, when they really care about money.  What if he/she inherited $500,000,000 would that change your mind?  How about if they went bankrupt - or all their ambitious ideas failed?   Similarly, people often claim "chemistry" when they really mean "he/she does not meat my physical standards of beauty".     If you have to lie to someone else, that's one thing.  But don't lie to yourself.  Admit when you are being shallow and pay attention if your shallowness is ensuring that you only or mostly date shmucks.   Don't blame the shmuck because when you get down to it, you choose to date the shmuck.