Let 'em (women, that is) have all of it, and then carefully monitor the results. It couldn't be worse than what men have wrought, but OTOH, anyone that's ever been involved in residential real estate, where women rule the roost, might indicate they're as equally venal as any man. Those women not involved in residential real estate...keep it hidden, waiting for an opening.
As Samuel Johnson once cautioned, "Nature has given women so much power that the law has very wisely given them little." That said, much beyond my mother and the umpteen women schoolteachers who ruled my world through adolescent years (almost as far back as old Sam Johnson), I can only recall the athletic fields and rinks and gyms as places where boys were guided by men to perform according to behaviors, actions, rules and laws that were considered to be distinctly "male." (And even boxing was ruled by the Marquess of QUEENsberry!)
But go tell that to Simone Biles or Megan Rapinoe. Or, for that matter, Miss Frances and her "Ding Dong School."
That headline is shamelessly aimed at getting women to flock to it (which we're doing, as you see). Also, that pie is too perfect, no doubt a stock image. Ben sounds like the kind of piemaker who exceeds perfection.
You are going to get all sorts of responses to this! Fromm women, from men, from history majors! Just gird up your loins and take it like a man--from years ago!
Holy Toledo! My hubby always knows when I read you because I laugh out LOUD!
He would agree with you on this post and I'll read it to him tonight. He has mentioned a few times, that we women are DUMING DOWN the male species. In a weird way, he may be right, especially after reading your post. We women are doing everything now—
uh oh!
I heard the line; "Be careful of what you wish for."
I amd my fellow Wounded Buffalo are ever surprised at the reactions to our attempts to express ourselves. Nobody takes us seriously although we're doing our best to be outrageous. Where will this lead, only knows God.
I'm glad you were a useless English major with a superior attitude. Now, go make some desserts and get it out of your system, then write a Novel about cousins and cherry pies! I am a woman.
I'm a woman, and I'm reading this! Maybe the surest way to get the attention of someone, is to tell them they're excluded! That's a lot of what this "Gender Revolution" is all about! But think about it! We can't get along without each other! It starts with basic biology - reproduction requires both sperm and egg for success.
And there's probably very little that's entirely the "Fault" of one gender or the other. Think, for example, of Katherine the Great! Did she swoop down on Russia's southern borders because she was a woman? Not by a long shot. She got cold, struggling through Russian winters. She longed for a good sun tan in January, and maybe some grapes and the vintage thereof. It was the entire social/geographic situation that energized the people themselves to follow her leadership and head south.
The drive for gender equality these days, it seems to me, comes from half the population realizing that they have as much rights to "A Seat at the Table" as those who have preempted the position. Things are changing, though. If something should happen to "Uncle Joe" in the next few years, it's possible that "Aunt Kamala" will end up in the driver's seat. Any "mistakes" she makes will be laid at the foot of a "WOMAN". It will probably take a generation or two, but it seems quite possible that there won't be a "gender divide" a century from now!
We're in a time of change, of social flux. It can be hard on men, having all the fingers pointed at them. Perhaps in a few decades, men will be happy to see that women can be the brut of complaints, too. Here's to true equality, for one and all!
It was following me all weekend! I stopped at a MacDonald's and met two employees outside. I was collecting recyclables to trade in and donate the proceeds to Citizens' Action Partnership - CAP. I began telling them about my fears that in the future we'll be aware of a counterpart to GEN-X - the "COVID Generation." These might be the children of poor families who are currently so disadvantaged, starving, even, that their brains won't develop normally. They won't be able to sustain themselves as adults and will become a new and additional responsibility of social services, either in homes for "Special Needs" adults, or in prisons, etc.
"That could have been me!" exclaimed a bantam-weight, white bearded, light-skinned fellow. "I used to be a boxer, having people punch me in the face. Then my wife heard about concussions, and how repeated injury could lead to permanent brain damage. I wouldn't be here, working, now, if she hadn't insisted that I quit fighting. I'm eternally grateful to her for getting me out of there on time!"
I took my leave, and found myself in a lakeside area an hour or two later. There was a building that had every appearance of being a motel - extended chain of single rooms with parking access in front for all, dumpster at one end, and some stuff in a set apart area under the trees. I was busily wiping chocolate syrup off BUD cans when a woman across the street asked me what I was doing. I told her about CAP and the children at risk of mental damage from the pandemic. "You're looking in the wrong place. The cans and bottles are over there, under the trees," she told me, helpfully.
I went as directed and found several plastic bags containing cans and bottles. I was sorting through one when a pickup slammed to a stop. A man jumped out and shouted "You can't do that! These are private rooms! We own our own places! You can't come on to our property. Now, GIT!"
I picked up the bags I had singled out and walked away. In my mind's eye, I was envisioning that picture of "Testosterone" from this "Women Don't Read This" piece. As I drove worriedly away, I thought of the gender differences in reactions between the neighbor woman and the "apartment owner." The woman had sympathized with the picture of children threatened with near starvation. The testosterone-pumping man had only been aware of ownership, and the privileges that whatever success he felt he had in his life had granted to him. Testosterone, it appears, can have something to do with a sense of entitlement! Of "ME" and "MINE" and "The whole rest of the world be damned!"
I'm sure it's not that simple. And, if we ever do get to a place where women have equal authority, when "sitting at the table," possibly we won't be so cowed by males exhibiting overt aggression. But as long as those perceived as "the most powerful" write the rules and own the land, etc., it seems as if our "Liberal" dreams of equality for all are at risk. We seem susceptible to the bravado of those with the most testosterone!
Yep, it was about to happen. Inevitable as the fall of Rome. Who would have known that women are biologically, the stronger, more competent gender. Thanks Garrison
Regarding history. This is an excerpt for which I've given appropriate credit:
I’m reading an amazing book, “The Expected One” by Kathleen McGowan about Mary Magdalene. It’s the first in a trilogy. Something that the main character said to her history night-class students, hit me as profound. She asked them to take a vow. “I solemnly vow, as a serious student of history, to remember at all times that all words committed to paper have been written by human beings.”
“And, as all human beings are ruled by their emotions, opinions, and political and religious affiliations, subsequently all history is comprised of as much opinion as fact and, in many cases, has been entirely fabricated for the furthering of the author’s personal ambitions or secret agenda.
“I solemnly vow to keep my mind open during every moment that I sit in this room. Here is our battle cry: History is NOT what happened. History is what was written down."
There are probably a few teaspoons of snark in your claim that History and English degrees are useless but just in case there isn’t, may I suggest reading “Excellent Sheep” The Miseducation of the American Elite by William Deresiewicz. This book greatly enhanced my argument against friends who share your claim.
In addition to his articulate arguments in favor of a liberal arts education, Mr. Deresiewicz cites a WSJ article titled “Your College Major Is a Minor Issue,” which says that companies cite such things as critical thinking, writing skills, communication and problem-solving skills as more important than a candidate’s major.
Students who study English, History or Philosophy learn how to think, how to question and how to learn. Are these not valuable skills to have?
They are valuable indeed and I question whether they come from reading literature and trying to compose a learned essay about what you read. I stand by my statement that, in English lit courses, you learn attitude, not critical thinking. A 20-year-old is not prepared to think critically about Chaucer or Shakespeare. It would be enough if the student is able to remember what he or she read and tell the Miller's Tale or Hamlet. The critical part is b.s.
Indeed
Let 'em (women, that is) have all of it, and then carefully monitor the results. It couldn't be worse than what men have wrought, but OTOH, anyone that's ever been involved in residential real estate, where women rule the roost, might indicate they're as equally venal as any man. Those women not involved in residential real estate...keep it hidden, waiting for an opening.
I laughed out loud, in the old way, at this. Thanks, Garrison.
As Samuel Johnson once cautioned, "Nature has given women so much power that the law has very wisely given them little." That said, much beyond my mother and the umpteen women schoolteachers who ruled my world through adolescent years (almost as far back as old Sam Johnson), I can only recall the athletic fields and rinks and gyms as places where boys were guided by men to perform according to behaviors, actions, rules and laws that were considered to be distinctly "male." (And even boxing was ruled by the Marquess of QUEENsberry!)
But go tell that to Simone Biles or Megan Rapinoe. Or, for that matter, Miss Frances and her "Ding Dong School."
Dave Jones, Chicago
That headline is shamelessly aimed at getting women to flock to it (which we're doing, as you see). Also, that pie is too perfect, no doubt a stock image. Ben sounds like the kind of piemaker who exceeds perfection.
You are going to get all sorts of responses to this! Fromm women, from men, from history majors! Just gird up your loins and take it like a man--from years ago!
Holy Toledo! My hubby always knows when I read you because I laugh out LOUD!
He would agree with you on this post and I'll read it to him tonight. He has mentioned a few times, that we women are DUMING DOWN the male species. In a weird way, he may be right, especially after reading your post. We women are doing everything now—
uh oh!
I heard the line; "Be careful of what you wish for."
Any suggestions?
Teri
Mt. Hood Oregon
I amd my fellow Wounded Buffalo are ever surprised at the reactions to our attempts to express ourselves. Nobody takes us seriously although we're doing our best to be outrageous. Where will this lead, only knows God.
I'm glad you were a useless English major with a superior attitude. Now, go make some desserts and get it out of your system, then write a Novel about cousins and cherry pies! I am a woman.
I'm a woman, and I'm reading this! Maybe the surest way to get the attention of someone, is to tell them they're excluded! That's a lot of what this "Gender Revolution" is all about! But think about it! We can't get along without each other! It starts with basic biology - reproduction requires both sperm and egg for success.
And there's probably very little that's entirely the "Fault" of one gender or the other. Think, for example, of Katherine the Great! Did she swoop down on Russia's southern borders because she was a woman? Not by a long shot. She got cold, struggling through Russian winters. She longed for a good sun tan in January, and maybe some grapes and the vintage thereof. It was the entire social/geographic situation that energized the people themselves to follow her leadership and head south.
The drive for gender equality these days, it seems to me, comes from half the population realizing that they have as much rights to "A Seat at the Table" as those who have preempted the position. Things are changing, though. If something should happen to "Uncle Joe" in the next few years, it's possible that "Aunt Kamala" will end up in the driver's seat. Any "mistakes" she makes will be laid at the foot of a "WOMAN". It will probably take a generation or two, but it seems quite possible that there won't be a "gender divide" a century from now!
We're in a time of change, of social flux. It can be hard on men, having all the fingers pointed at them. Perhaps in a few decades, men will be happy to see that women can be the brut of complaints, too. Here's to true equality, for one and all!
That bottle of Testosterone!
It was following me all weekend! I stopped at a MacDonald's and met two employees outside. I was collecting recyclables to trade in and donate the proceeds to Citizens' Action Partnership - CAP. I began telling them about my fears that in the future we'll be aware of a counterpart to GEN-X - the "COVID Generation." These might be the children of poor families who are currently so disadvantaged, starving, even, that their brains won't develop normally. They won't be able to sustain themselves as adults and will become a new and additional responsibility of social services, either in homes for "Special Needs" adults, or in prisons, etc.
"That could have been me!" exclaimed a bantam-weight, white bearded, light-skinned fellow. "I used to be a boxer, having people punch me in the face. Then my wife heard about concussions, and how repeated injury could lead to permanent brain damage. I wouldn't be here, working, now, if she hadn't insisted that I quit fighting. I'm eternally grateful to her for getting me out of there on time!"
I took my leave, and found myself in a lakeside area an hour or two later. There was a building that had every appearance of being a motel - extended chain of single rooms with parking access in front for all, dumpster at one end, and some stuff in a set apart area under the trees. I was busily wiping chocolate syrup off BUD cans when a woman across the street asked me what I was doing. I told her about CAP and the children at risk of mental damage from the pandemic. "You're looking in the wrong place. The cans and bottles are over there, under the trees," she told me, helpfully.
I went as directed and found several plastic bags containing cans and bottles. I was sorting through one when a pickup slammed to a stop. A man jumped out and shouted "You can't do that! These are private rooms! We own our own places! You can't come on to our property. Now, GIT!"
I picked up the bags I had singled out and walked away. In my mind's eye, I was envisioning that picture of "Testosterone" from this "Women Don't Read This" piece. As I drove worriedly away, I thought of the gender differences in reactions between the neighbor woman and the "apartment owner." The woman had sympathized with the picture of children threatened with near starvation. The testosterone-pumping man had only been aware of ownership, and the privileges that whatever success he felt he had in his life had granted to him. Testosterone, it appears, can have something to do with a sense of entitlement! Of "ME" and "MINE" and "The whole rest of the world be damned!"
I'm sure it's not that simple. And, if we ever do get to a place where women have equal authority, when "sitting at the table," possibly we won't be so cowed by males exhibiting overt aggression. But as long as those perceived as "the most powerful" write the rules and own the land, etc., it seems as if our "Liberal" dreams of equality for all are at risk. We seem susceptible to the bravado of those with the most testosterone!
Yep, it was about to happen. Inevitable as the fall of Rome. Who would have known that women are biologically, the stronger, more competent gender. Thanks Garrison
Regarding history. This is an excerpt for which I've given appropriate credit:
I’m reading an amazing book, “The Expected One” by Kathleen McGowan about Mary Magdalene. It’s the first in a trilogy. Something that the main character said to her history night-class students, hit me as profound. She asked them to take a vow. “I solemnly vow, as a serious student of history, to remember at all times that all words committed to paper have been written by human beings.”
“And, as all human beings are ruled by their emotions, opinions, and political and religious affiliations, subsequently all history is comprised of as much opinion as fact and, in many cases, has been entirely fabricated for the furthering of the author’s personal ambitions or secret agenda.
“I solemnly vow to keep my mind open during every moment that I sit in this room. Here is our battle cry: History is NOT what happened. History is what was written down."
Jill Brooks
Hear Hear!
GK,
There are probably a few teaspoons of snark in your claim that History and English degrees are useless but just in case there isn’t, may I suggest reading “Excellent Sheep” The Miseducation of the American Elite by William Deresiewicz. This book greatly enhanced my argument against friends who share your claim.
In addition to his articulate arguments in favor of a liberal arts education, Mr. Deresiewicz cites a WSJ article titled “Your College Major Is a Minor Issue,” which says that companies cite such things as critical thinking, writing skills, communication and problem-solving skills as more important than a candidate’s major.
Students who study English, History or Philosophy learn how to think, how to question and how to learn. Are these not valuable skills to have?
They are valuable indeed and I question whether they come from reading literature and trying to compose a learned essay about what you read. I stand by my statement that, in English lit courses, you learn attitude, not critical thinking. A 20-year-old is not prepared to think critically about Chaucer or Shakespeare. It would be enough if the student is able to remember what he or she read and tell the Miller's Tale or Hamlet. The critical part is b.s.
Oh, you don’t mean any of this, GK. Clearly, you haven’t thought it through. I think perhaps you’re bored and trying to light some fireworks.
Such a man! Bored, so he lights fireworks
It must be one of those manly quirks
Women know and will tell you
When you’ve nothing to do
Put to work some department store clerks