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                 Male Bashing - Hitting Below the Belt
 
The Perky young instructor bounces around at the edge of the pool, encouraging
her deep water class to pump up their moves in the water.
 
"This will get rid of the stress," she shouts through her microphone.  She cups her
mouth with her hand and in a conspiring whisper that bounces off the pool walls she
says "And we all know what causes stress--MEN!"
 
Then, as an aside, she smiles at the 2 or 3 males in the group and tells them she
didn't mean it.
 
Oh yes,  she did!  She seems too young for a serious relationship, but she is already
buying into the theory that there is a battle of the sexes raging out there and the males
are to be the butt of our jokes.  If a male instructor had said something like that about
the women he would have been reprimanded.
 
What is it with the male bashing lately?  Women have fought long and hard for respect
and equality.  Now it seems we are no longer contend to be "just equal", we need to
somehow feel superior.  And we are doing this by lashing out at the males in our
society:  our husbands, boyfriends, fathers, brothers and sons.
 
Television shows such as My Wife and Kids, King of Queens, Everybody Loves
Raymond, According to Jim and, of course, The Simpsons portray men as slovenly, lazy,
selfish and incompetent.  And their women are intelligent, capable, and rational.  These
sentiments are also expressed in male bashing jokes.  For example:  What should you
give a man who has everything?  - A woman to show him how to work it.  What's the best
way to force a man to do sit ups?  - Put the remote between his toes.  How are husbands
like lawnmowers?  - They're hard to get started, emit noxious odors and half the time
they don't work.  Even boys are not excluded.  Why do little boys whine?  - Because they
are practicing to be men.
 
Yes, I know we've had our share of blonde jokes.  However, blonde jokes are
usually...well...dumb.  Male bashing jokes are insulting, vicious and hurtful.  What should
you do if you see your ex-husband rolling around in pain on the ground?  - Shoot him
again.  How can you tell when a man is well-hung?  - When you can just barely slip your
finger in between his neck and the noose.  Why can't men get Mad Cow Disease?
-Because it only attacks the brain.
 
Many of these jokes are aimed where it hurts the most--below the belt, so to speak. 
Why do men become smarter during sex?  - Because they are plugged into a genius.  There
are hundreds more, but most are too raunchy to print here.
 
I remember get-togethers where someone made cutthroat remarks (under the guise of
"jokes") about their husband or boyfriend in front of friends and family.  I felt
embarrassed for them and for their partner.  How can you respect yourself when you talk
about a partner like that?    How, for that matter, can anyone else respect you?  Respect
and equality begin at home with our partner.
 
Of course, there are differences between men and women--physical, emotional and
rational.  It would be much better to embrace these differences and find ways we may
complement each other, rather than to look for the negative aspects to inflict pain or
anger.  This male-female battle for equality (or dominance) is getting out of hand.  In the
long run it may well be nature that decides how "equal" we really are.  After all, you
can't fool  Mother Nature!
 
 

                                                            Marion de Man

                                        

                                                                  *****

 

 

  
 

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November 27,2005
Copyright / Design By
Marion de Man

  
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