Random Thoughts, Notes, & Incidents

I'm not always angry. Really. It just seems that way because anger is a good inspiration for blog entries. Even then, I'm never really as angry as it comes across online; it's just that I have a certain way of getting my point across sometimes. With a large mallet.

Today what set me off was a lovely little picture frame in a overly-precious gift shop. Written in a circle surrounding the area where one would put the photo was the inscription, "There's nothing wrong with the world that a competent woman couldn't fix in an afternoon."

Now, I'm not going to give you any anti-feminist, ditto-head crap. You know me too well to expect that here. But come on. Give me a freakin' break here. That's over-simplifying the problems of the world just a tad, and explaining it away with a little bit of sexism, impugning the competence (and possibly the motive) of all men.

This sort of garbage may make some nitwit somewhere smile as she frames the graduation photo of her highly competent, but soon to be disappointed with the world daughter, but it does absolutely nothing to actually identify the person (woman or not) who's competent enough to pull off such a stunt in one afternoon.

Like it or not, even our positive stereotypes of female values being all about peace and common sense are more often than not proven wrong by those women who do end up in positions of great power. The Margaret Thatchers of the world are more likely to be elected to leadership positions than the Pat Schroeders. Sad, but true.

I wish we did have a woman (or even a man) who could fix everything - I'd even give her or him two or three afternoons to do it in. But, unfortunately, the choices we have are not so perfect. And that's what gets me angry.