Pt.1: Dana
I'm not good at being nice, so I'll keep this short and to the point. I did a piece several days ago which was a parody of a post by fellow OSer Dana D. I wasn't parodying Dana, I was parodying one particular post, and my main motivation in doing so was to have a few laughs. As near as I can tell, Dana's a down to earth, really nice person, and she's deserving of nothing but respect. We live in a society where lip service is paid to the notion of gender equality, but the reality on the ground is that there is not a level playing field, not in the work place and not any place else that matters. In order to achieve equivalent pay and respect to a given man, a woman is required to work harder than that man, be smarter than him, and be prepared to take a lot of shit off cretins who think she's trying to rise above her station. This isn't a matter of opinion, this is reality, and anybody who thinks it's not so is a fool. Dana had the courage, strength, and ability to not only become as good as any man in her chosen field, but better than many, or for all I know, all of them, and for this she has my admiration.
Pt.2: Drew
In the last day or two, there has been speculation that I'm a bitter woman who wrote my parody post because of jealousy of Dana, or that I'm a man who felt threatened by her, or that I'm motivated by a need for attention. People are free to speculate all they like, and I hope they enjoy themselves doing it, but to reiterate, the post was done for humor's sake, and because I'm somewhat of a bitch. Anybody who reads more into it than that is bringing their own issues to the table, and that has nothing to do with me. If there's anybody reading this who still wants to discuss those issues, I'd like to refer them to my favorite therapist, Dr. Leary.
Pt.3: Dennis


Salon.com
Comments
But I'll be your cut man:)
Thanks for the kind words. I know it was difficult for you. ;-) As I posted in your parody thread, I wasn't offended, I thought it was smart and funny, and it made me a fan of yours. I can certainly laugh at myself, and yours was a witty post. I don't care who your other online personas may be, or not be, I think you are talented and sharp.
I was, however, intrigued to discover that I had been diagnosed by some OSer as having low self-esteem. Heh...not that was funny. :)
And I didn't think for one second that you and I had any issues. In fact, I was surprised and amused to see the storm of controversy at which I was the center, but seemed to be uninvolved. It was odd.
And Dana, thank you for your condolences; the trauma I've been through recently has been beyond belief, and somehow I can't help feeling that it's at least partially my fault;)
:D
You rock on, Drew-Sill. Don't pay them no nevermind.
And Dana - hell, Dana is the Tits! But we all knew that, including the P&M's...
This whole thing may have longer legs than Dana...and that' saying something.
Now Drew darling...please listen to Dennis will ya? I know I am ...../
I liked this post, and I like you, and I like Dana.
Rated.
:)
…I hope this doesn’t fuck with your head, but…
…I read Dana’s original post…and loved it. Frankly, I thought that while she was doing some serious commentary there, the thrust was, if not humor, certainly irony.
I laughed…and I wrote a response that I thought continued in the direction I saw the piece headed.
It wasn’t until I saw some of the comments in your thread (which I also thought was terrific and I laughed my ass off while reading) that I realized some people were really bothered by what Dana had written.
I still don’t understand some of the negativity…(just as I do not understand the negativity directed toward you)…but to each his/her own. I do know that part of my response in your thread kinda poked fun at an element of the female take on this whole issue.
I have known many women who do the “I intimidate men” bit on a regular basis. I use to be a bartender in go-go bars…and lots of the dancers were absolutely certain they “intimidated” guys.
And I was in Real Estate sales for almost three decades…and the Real Estate business is absolutely run by very dynamic women—some of whom make a big deal of the “I intimidate men” notion. (These are some tough broads, Drew. Real Estate is an extremely dog eat dog affair—and both men and women brokers can be obnoxious to the point of absurdity.) But every once in a while, when one of those women would mention that they intimidate men—my usual sweet, kind, considerate, thrifty, brave, trustworthy self kicked in, and I let ‘em have the benefit of my thinking on the subject.
“They ain’t intimidated!” I would say. “The reason they won’t have anything to do with you is because you are a cunt!”
Or short of that, I’d ask ‘em, “Is that your new broom parked in the vestibule?”
BOTTOM LINE: Good posts…both you and Dana. My feelings are that the “I intimidate men” is much over-done. In any case, I delighted in Dana’s post…and I loved your parody (or whatever it was) also. Anyone giving either of you too much grief really is dealing with something other than what you two wrote.
Fact is, however, the “I intimidate men” almost always elicits more laughs than nods of agreement—and unless one is looking for laughs, I think it is a poor road to travel.
this is the same shit as on tv when they are always claiming that women working together are having catfights constantly. i don't give a shit about the women on the view, who probably do fight all the time. but in many other scenarios also, this view is expressed. if a man parodies another man, no one yells "catfight".
shutting up now. i just think y0u're very cool, girl. love lvoe lvoe
Hopefully you guys are both all right now. Things flare up here on the OS, but they die down just as quickly if we stop feeding the fire. Sure sounds like there are no real issues between you anyway.
Nuff said.
In your comments to your last post, you made the comment that anyone who was offended by your post had the choice not to read it. Um... hate to be combative, but... how? How is a potential reader supposed to guess a post is offensive before reading it? Not to mention that speaking purely for myself, deliberately not watching a fight that I know is taking place doesn't make me feel better about anything.
Okay, granted, Dana's original post made my husband make a snorty noise with his nose. Granted, yours made a couple of valid points. If she'd been in on the joke - if there had been a disclaimer in your comments, for example, or any comment suggesting that Dana wasn't upset (she had taken her post down, but not commented, at the time I read yours) I would even have found it funny. But "Oops, I guess we pushed that too far, her post is gone now" wasn't funny to me.
Anyway, I don't believe in bumping messes, which is why this is the first comment you've seen from me. No more mess, no more hurt feelings, all is right with the world. Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed I never slip on a banana peel, because I know OS will be right there to erect a giant neon sign.
Now I will have to go read the comments to see how it exploded - or maybe not. Maybe I'll just read some of yours and Dana's other posts instead!
And I also lurve it that you and Dana are cool with each other, despite whatever other baloney's been slung at you. I haven't been following all the stuff, but I gather there's been a deli-load. Let's get some mustard and rye, eh?
Of course....
Rrrrrrrrated!
I don't know if thats universally true. For example women probably make up 80% of the publishing and magazine industry, and make up half the mangers in general. A recent stydy also showed they asked for 25-30% less in salary negotiations, and startlingly enough, make uh 25-30% less. Simply asking for more money could change things. With half the managers making the hiring and salary decisions, it is kind of illogical that they make less. Additionally women help women. Men help attractive women. In some cases I think they have it easier. In others harder, depending on the industry, whos doing the hiring. But what percentage of book editors, for example, are men? 15%? Or work for magazines?
I knwo this girl who starts woman music groups telling me how much harder it is for them. To which I reply, yes if only J-Lo and Britney Spears could get some media attention so they didn't have to struggle so much. The point being, the grass is always greener. As a musician myself, I wish I was as oppressed and overlooked as J-Lo. I could use the money.
But seriously, I saw the humor, and as the saying goes, "ef'em if they can't take a joke", and my version, "joke'em if they can't take a f***!
I saw Drew-Silla and was enchanted. I loved her character on Buffy.
I'm "off topic girl" tonite. Woo hoo! Partay! Rock star!
1 - I did a post already and said all I'm gonna say-
2- since Drew and Dana are OK in the Corral, can we leave it already?
3- How do we feel about the ability to take down posts now? Curious minds who watched this play out are interested...
very annoying. maybe she doesnt have the BALLS after all :p
I've deleted 40 or 50 of my old posts (15 or 20 of them EPs), and only a few have been missed. My deletions are no big deal.
I've taken no posts down Gabby, but I'd like to say while you're here, I enjoyed reading yours this morning.
VZN, could we refrain from references to testicles or other sexual organs please? I didn't do this post as a platform for the genitally fascinated to mouth locker room witticisms. Please reference Dr. Leary and shut the fuck up.
And Rob, 40 or 50 deletions? Why did you delete them, does OS have a space limit for the total amount of posts you can have?
Genesis, 13:6:4
I guess why I'm reluctant to delete posts, aside from the fact I've only done 4 of them, is the commentary thread on them. Deleting a post as far as I know means deleting the comments too, so I doubt I'll ever do it. I've not written anything serious or profound yet, and possibly never will, but I like the way the comments can swoop from one thing to another at random, and the interplay between the commentors, even the unpleasant ones.
Oahu, that's as good a way to put it as any. Only sissies are going to begrudge success to someone who's earned it, be they man or woman.
And Yahweh; an it pleaseth thee My Lord. Or something:)
I think both of you touched a lot of nerves, and your parody of Dana's post made me laugh.
I hope that everybody's cool now.
Ugh. More coffee. Sentences need subjects/verbs/objects.
But I'll reiterate: you rock.
......drew cillia
Sirenita, I'd go ahead and be Dana if I were you; EVerybody's going with the Drew look right now.
Zu-Cillia, I'll measure my tubules against yours any time:p
And Trig, speaking of impostors, you're being even more of a bitch today than I am.
"I need your avatar for a while Cindy, but I promise to return it once my nefarious schemes have come to fruition. I'd tell you what my schemes were, but then I'd have to eat your adrenal gland."
It doesn't have the same bite as it did the first time around:(
But I'm starting to get a little irritated with that Ross woman. I only borrowed her avatar for a brief while and she's been monopolizing this thread ever since. Well, we'll see about that:[
Gwool, I'm as nice as pie, I'm just a harpy about it. And Dr. Leary's the greatest as far as I'm concerned.
And Livemonster, there's no wrong I won't write about, and no right I'll not wrong. Or something like that:)
Dr leary...i thought you meant timothy at first....is assaulting the very foundations of western civilization, ia m happy to see. The old stale Aristotelian notion of happiness as the goal of man. It's time to get back to Platonism, or maybe even go Presocratic, and embrace Hericlitus's doctrines again...
There seems to be a lovely and most appealing upsurge in the Bitchiness...or as we Civilized Enlightened Men call it, "feistiness", in the OS gals. I applaud it and would like to encourage it in any way i can. I have decided to go sort of "Fight Club" here, with me as both Ed Norton and Brad Pitt, and bring down the whole structure of this civilization. The key is to get the chicks in an uproar, let em sort things out...we men are gonna retire to our fortified holes in the earth and let
the Apocalypse rage on above. In other words, connect with the inner Kali & destroy, destroy, destroy. Know you have some friends of the male persuasion, down here in the Ground, hiding, muttering to each other, and watching "The L word" & lifetime & quizzing our dear old mommies about the motives of all this feminine fervor. Enjoy, & MORE!
Jim
"O Mother-Fire! Thy storm-eyed ken
Tortures my eyeless fate.
Before me shine all wonder-ways
Of thy immortal Gate.
The face of rapture thy stroke unveils.
Matchless forever Thou art
To make us reach the Peak unknown,
The One's all-embracing Heart.
The fount of Power at thy Feet abides.
Thy cosmic dance of Noon
Throws fast on earth the nectar-floods
Of snow-white fire-pure Moon."
And she gets to wear a necklace of human skulls:)
It obviously worked because you are whining. Sooo in the words of Dennis Leary...STFU.