In my head there are these TINY little virus cells rampaging around reeking havoc, against my usually functioning brain. They have the ability to turn my legs to rubber, my nose to a river, my sense of balance to zero....(currently I am walking around with a distinct tilt to the left), my throat into the consistency of sand paper and my sense of taste to that of chewing tissues. I almost sobbed this morning, because I couldn't taste my tea. Although the soothing hot liquid did much for my poor shredded throat.
Men, they get Man flu. They are flat on their backs in bed. They take to their bed with gay abandon, and lie star shaped emitting noises like a kicked puppy. Tea must be bought to them along with tissues, vicks, a multitude of shop bought drugs and bags of....'oh you poor darlink. Here have my last rolo.' and so on and so forth.
But women? Why do we get up and push on with the day? Why are we even bothering to drag our snot addled brains out of bed to try and fight through a day that feels like we are wading through treacle????
Answer: - Because we think we have to. Because I think somewhere, we still feel we have to prove ourselves. And its crazy, because apparently, we still do. Did you know according to the Chartered Management Institute that the gender wage differential is STILL wide?? This is 40 years after the equal pay laws came in to play in the 1970's. Inspite of FOUR decades of equal pay legislation, Britain has one of the WORST gender gaps in Europe. Women in the UK are paid 79% of male rates, while across the pond in 27 countries of the European Union the figure is higher according to this years Eurobarometer. (Information from Guardian)
This is insane. We do the same jobs. We work the same hours (sometimes longer, I have often been the first in the office and the last to leave) and as Amanda Tapping playing Sam Carter in SG-1 once famously said,
In a world today where there are such larger issues, it feels as if we are still stuck and held fast in the minutiae of everyday. We literally cannot see past the end of our own noses, and its crippling us as a species. Or maybe its because we haven't tackled the smaller issues that the larger ones have therefore been exacerbated? Who knows. I certainly have no answers. A lot of questions. But sadly no answers.
However, I digress. A lot.
Therefore I have decided, that in the interests of equality, I am not going to drag my sorry, fluey, feverish, snotty self into the office, and spread my germs around like candy at Halloween. I am going to take to my bed with gay abandon with the following: - Tissues, Tea, The cat, Sudafed, Lemsip, Paracetamol, Vaseline.........I shall lie there and feel proper sorry for myself, and allow my body the rest it quite clearly needs to get better.
Men, they get Man flu. They are flat on their backs in bed. They take to their bed with gay abandon, and lie star shaped emitting noises like a kicked puppy. Tea must be bought to them along with tissues, vicks, a multitude of shop bought drugs and bags of....'oh you poor darlink. Here have my last rolo.' and so on and so forth.
But women? Why do we get up and push on with the day? Why are we even bothering to drag our snot addled brains out of bed to try and fight through a day that feels like we are wading through treacle????
Answer: - Because we think we have to. Because I think somewhere, we still feel we have to prove ourselves. And its crazy, because apparently, we still do. Did you know according to the Chartered Management Institute that the gender wage differential is STILL wide?? This is 40 years after the equal pay laws came in to play in the 1970's. Inspite of FOUR decades of equal pay legislation, Britain has one of the WORST gender gaps in Europe. Women in the UK are paid 79% of male rates, while across the pond in 27 countries of the European Union the figure is higher according to this years Eurobarometer. (Information from Guardian)
This is insane. We do the same jobs. We work the same hours (sometimes longer, I have often been the first in the office and the last to leave) and as Amanda Tapping playing Sam Carter in SG-1 once famously said,
Just because my reproductive organs on are the inside instead of the outside, Doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle.Now each sex has its pro's and con's. That is nature's balance. But for some reason beyond my limited comprehension at the moment. (brain doing backstroke through snot....) we have chosen to penalise these differences, rather than capitalising on them.
In a world today where there are such larger issues, it feels as if we are still stuck and held fast in the minutiae of everyday. We literally cannot see past the end of our own noses, and its crippling us as a species. Or maybe its because we haven't tackled the smaller issues that the larger ones have therefore been exacerbated? Who knows. I certainly have no answers. A lot of questions. But sadly no answers.
However, I digress. A lot.
Therefore I have decided, that in the interests of equality, I am not going to drag my sorry, fluey, feverish, snotty self into the office, and spread my germs around like candy at Halloween. I am going to take to my bed with gay abandon with the following: - Tissues, Tea, The cat, Sudafed, Lemsip, Paracetamol, Vaseline.........I shall lie there and feel proper sorry for myself, and allow my body the rest it quite clearly needs to get better.
- Head:- Maybe you should call work
- Me:- No, no, I don't need to call work, and check how things are going. But, I'll leave my mobile on just in case.
- Head: - Ok. Shouldn't you check your emails.......
- Me:- NO, I will NOT log on to check my emails.
- Head:- You can do it on your phone you know......
- Me:- NO. Because I am ill. Well.....maybe just a quick peek. I mean, you never know do you?
- Head:- You know, I think I am feeling a little better now.....
- Me:- DAMMIT you are going to lie here, and not think about everything that needs to be done.
Oh who am I kidding......................
Wow. As a working mother and loving wife, I find your terminal naivity and narrow mindedness offensive. Not only do you belittle men with your stereotypical 'man flu' reference, you then describe that same activity as what the body needs! You also give modern women a bad name with your judgements and precious behaviour.
ReplyDeleteYour writing smacks of someone who's socially awkward and professes to be world-wise, but that could not be further from the truth.
Oh, and by the way, quoting sci-fi will guarantee you an ugly, geeky partner, I've seen it happen.
Dear rpm55.
ReplyDeleteCan I ask? Did you visit the link back for the equalities issues? Did you visit Eurobarometer to see the factual side of this? Which is that woman are not paid equally??? Which was some of my point? In that respect I don't feel I give modern woman a bad name. But then I am not a mother. But I am a loving wife.
Thank you for your opinion. I respect that my writing is not for everyone. And yes, I was being stereotypical with the Man Flu. But it was meant tongue in cheek. Also you are bang on I am socially awkward. But I don't profess to be world-wise. Far from it. However these blogs are a reflection of what I see and think. I would not necessarily agree with your version of how you see things. But if I read them, I wouldn't attack them......
I truth, I was quite happy to throw open the doors for a good old fashioned debate. Until I read your last sentence. For someone who is deeming that I am judgemental, which in truth I am as much as anyone else is, do you not feel that the last sentence smacks of the accusation thrown out towards me?
And in closing. I am a geek. And my partner is far from ugly. Although as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They could be to you........
Once again. Thank you for your comments. They provided interesting reading.....
LC
rpm55 - Oh on another note. I also noticed that you have gone for the, 'The Blogger Profile you requested cannot be displayed. Many Blogger users have not yet elected to publicly share their Profile.'
ReplyDeleteAn attack from the shadows....Well I'll be.
What's wrong with being a geek? So long as you're happy as who YOU are, and not what other people deem you to be, then who cares :D
ReplyDeleteKaty Perry watches Stargate. True story. Scifi is for everyone....and has now crossed into so many other genres it's impossible to count. Funny you mention stereotyping, yet you're so fast to denounce geeks...they come in all shapes and sizes, and all walks of life :D Diversity makes the world go round! It's about the person within, not image.
It's a fact that the scifi community are amongst the warmest, friendliest, most loving and openhearted people on the planet....and also the least judgemental.
I reckon what Lea has shown is that she's confident in herself as a woman, she has no need to mask herself in the face of other people. Ickyness is also part of being a woman, so why should we hide it? Then there are all the beautiful things that we do experience as well! Once a month, a woman should be allowed to vent..LOL
I love scifi, I'm a dancer and actress...and my husband is a geek too. Wouldn't exchange any of it for the world, because our household is practically a never ending pot of laughter, constantly boiling over with hilarity and fun :D Who's regretting anything? :D:D:D
I really like Lea's entry. It's refreshing to see how people who are similar to us in some ways and different in others, see the world around them. Even such common things like having a cold/flu.
ReplyDeleteAs for being judgmental, who said geeks are ugly?! There are so many different types of people and diversity is what's make this world beautiful. As long as you don't hurt anyone, there's nothing wrong with being geeky.
Like TBBT says sometimes "geeky is the new sexy".
forion