| thoughts from a cunning linguist | |
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I lived with (though sometimes it felt like I was dying from)"the elephants"--the ones doing the dance of joy on my uterus in high heels. So I just call my monthly affliction "having the elephants." My youngest brother has never forgiven me for introducing him to the phrase.
Normally, I have elephant-sized pills to subdue the dancing beasts, but alas, my prescription had run out. It was just me, the heating pad, and as many Advil as my stomach could handle.
Gee, as I write that , I imagine a potentially sqeamish reader like my brother, someone who landed on this website and didn't know what would greet him or her today. It's funny (funny "peculiar," not "ha ha) how out of place the discourse of bodily functions seems in public or even semi-public places. Even in ads for "feminine hygiene products," the fluids are always blue, as to protect the public from the spectacle of fake blood. But sqeamishness notwithstanding, our assumptions about bodies signifies persist in spite of our deconstructions of gender roles, underlying stereotypes that pop up in the weirdest of places.
I can still remember when I first heard the absurd logic (it now seems only urban myth: no one could really have said this, could they?) about why a woman could not be President of the United States): she could be PMSing and get too emotional or hit the wrong button, thereby blowing up the world. (I guess they'd have to call it the Ovarian Office, if that happened.)
Which begs the question: is George Bush a bush of another kind who's been PMSing for the last year or so? If so, I can only hope his elephants are as distressing as mine.
I've never heard that phrase before to describe that but it sure does fit. :-) Yeah, I think it's a pretty silly argument about women and their periods preventing them from being president of the U.S. After all we have checks and balances that would prevent one man or woman from waging war without a good reason...well, something like that.
Posted by: Stephanie on April 2, 2003 03:46 PMHi My name is Colette Guindon I live In Ontario Canada...I alway did wonder why United State call themself a Free Country when they are in war all the time...dont have any Medical Coverage paid for their own people..dont have welfare plan for their own people...I find this real sad...Here in Canada we have full Medical Coverage since the first day you are born to the last day you die..if you are not working you are not on the Street like your people are we got full welfare...single mother got full welfare with low income gear full medical for them and their child...something you dont give your peoples overthere...I got some friend overther in the State that dont even have medical coverage and cannot get health care because they dont have money..and other who cannot find work and they are stuck from one shelter to the other because they dont have welfare that is real sad when we see what the United State do with their money..spending it on war going to mars..I cannot understand this at all...why instead of killing innocent peoples they dont mind their own business and help their own people...I am very glad I am not American and live in Canada...US we are a free country..our Goverment dont go and kill innocent people or to go Mars he help his own people..nobody is on the street without money..without medical..and without a place to stay...think about what I have said..still not understand that in the year 2004 I need to see some of my friend in the State on the sidewalk with no welfare no place to stay and no medical..Thank you Mrs Guindon
Posted by: colette guindon on March 15, 2004 12:57 PM