At my recent visit to Half Price Books during the 50% off coupon day, I happened upon a little book entitled “Ventures in Common Sense”, priced $3. Published in 1919, the title just had that special ring of a book crammed full of conservatism and misogyny, circa 1919. As I leafed through it, I found I was spot-on (as the British say.) I toyed with the idea of buying it, and quoting on the pages of OVERLADY, as a feminist exercise.
“Nah.” I decided. Why perpetuate this junk? Negativity. Better to let it vanish down the Memory Hole.
That is, until I read about J-Lo bloviating about how there wasn’t any misogyny until the Damn Feminists noticed all the misogyny that wasn’t there and irritated everyone with their stridency. And Ruined Everything!
So I went back to Half Price Books and purchased this little gem. I will now commence my series, based on direct quotes taken from the lengthy chapter “Women”, which is, naturally, the very first and (presumably) most important in this Patriarchal primer.
Women are gentler than men; they are more patient, but not so fair. The fairest human being is an old man who, beginning with good intelligence, has fortified it with experience, education, and age. Women have more prejudices than men; they cannot see the truth so quickly. If women ruled the world as unquestionably as men do, I very much doubt they would be so fair to men as men are to women. The men have always controlled the courts, the armies, and every other element of strength; yet women have every right they should have. Men have made severe laws punishing themselves for offenses against women, and enforce them. In every case where women are tried before male juries, the women get the best of it.
Let’s take this a thought at a time.
Women are gentler than men; they are more patient, but not so fair.
Because everyone knows how very fair the rich white guys have been to everyone else since, well, EVER!
The fairest human being is an old man who, beginning with good intelligence, has fortified it with experience, education, and age.
Which is why Dick Cheney should be King. Because Old Men aren’t at all corrupted by Power. Not at all!
Women have more prejudices than men; they cannot see the truth so quickly.
Women are always believing the sluts who cry rape. Women are just so credulous…always tender-hearted toward the oppressed. If they hadn’t been such nags and bleeding-hearts, we could still have slaves!
If women ruled the world as unquestionably as men do, I very much doubt they would be so fair to men as men are to women.
The Fear of Retribution. This fear is deeply ingrained is nearly all misogynistic sentiments and writing, much more so than one would imagine. Your standard misogynist is terrified of women, and terrified of what we are going to do to them, if we should manage to get the upper hand.
The men have always controlled the courts, the armies, and every other element of strength; yet women have every right they should have.
Gotta love this! Women have every right they should have. This was written in 1919, three years before women GOT THE VOTE! Buh-buh-buh-but they have every right they should have! You know, every right the other livestock has!
Men have made severe laws punishing themselves for offenses against women, and enforce them.
Do I even need to expand upon this pronouncement? Men didn’t enforce these laws then and they don’t enforce them now. When this was written, taking a man to court for rape branded you as unmarriagable, damaged goods that were immediately worthless, to boot, even if you were a lily-white member of the upper classes. (If you were poor or dark, well, everyone knows you were asking for it.)
In every case where women are tried before male juries, the women get the best of it.
Those wily women with their diabolical attractiveness! Pulling the wool over the menfolk’s eyes! We men are really at a disadvantage when it comes to keeping up with the Ladeez! When they bat those eyelashes, watch out!
