"Upon information and belief, Your Worship, the man of the house was beaten to death with a brand-new iron shortly after this happy scene was filmed...."
A little bit of washing and ironing, Professor. What more could a woman want? Why, some vacuuming, of course. Who could resist wielding the pointy end of the iron after that?
All presents for the woman at work in her home. They all lightened her load, freeing up time. Not a sign of presents for lightening his work-load at work.
In that era there were men at work everywhere creating things to help women. Her mother's 16 hour day work-load reduced to 3 at the most for her over a twenty year period.
Meanwhile his burdens increased. His job prospects diminished as she could do the housework in less and less time with all the presents he had bought for her and she moved into his workplace putting another woman's husband out of a job and unable to buy his wife a new hoover.
His stress levels increased. His life expectation grew increasingly distant from hers. His retirement date remained 5 years beyond hers to get the pension that he had paid for as well as for her. So she was five years ahead in retirement and he now dies 6 years before her.
Full to the brim with presents for the home she demanded special work presents: Affirmative Action. More chaps were pushed out of work. She took to demanding compensation for being 'looked at' at work. Harassment, she called it. She saw all the men at work and called it 'male domination' and demanded to dominate her own chosen industries like Education, pushing more men out to be unable to buy presents for their wives.
When he questioned what was going on she accused him of abuse and divorced him. She got the kids, the house, all the presents, and a share of his income for the rest of her life.
The dull bugger in the video should have not bothered.
Actually there is nothing to gladden a woman's heart these days like a ROBOTIC vacuum cleaner which Indolent bought me at my request for my 50th. It quietly gets about it's business, leaving me to blog in peace, and even tells me in a 2001 space odyssey voice when it is finished and going back for recharging. I always thank it, and get on with more important things at the keyboard.
I love Indolent. But if he divorces me I'm keeping the Robot.
Well said Amfortas. A timely reminder of what the reality was for many husbands in those days, as opposed to what the perceptions (especially the female ones)of that time now are.
Oh how times have changed.
ReplyDeleteThe broom handle has been resized so I can sweep the floor whilst I dust.
A little bit of washing and ironing, Professor. What more could a woman want? Why, some vacuuming, of course. Who could resist wielding the pointy end of the iron after that?
ReplyDeleteIndolent said:
ReplyDelete"Bad Monkey", Carl Hiassen's new book is worth a read if disgruntled use of a Hoover is of more than passing interest.
Some of Hiassen's books are a bit tedious but this one is a ripper and reads like a Coen Brothers' movie.
Indolent also said.
Delete"Our Man in Havana" is also a good book for those wishing to explore alternative uses for vacuum cleaners.
Now go and iron my clothes, bitch!
ReplyDeleteJustifiable homicide. That could have been Gough Whitlam's daughter
ReplyDeleteAll presents for the woman at work in her home. They all lightened her load, freeing up time. Not a sign of presents for lightening his work-load at work.
ReplyDeleteIn that era there were men at work everywhere creating things to help women. Her mother's 16 hour day work-load reduced to 3 at the most for her over a twenty year period.
Meanwhile his burdens increased. His job prospects diminished as she could do the housework in less and less time with all the presents he had bought for her and she moved into his workplace putting another woman's husband out of a job and unable to buy his wife a new hoover.
His stress levels increased. His life expectation grew increasingly distant from hers. His retirement date remained 5 years beyond hers to get the pension that he had paid for as well as for her. So she was five years ahead in retirement and he now dies 6 years before her.
Full to the brim with presents for the home she demanded special work presents: Affirmative Action. More chaps were pushed out of work. She took to demanding compensation for being 'looked at' at work. Harassment, she called it. She saw all the men at work and called it 'male domination' and demanded to dominate her own chosen industries like Education, pushing more men out to be unable to buy presents for their wives.
When he questioned what was going on she accused him of abuse and divorced him. She got the kids, the house, all the presents, and a share of his income for the rest of her life.
The dull bugger in the video should have not bothered.
An iron? The fool.
ReplyDeleteIncurable romantics spring for electric frypans every time.
Actually there is nothing to gladden a woman's heart these days like a ROBOTIC vacuum cleaner which Indolent bought me at my request for my 50th. It quietly gets about it's business, leaving me to blog in peace, and even tells me in a 2001 space odyssey voice when it is finished and going back for recharging. I always thank it, and get on with more important things at the keyboard.
DeleteI love Indolent. But if he divorces me I'm keeping the Robot.
Don't get too close to Robo-Vac.
DeleteThey're dirtbags at heart...
Well said Amfortas. A timely reminder of what the reality was for many husbands in those days, as opposed to what the perceptions (especially the female ones)of that time now are.
ReplyDelete