Monday, December 14, 2009

Women Comedians Mocking Men: If Men Menstruated (Video)

Never mind the hopelessly sexist nature of the English language, or that menstruate is yet another word made ridiculous with the inclusion of men in it. Language is patriarchal territory marked absurd by a ceaselessly pissing dog.

Women mocking men, now this is funny:


Of course this brings to mind Gloria Steinem's classic piece: If Men Could Menstruate . . . . Statistical surveys would show that men did better in sports and won more Olympic medals during their periods. Generals, right-wing politicians, and religious fundamentalists would cite menstruation ("men-struation") as proof that only men could serve God and country in combat ("You have to give blood to take blood"), occupy high political office ("Can women be properly fierce without a monthly cycle governed by the planet Mars?"), be priests, ministers, God Himself ("He gave this blood for our sins"), or rabbis ("Without a monthly purge of impurities, women are unclean").

Male liberals and radicals, however, would insist that women are equal, just different; and that any woman could join their ranks if only she were willing to recognize the primacy of menstrual rights ("Everything else is a single issue") or self-inflict a major wound every month ("You must give blood for the revolution"). . . Menopause would be celebrated as a positive event, the symbol that men had accumulated enough years of cyclical wisdom to need no more.

Liberal males in every field would try to be kind. The fact that "these people" have no gift for measuring life, the liberals would explain, should be punishment enough.