Ok! Okay! WOMYN....instead of WOMAN: Part II

The BBQ Pit
1

WAAAAY back in 2001 I started a thread similar to this one. It was mostly lost in the devastating monster crash of december that year.

My mother, the epitome of a scorned womyn has a WOMYNS group at her house every Thursday. Essentially men bashing, penis’ are bad etc…etc… She is not as extreme as some of the women there but hey she’s the host.

I walked in a couple years ago and heard somethings I didn’t like and ventured in to throw my two cents in. Taking my own life in my hands I realized but I did it anyway because hey, I’m a reasonable man. Plus one of the women in the group had a 20 year old son who was a student of mine at the time.

I thought I had a couple allies. 10 minutes later and blood pressure skyrocketed I walked out a better man. I left because had I stayed an age old tradition of amazon feasting would get revived right there in the forests of Connecticut, and Phlosphr would be the main course.

So did I learn my lesson no to go over moms house on Monday nights? In short no. And what argument was on the menu last night. womyn v women! It was posted on a dry erase board…and they were full on into a nice discussion of the subject.

I walked in, planning on finishing the back porch [another project i am doing this summer] and saw the sign… The in grained jokster in me said, " Hey ladies -shit eating grin plastered on my face - you misspelled W.O.M.A.N…" :D.

"YOU KNOW IT’S MEN LIKE YOU THAT MAKE ME SICK!!" gleaned one woman.

"Sarah, keep your son on a leash!", shot another…

And the one that got my attention the most… BTW I WAS JOKING.

"…and you teach at one of the most liberal schools in Connecticut…pathetic…"

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Steam. Red. Red. Hot. Hot. Shaking. Wide Eyed.

I am a man who has a decent sense of himself, people in general, and good taste. I was joking. I nearly lost my shit on the woman, but mom saved the day…

“Kathy, thats enough!”

And in her house, that was enough. I glared at the woman. And went outback to the porch.

So! Womyn and men of the boards… Care to weigh in on this one? Was I totally in the wrong here? I was kidding around…

And how do you feel about the whole debate…You know, changing the spelling of woman/women to wymyn/womyn. Too much? Don’t care? Have at it…

2

ahem…the first day I give should be mondays, not thursdays… my bad.

3

Well, it wasn’t very nice. But I’m sure you know that already.

More to the point, wasn’t it-- you know-- too easy? Like shooting deer in the living room? Where’s the challenge?

Still, I can understand the attraction.

4

Speaking as a pretty liberal feminist, these women are hard to take seriously. From your description, they need to change their names to “Kathy She-who-runs-with-wolves” and join a women-only commune or something.

Robin

5

From my own experience, members of any extreme group lack a sense of humor. Your story reinforces that perception for me. Personally, I think they’re more to be pitied.

But in the same situation, I’d avoid this gathering like the proverbial plague. eeeeesh!

6

Maybe she didn’t think you were joking. Or, maybe she thought it was the sort of “joke” that’s not really a joke - the kind someone makes to taunt another person and piss them off.

7

An illiterate inanity based on a false etymology.

Other than that, why bother?

8

I swear, sometimes I think there’s a song about everything; Woman With A “Y” (Womyn), by Uncle Bonsai.

BTW, they’re also kidding.

9

Joking or not, you had to know what the reaction would be when you opened your mouth. I think you brought it on yourself. For instance, if I kept poking a tiger with a stick and it mauled me, I don’t think anyone would have much pity for me if I tried to excuse my idiocy by saying I was just playing around. Same thing here.

And spelling it “womyn” is just dumb, IMHO.

10

Yeah, it’s one more example of worrying over the symbol and not worrying over the problem.

But Neurotik is right…that clearly falls under the ‘don’t tease the animals’ rule. You had to know it was coming.

11

Phlosphr - had I been there, I would’ve busted a gut cracking up, and then probably applauded you. I thought it was funny. But then again, I don’t think penis’ are bad. :smiley:

12

Certainly sounds like your comment ruffled some feathers but we can use it as a baseline. Next time tell them they misspelled C.H.I.C.K and let us know what happens so we can compare the two events.:slight_smile:

13

Womyn is dumb.

(And I’m a feminist).

But, you really should have known better. They think its important. If your mother were having a bible study class and you popped your head in to make some Santa Claus comparision, it would have had the same tact.

On the other hand, I’m a 1980s 1990s feminist. I’d assume your mother is somewhat older, as are her friends. Womyn is simply silly to my generation of feminist, but is much less silly to a generation who fought to have their own credit history and could be legally discriminated against in employment.

14

Remind to buy stock in whoever makes Kevlar first.

15

OOh, I know! Phlosphr can stand up at a viewing of The Vagina Monologues and yell, “Hey! You misspelled cunt!” That ought to be good for a laugh – the beating, I mean.

16

I consider myself a feminist, and am strongly sympathetic to women’s groups and feminist issues. But some people need to get a fucking sense of humour.

Jesus H. Fucking Christ! Even when we believe strongly in something, we should be able to see the funny side, as long as the joke is made in good humour and without malicious intent.

I mean, if i took my own politics so seriously, i would never read P.J. O’Rourke (although i must say that he seems to be getting more conservative and less funny in his old age). I remember reading one O’Rourke book in which he described a liberal as: “Someone who is happy to kill an unborn baby, but not a convicted murderer.” Now, if someone made this argument in a political debate, i’d take it very seriously and go out of my way to explain why i thought it was a crock of shit. But in a book written by a humorist, i thought it was funny.

Same with the recent Google joke about “French military victories.” I was quite sick of all the French-bashing that went on with the Iraq war, but that prank was smart and funny, and it made me laugh.

A friend of mine–a guy–took a Women’s Studies course in his undergrad days. Now this guy considers himself a feminist, and took the class out of a genuine desire to learn more about the issue. But he got basically abused for the whole first week by just about everyone else in the class, and quit, rather disillusioned.

By no means is this sort of behaviour restricted to feminists; i just gave that example because the OP was about a women’s group. Many people on the left and the right seem to have no sense of humour, which is why i like reading people like Molly Ivins and P.J. O’Rourke, who can make serious political points while also poking a little fun.

Still, phlosphr, surely you knew from experience what you were going to get? Although i must say that it is fun baiting people who have no sense of humour. :slight_smile:

17

I don’t spell it “womyn” - I spell it “humourless zealot who takes herself way too seriously.” I call myself a “woman.” It will never cease to amaze me how much time and energy can be wasted over non-issues like gender arguments. Why is the obvious concept of “different but equal” so damned hard, for members of both sexes?

(Oh, as for you in the wrong - not really, but like others have said, you make a joke to a bunch of humourless zealots, and that’s pretty much what you’re going to get.)

18

Yes of course I knew it was coming. I was being silly. Some of the people there were there two years ago when I tried to converse with them then. But this particular brethren or coven which ever you prefer are of a different breed than most feminist groups. All are divorced, non go on dates, some were cheated on, all hate men. It is a catch 22 with this group. It was bad enough they tried getting their hands on my wife…Wanting her to come to a couple meetings. Not because she makes good bran muffins I’m sure.
My wife is a feminist, she minored in women’s studies for chrissake. But she knew better than to venture into that den.
I was being bratty. Plain and simple. If you knew me on the outside, I am always the jokster. always.

Geez last year for April Fools day I sent a memo around my department stating there would be manditory marijuana testing of all faculty and staff… By noon there were people some very interesting people going to the deans office (he happens to be a good friend of mine so he took it very light heartedly).

As for the womyn thing. I think it is beyond exessive. But will I ever open my mouth to them again? hell no.

19

Why not live & let live? After all, they’re only humyn…

<ducks in bomb shelter & seals door>

20

Ha!

I saw that this year with my wife. Margot Kidder was doing the tour…

HA HA HA HA !!! I knew a couple ladies from the group were there. That would have been so damn funny had I thought to do that… But I embarrass my wife enough sometimes… She’d have killed me then. And my wife had a gargantuan sense of humor.