The Electron Pencil

I may rile up one or two Pencillistas by saying this but so be it.

The whole kerfuffle over the Christmas-y song, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” is definitely in the running for the least important issue ever to grab an appreciable share of mass media attention. And if you feel the horrors of its heretofore innocuous lyrics are pressing enough that you’re ready to take to the streets carrying a torch, well…, friend, you’re a reason why the patriarchy continues to keep its heel pressed firmly down on the necks of women, not only in this holy land but across the world.

The Powers That Be love — lo-o-o-o-ove — this kind of tug-of-war. It detracts and distracts from the real issues: the glass ceiling, the way we raise young males to be aggressive and young females to be submissive, and the abject fear far too many of us have of women assuming their rightful places in our global societies.

Big corporations and dick-waggling pols are thrilled that they get to fire disposable running backs, announcers, product endorsers, or lead actors for violating some suddenly-sacrosanct standard of language. They get off easily that way. It’s absolutely no foreskin off their junk. They look heroic but they get to keep their iron grip on power. They get to keep women in their place. And they get to slap each other on the back because not a goddamned thing has been changed.

Hell, we can make the playing of this insignificant ditty illegal — never let a soul hear it again — but we still elected a joke of president largely because tens of millions of us were terrified that some pantsuit-wearing elderly lady might become the Leader of the Free World. And women still make a fraction of the dollar less than men. Have I mentioned that scads of judges still have a wink and a nudge attitude toward young white men who are accused of sexual assault?

If you think a victory in this song melee gets women closer to parity with men, then expect full equality to arrive some time around the year 3073.

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Hear Carp Speak

Here’s the podcast link for yesterday’s Big Talk featuring Dan “Carp” Combs.

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