There is a conceit on the left that science is an imperialist, colonialist, western, white, male enterprise, and as such, we should stop doing it, or at least stop considering it important. I cannot possibly pick all that apart in a single essay, though many non-white, non-Western scientists have done their part to detail what an egregious insult this is. So I will deal with the male part.
Read More“Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
As a woman moves,
I move.
As a woman thinks,
I think.
As a woman loves,
I love.
As a woman dreams,
I dream.
Why do I do this?
Write every day for a month,
A particular month,
The month of March.
Why?
Probably everyone who teaches has had this experience: a colleague comments to them, breathless with wonder and admiration, about how today’s youth are sooooo good at multi-tasking. They manage to switch from one tab to another to check their messages and statuses without missing a tab! I never say anything to this admiration; there isn’t anything to say. They expect you agree with them; if you don’t, just keep your mouth shut.
Read More If a woman asked you for
A letter of recommendation
On a job she does well,
You say you are tired
Of hearing me rattle on
About women.
Can’t I ever talk about something else?
You know what?
I’m tired of it, too.
It seems we agree on something.
My mother used to have a wall hanging that said “A man may work from sun to sun but woman’s work is never done”. When I was a kid, I didn’t quite understand it. I liked it, mostly because it rhymed. I think seven year olds have a natural affinity for doggerel, and it was funny to me.
Read MoreWalking home alone
After dark
On a silent street.
Purpose of a woman?
Childbearing, of course.
There must be something else.
Of course. Childrearing.
I was having chest pains today. No, this isn’t a bid for sympathy, it’s just what led me to think about something I hadn’t given much thought to in years. Once upon a time…don’t all good stories start with once upon a time?...in the deep dark ages when car radios were only AM/FM and social media was not yet a thing, I worked as a disability examiner, making decisions who got Social Security disability, and who didn’t. Heart conditions were a frequent complaint for individuals seeking disability, but not a particularly easy way to get on the rolls (hint: there really isn’t an easy way, in spite of all the anecdotes about all the people claiming disability when they are as able as you or me).
Read MoreA voice sings alone in the darkness;
No one hears.
A voice weeps alone in the darkness;
No one hears.
A voice scream alone in the darkness;
No one hears.
If you’ve ever had to ask someone for money, you probably know how humiliating it is. You dread the moment. You stand with deference and respect, hoping they won’t say no, hoping they won’t mock or deride you. You don’t feel comfortable in your own skin. It’s one of the worst things you can face.
Read More“Call me Maude, for I am the executioner!” I brandished the mop like a sword, and swung it in his direction.
Read MoreWhen a man beats a
Woman nearly to death, he
Too often goes free.
When I was a young girl, growing up in the middle of the feminist movement, we were urged to ‘have it all’. We were served up a steady dose of television women who didn’t have it all…unless cooking, cleaning, vacuuming, and smiling is having it all. We had few role models in our storybooks, few role models in our music or movies, and for a great many of us, few role models in our schools. Still, we were told that women could have it all…just like men.
Read MoreMarriage is for the man;
He benefits from the union.
Woman loses her independence,
Her name,
Often her property.
She becomes “Mrs.”
He stays the same.
Hi. The woman in the outer office sent me to you. I wanted to talk to Mr. Disney, but she said he’s dead. How can he be dead, when he’s still making movies? Anyway, she said you were the one to speak to…I have a complaint.
Read MorePeople dream. Some people dream big. For most people, those dreams won’t come true, or will only partially come true. The bigger you dream, the more likely those dreams will not come true. The vast majority of us lead mediocre, ordinary lives, but we like to think of ourselves as extraordinary. In short, we want to be the hero of our story.
Read MoreWith only one more day to go, I decided to try something I haven’t tried before. Could I tell a story in haiku? I have seen it done, but can I do it? I’ll try anything once…sometimes I fail, but in this case, what have I lost? Time, of course, because I’ll still need to write something. But I was game to try. So here it is, a story told in Haiku.
Read MoreThe news was full of the horror; there are more women going to college than men! The number of men going to college is down! This is a tragedy…we need to do something, because the way we teach is geared toward women, and not the right way for men. Oh, yes, I’m sure you’ve heard it. Panic in the streets, in the statehouses, in the newspapers and on social media, and everywhere else. Men are falling behind. I decided it was time to do a little research, see if I could figure out why. I was sure it wasn’t the teaching; there are all sorts of classes taught in all sorts of styles, and if one style didn’t work for men, there would probably be another that would. Besides, I refuse to believe that men are all alike, all barely literate brutes who can’t sit in a classroom and learn.
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