 | -3 As a 1930s wife, I am |
What a relief - I thought my answers to things like "Reacts with pleasure and delight to marital congress" might have made me into some kind of anti-feminist. Luckily my answers to "Fails to sew on buttons or darn socks regularly" and "Eats onions, radishes, or garlic before a date or going to bed" (radishes??!!) make me a satisfactorily Bad Wife. At least in the 1930s.
What I don't understand is how Mr E Man did so well on the 1930s husband test (I did it on his behalf). I mean, he eats garlic, snores, AND leaves his shoes in the living room. Actually I think both test results were skewed by the fact that I ignored all the questions about our non-existent kids.
In not entirely unrelated news, there's an interesting opinion piece on the BBC website today about how Hillary Clinton has made things much easier for future female presidential hopefuls. As someone who grew up in the UK during the Thatcher era*, I just hope the first successful candidate is an actual human female, not some bizarre alien who declares "there is no such thing as society" and is proud of never having been on a train while privatising the national rail system into a mess of disparate companies.
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*My opinion of Thatcher is obviously tainted by my parents' - both teachers, both from mining families in the North East of England. Anyone familiar with British politics will be able to guess what they thought of her. I was actually terrified of Thatcher as a kid - every time she came on the news, my parents would start shouting at the TV! This early political indoctrination was noted by others too, including one of my teachers in primary school. She apparently told my parents (with a twinkle in her eye) that she'd once asked the class if anyone knew who the Prime Minister was, and I piped up with "yes, I do, it's Margaret Bloody Thatcher!". My Dad told that story at my wedding, to general hilarity.
Wait, did you get a negative three? I got a one. I couldn't believe it.
ReplyDeleteWell done!
ReplyDeleteHee hee! I wonder what I would have got if I'd tried to answer the questions about children with what I think I might do if I had any. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteI agree--I think the questions about kids make a big difference. I wouldn't be surprised if the simple fact that we don't have kids caused us to lose 200 points! :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, breeding would definitely have been one of the requirements for a 1930s wife. I love the way it's just assumed that they exist...
ReplyDeleteOK, in the interest of full disclosure: I have not, I repeat, not tried to boost my score by touting my parenting skills and my loving and caring disposition toward my non-existent children.
ReplyDeleteI love the way it's just assumed that they exist...
Well, I think that, back in the 30s, if they did not exist the assumption would be right away that there would have to be something wrong with either him or her... heck, people still assume this nowadays...
There's no need to artificially boost the male score - all you seem to have to do is turn up for dinner and occasionally consult your wife on vacation plans!
ReplyDeleteAre you sure we're not related. Your parents does sound like mine... and I'm not even British...
ReplyDeleteIt took me quite awhile not to automaticly feel scared and have large negative feelings (ok, hatelike) when I heard 'Thatcher'. Not to mention at uni when several people praised her... nowadays I have a tad more nuanced way at looking at her - but I fear my indoctrination was way too deep to change into liking. I'd settled for "not completely terrified and a tad bit of admiration for someone being so scary and bossy in the earlier times".
oh, I scored like a poor wife in the 30ies too... although I guess I shouldn't have answered since I'm not technically a wife anymore ^^
ReplyDeleteWonder if that would leave you on the negative negative scale? ;) most definietly... and maybe I can say "at least I don't have any kids" - I think that would be worse, if there are such a scale?!
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ReplyDeleteMadHatter has determined that the Absolute Zero of this test is -96...
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Thatcher inspired such hatred outside of the UK too. Most other non-British Europeans I've met seem surprised at my reaction to her name!!
(radishes??!!)
ReplyDeleteHm, I guess that refers to your OTHER end... At least to mine.
Interesting... in the interest of science I might have to put that to the test some time!
ReplyDeleteCae: Oh don't mistake the emotions about her in the socialistic (ok, socialdemocratic) country of Sweden. She did implement a lot of things that the right wing wanted to do "since Thacher mde it work" and the left wing (aka workers) were terrified. And she embodied a lot of the "upper class" too...
ReplyDeleteThen of course, my parents was not workers per se - but rather leftish univeristy people involved in the whole 68thing... let's just say, I had a hard time rebelling as a young one ;) (if you don't count getting straight As, not lying and not running away from hom even once... guess that could count in some way^^)
Sweden sounds like my kinda place!
ReplyDeleteThatcher devastated the industrial North of England, where I'm from. She's never been forgiven and I know several people who insist that they'll be dancing on her grave given the opportunity...