This is a birthday card a female friend sent me. We both love black humor and she usually sends her cards unsigned so that I may pass them on. I've shown this to a random sampling of friends and most of the women flip to the inside for the punchline (it's all on the cover) because they don't see the gun. Admittedly it is much obvious on your computer screen where the clutter of life is mostly absent but still ... .
Now you went overboard the other way. (Not ambiguous enough.) Leave out "because they don't see the gun."
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have seen the gun before looking inside. I doubt I would have seen it even knowing there was nothing written inside. So is that really a gender thing? Is it because it's a gun (women aren't as tuned in to the shape of guns) or because women are more verbal and assume words will be there and be interesting.
That said, a BIRTHDAY card?
Posted by jennifer.But is it in her size ... ?
This card tradition sounds like a well thought-out dodge/rationalization for avoiding the task of writing (and reading) ritual piffle.
Ritual piffle? RITUAL PIFFLE?
Birthday cards are sacred--at least from family. I still have every birthday card, many hand made, sent to me since 1978. They're carefully stored in the den, somewhere in that array of dusty shoeboxes. Piffle, indeed. That's the last time I ever send Adam a card.
I love the New Yorker cards. I like the one I sent you better :)
Posted by peeping.The card sender thinks it means that men are more in touch with their anger than women.
She told me that Diane’s temporary inability to recognize the word has become a classic story in their women’s group. For the record, Diane asked me one day, a long while back, “What is “annger ( pronouncing it with a soft “g”)? I can’t remember the context (book, newspaper, love letter), but I had to tell her the word was anger.
Peeping, I don’t believe I received that card.
I can’t wait to someday use “Ritual Piffle” as a blog title.
I handed it to you and you've already posted it on the blog. Silly Michael.
Posted by peeping.That'd be the card at mainecourse.com/mt/archives/image/nocamp.html would it?
Posted by reader.That would be the one my camping friend.
Posted by peeping.But that's not black humor.
BTW, my sister just took a workshop at a Quaker gathering on anger for women only. Do you want me to check in with her about women and anger? One thing she noted was that the women in the workshop who seemed the angriest to her also seemed least in touch with their anger. I guess my point is that women vary a tremendous amount in their anger and how in touch they are.
Posted by jennifer.Point well taken, but for the sake of stirring the pot, I'm all for gross generalizatons.
Posted by michael.Now you went overboard the other way. (Not ambiguous enough.) Leave out "because they don't see the gun."
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have seen the gun before looking inside. I doubt I would have seen it even knowing there was nothing written inside. So is that really a gender thing? Is it because it's a gun (women aren't as tuned in to the shape of guns) or because women are more verbal and assume words will be there and be interesting.
That said, a BIRTHDAY card?
Posted by: jenniferat July 19, 2005 08:17 AMBut is it in her size ... ?
This card tradition sounds like a well thought-out dodge/rationalization for avoiding the task of writing (and reading) ritual piffle.
Ritual piffle? RITUAL PIFFLE?
Birthday cards are sacred--at least from family. I still have every birthday card, many hand made, sent to me since 1978. They're carefully stored in the den, somewhere in that array of dusty shoeboxes. Piffle, indeed. That's the last time I ever send Adam a card.
I love the New Yorker cards. I like the one I sent you better :)
Posted by: peepingat July 19, 2005 09:47 AMThe card sender thinks it means that men are more in touch with their anger than women.
She told me that Diane’s temporary inability to recognize the word has become a classic story in their women’s group. For the record, Diane asked me one day, a long while back, “What is “annger ( pronouncing it with a soft “g”)? I can’t remember the context (book, newspaper, love letter), but I had to tell her the word was anger.
Peeping, I don’t believe I received that card.
I can’t wait to someday use “Ritual Piffle” as a blog title.
I handed it to you and you've already posted it on the blog. Silly Michael.
Posted by: peepingat July 19, 2005 02:20 PMThat'd be the card at mainecourse.com/mt/archives/image/nocamp.html would it?
Posted by: readerat July 19, 2005 04:11 PMThat would be the one my camping friend.
Posted by: peepingat July 19, 2005 09:32 PMBut that's not black humor.
BTW, my sister just took a workshop at a Quaker gathering on anger for women only. Do you want me to check in with her about women and anger? One thing she noted was that the women in the workshop who seemed the angriest to her also seemed least in touch with their anger. I guess my point is that women vary a tremendous amount in their anger and how in touch they are.
Posted by: jenniferat July 19, 2005 10:38 PMPoint well taken, but for the sake of stirring the pot, I'm all for gross generalizatons.
Posted by: michaelat July 20, 2005 06:33 AM