Humphrey Talk More Now!

Right: first off, my opinions on sexism and the differences between the genders.

The way I look at it is this: there are some basic differences between the two sexes, in terms of the way our bodies are made and how they work, chemical/hormonal makeup, physical attributes, and such, but those are basically irrelevant in modern society.  Sure, men are often physically stronger because they have an easier time building muscle mass and their muscles are more efficient -- but so what?  Machines are far stronger than both males and females of the human species, as are most animals of a comparable size.  Chimps can lift hundreds of pounds; over a thousand if they are excited or angry.  I'm not going to start worshipping chimps because of that, so why should I care that some guys can bench press more than me?  Or that some women can't? 

Unfortunately, the same holds for women's bodily functions.  Sure, sure, monthly menstruation is a hassle like men can't conceive of, but there is an upside: you get to bear children.  There is a magic there, a power that men do not have and can never know.  Labor hurts, sure, but you get to make a person.  You are the Creator of life.  And forever afterwards, your kids will wave to YOU whenever they are on camera; nobody ever waves and says, "Hi Dad!"  So that is, in my opinion, a wash. 

The real juice here is in GENDER differences, not sexual differences.  Gender is the socially created and defined aspects of being a "man" or a "woman;" it connects to physical differences, but it isn't the same thing.  Gender is where the discussion has a point and a purpose, because it is something we make not something we are -- I do agree with Elisa and all the rest who pointed out that being proud of the qualities over which you have no control is silly, but gender, unlike sex, is something we control.  Just ask a drag queen.  Just ask someone who is transgendered.  So whether it is conscious or not, you really do choose whether you are a man or a woman, regardless of plumbing, and that makes the conversation worthwhile.

That being said, I think women have it harder in our society because men are in control and women let them be in control.  I think men have some difficult responsibilities and expectations, but the freedom we get more than makes up for it.  Women are mistreated, and it's absurd, and it should be changed.  In terms of dependence, which again is gender related, not sex-related, I think women are more dependent on men because women are more social and men are more physical, and the physical needs are more easily met independently than are the social needs.  Though on the same subject, there is very little that is sadder than a man who meets all of his own physical needs and considers that enough, without meeting his social needs.  That would be my brother.

Anyway.  As for the mysteries of life, hell no we don't see them, and yes they are everywhere.  Guy Montag makes the point when he talks about the books, and the lives that are spent creating them, and the thought that goes into them -- and how he never had that thought before.  And Dr. Manhattan makes the point as well, when he tells Laurie that she is the impossible miracle he's been looking for, simply by the fact of her existence as her, rather than any other person she could be.  Think about that: think about everything that had to happen just so, so that you could be -- you.  Now think about everything that had to happen so that all the people around you could be themselves.  And everyone in history could be who they were, so they could build the world we live in.  It isn't just butterflies and thunderstorms that are miraculous -- it's the computer I'm typing on, and the shoes on my feet, and the bracelet on my wrist, and the plastic coffee straw sitting on the desk in front of my keyboard.  Everything -- EVERYTHING -- is miraculous and wondrous and worth really considering and examining and honoring.

I try to stop and look as often as I can, but I am as easily distracted as the rest of you.  I wish I could spend months just watching life unfold around me, but alas, I have responsibilities and expectations.  Someday I will not have those things, and I will sit and watch -- everything.


And if you didn't catch it, the interesting thing about that video is that the violinist is one of the greatest musicians playing today, and everybody just walked on by and never noticed, or cared.  It's very, very sad.