Betsy Devine: Funny ha-ha and/or funny peculiar

Remember a billion years ago–maybe last month–when critics of Bush kept protesting, over and over, we didn’t hate US soldiers or love Saddam? It’s funny how dodging those negative cliches gives more power–not less–to people who want to hurt people just like us.

Am I getting in touch with my own inner “Dainty Lady“? Ewww, I hope not. I don’t want to be suddenly scared of mice. I’m a billion times more scared of being perceived like that than I would be if 25 mice climbed up over my sneakers.

But you know what? I don’t have a magical business card that proclaims “Don’t judge Betsy Devine by whatever ugly cliches you believe about women in general.” I suppose I could print up some business cards like that, but…

(And you too–yes, you men as well as you women–if I had a magical business card franchise going, what would you buy? “I’m NOT too old!” No? Then maybe “I’m NOT too young”–“too big”– “too male”–“too lonely.” Guys, if I had those magical business cards, I’d give you all plenty, for free.)

The “Dainty Lady” made me laugh with her pretense of superiority. But there isn’t a woman on the planet who couldn’t be caricatured as a “Dainty Lady” by some man or woman she dared to criticize. (A man criticizing the same person would be some other cliche, but not a Dainty Lady.)

So my point–and I do have one–is this: When people like you are accused of being just too darn “bleeargingledly”, figure out which side you’re really on.

Your instinctive response might be, “But I’m not bleeargingledly at all–they might be bleeargingledly, but not me!”

A far better response is “What are you trying to prove by calling a lot of my friends bleeargingledly?”