Comments on: Exploring a Misconception about Feminism: Women’s Superiority

By: Ziff

Ziff — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:04:07 +0000

Jessawhy, I’m glad you appreciated my silliness, although letters aren’t really my strength unless they’re used to represent numbers.

That’s funny that your son is so eager to go on an airplane, because my boys are totally like that too (although I haven’t heard them praying about it yet ). My older son actually did get to fly to Utah with us a couple of times at Christmas before his younger brother was born, but since they now would both require their own seat, it’s just too expensive so we just drive.

Let me add my congratulations on getting your husband through school. That’s a great thing. I’m finally almost finished with school myself, and I appreciate how patient my wife has been with me through the very long process.

By: Jessawhy

Jessawhy — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 04:24:14 +0000

LOL, Ziff! I can’t believe how good you are with letters and numbers. I like “HEY WAS JS . . .?” the best. Nice one.
Mark IV, thanks for the congrats. Yes, he did find a job, and it is only slightly more money than before (slightly more than none is some, though, right?) Luckily, he’s working for the state, so what he lacks in salary he makes up in great hours, benefits, and vacation (4 weeks, anyone? And honestly, having him home for dinner and bedtime is worth a lot more than an extra zero at the end of his salary.
As far as your being a lamb in puppy’s clothing, that’s pretty cute, and, well, feminine
I think you’re just trying to demonstrate the truth of Socrates famous remark, “An unexamined feminist ideology is not worth living.” (That’s an accurate quote, right?)
Eve, I’m sure Ziff is right about you. If you don’t make it out here, we’ll see if we can come out for my BiL’s law school graduation in May. That trip would answer the year long prayers of my 5 year old (who prays every night “bless me to go on an airplane”) I mean, if we don’t fly somewhere soon, he’ll start wondering if God really answers prayers!
But Santa’s coming through for him, never fear.

By: Ziff

Ziff — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:41:40 +0000

“Skunk” would be great! You already have most of the letters if you just rearrange your current name.

But even better, you can rearrange KISKILILI to make IKII SKILL (what you say about your window sill when you haven’t cleaned it in a while) or I KILL SIKI. In fact, I propose that everyone being posting with anagrams of their current names. People like Eve and I, who have short names, wouldn’t have much to work with, but MARK IV could become RIK VAM, or MR KIVA (a founder of kiva.org, one supposes).

Furthermore, JESSAWHY can become SAY JEWSH (a difficult command–I can’t ever say “jewsh” properly) or HEWS JAYS (a bird killer?) or HEY WAS JS (the opening to an offhand anti-Mormon comment: “Hey, was JS really a pedophile?”).

SERAPHINE could be APES RHINE (when you start letting the apes paddle boats, they take over the whole river) or HE RAN PIES or HIS PEN ERA or HERE A SPIN or SHEER PAIN (my favorite–don’t disagree with Seraphine, or that’s what you’re in for ).

By: Kiskilili

Kiskilili — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:59:28 +0000

Oh, but Mark, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for skunks. When I was little I was terrified monsters and demons would come out of the closet at night, and I was told my stuffed skunk would scare them away, so I always slept with one arm clutching Skunkie.

Some picnics need skulking skunks. Come to think of it, if I decided to change my own alias, “Skunk” wouldn’t be half bad . . .

By: Eve

Eve — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:21:43 +0000

I’m just glad that people around here are nice enough to not treat me like the skunk at the picnic.

Mark, a skunk? Never. I think you may be my favorite challenger of feminist orthodoxy in the entire world.

By: Eve

Eve — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:15:08 +0000

Ziff, you’re far too nice about me, although I must say that the vision of myself before hundreds of people answering impossible questions about the church sounds like the kinds of nightmare I would have before giving a conference paper.

And absolutely, Jessawhy, I’d love to meet you for lunch (and meet your boys, while I’m at it!). I definitely do need to get down to see Ziff one of these days–I really wish he didn’t live quite so far away. Our plans to gather the Zelophehad family in a single location are really not working out, sadly

But very happy holidays to you as well! (Are you going to be moving soon now that you’re husband’s done, or are you planning to stay in the area?)

By: Mark IV

Mark IV — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:58:14 +0000

Jessawhy,

I add my congfratulations to you and your husband on the completion of his degree. Now comes the really fun part: finding a job. If your experience is anything like ours was, the job brings a lot more stress and only a little more money, but I wish you success.

Wolf in sheep’s clothing? Moi? LOL, more like a lamb in puppy’s clothing. I don’t know what I believe, but the way our religion understands gender is fascinating, and raises more questions than it answers. I’m just glad that people around here are nice enough to not treat me like the skunk at the picnic.

By: Ziff

Ziff — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:34:02 +0000

Oh come on, Eve! Jessawhy, let me assure you that Eve isn’t a fair evaluator of how she comes across in person. At the very least, her wit translates well from the written to the spoken word. Also, she has a deep-seated desire to host a bloggersnacker for the entire bloggernacle (how many people could that be–hundreds? a few thousand at most?) where she will field questions about feminist concerns about the Church and resolve each one.

Okay, I guess one of those statements is probably false.

By: Jessawhy

Jessawhy — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:32:39 +0000

Thanks, Eve!
Indeed, I am glad to be done being wife of grad-student, although someday I’d like to be the grad-student myself, but we can only handle one set of loans at a time, I’m afraid.
Well, I’m sure you are a magical person in real life, who says magical people can’t be frumpy? I’m often frumpy and occasionally magical.
Still, it was funny that I had a dream about someone I’d never met, but someday we’ll have to change that. Maybe next time you visit your brother, Ziff, (or was that “Token Male”?) we could meet for lunch.
In the meantime, Happy Holidays!

By: Eve

Eve — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:40:01 +0000

Hey, Jessawhy, congratulations on your husband’s graduation! Does this mean you get to leave the grad-student life? (I was a grad-student spouse for 7 long years and I was ecstatic when my husband finally graduated.

In fact, I had a dream that I met Eve in real life, and that all my concerns with feminism and the church disappeared, instantly! (Eve, has anyone ever had that response from meeting you?)

Wow! I’m afraid I’ve never had that magical effect on anyone–including on myself! (In fact, if you ever meet such a magical person, could you send her my way, because I could definitely use some help with my feminist concerns!) In fact, I sometimes worry that I have the opposite effect on people and introduce them to feminist problems to which I myself have no solutions….but in real life I am EXTREMELY prosaic, very ordinary-looking, downright nerdy-frumpy, and both shy and prone to put my foot in my mouth.