Monday, March 9, 2009

A Message From The Vatican On International Women's Day

“In the 20th century, what contributed most to the emancipation of Western women?” questioned an article in the Vatican Daily, Osservatore Romano...Hmmm...Let me see...Well, I think the pill and the choice of working outside the home are two of the most important contributors...But wait, the Vatcian doesn't think so...It had a novel message for the women of the world: give thanks for the washing machine...This humble domestic appliance has apparently done more for the women’s liberation movement than anything else...And guess what the headline of the above mentioned article was? The washing machine and the emancipation of women: put in the powder, close the lid and relax...I would have laughed if it weren't so offensive...

I have this question for you: do you feel liberated now that you don't have to handwash your husband's soiled clothes?
My answer: No, because I still have to load the machine, hang out the clothes and iron, fold and put them away...What would really liberate me is a machine that would do all the above for me in one go...Really, the Bishops at the Vatican are totally clueless...

Edited to add: I'm on a roll now so here is another nugget from Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's daily newspaper...

"after so many years it sounds merely like the boasting of an English working-class lad struggling to cope with unexpected success". 
And what was this in response to?John Lennon's infamous claim (March 1966) 
"Christianity will go...It will vanish and shrink.We're more popular than Jesus now - I don't know which will go first, rock and roll or Christianity. Jesus was alright, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me." I think he was spot on - Jesus was alright, his disciples are not...