Have You Heard the Latest?

In response to yesterday’s blog entry, a reader who should perhaps remain anonymous forwarded the following list of anti-male jokes he had just received from a female relative.

And on it goes.

"Men are like Laxatives...They irritate the crap out of you.
Men are like Bananas ...The older they get, the less firm they are.
Men are like Weather ... Nothing can be done to change them.
Men are like Blenders ... You need one, but you're not quite sure why.
Men are like Chocolate Bars... Sweet, smooth, and they usually head right for your hips.
Men are like Commercials... You can't believe all they say.
Men are like Department Stores... Their clothes are always 1/2 off.
Men are like Government Bonds... They take soooooooo long to mature.
Men are like Mascara ... They usually run at the first sign of emotion.
Men are like Popcorn ... They satisfy you, but only for a little while.
Men are like Parking Spots... All the good ones are taken, the rest are handicapped.
Men are like Lava Lamps... Fun to look at, but not very bright.
Now send this to all the remarkable women you know, as well as to any understanding good-natured, fun kinda guys you might be lucky enough to know !!"

I’m sure all the “fun kinda guys” really appreciate being included in the joke. I’m sure they all enjoy being told they are not very bright, are immature, cannot satisfy a woman, and are irritating liars.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said that no group can really be oppressed without their consent. And it’s true. The minute the first black person refused to give up her seat on the bus, something happened.

But it takes a huge amount of courage to be that first person. Rosa Parks was backed up by an existing organization which could, for example, pay for her legal costs.

Men should organize similar groups.

But in the meantime, maybe it’s time all of us “fun kinda guys” replied to such emails by quoting back to the sender the following sections of the Canadian Human Rights Act:

"13 (1) It is a discriminatory practice for a person or a group of persons acting in concert to communicate telephonically or to cause to be so communicated, repeatedly, in whole or in part by means of the facilities of a telecommunication undertaking within the legislative authority of Parliament, any matter that is likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt by reason of the fact that that person or those persons are identifiable on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.

13 (2) For greater certainty, subsection (1) applies in respect of a matter that is communicated by means of a computer or a group of interconnected or related computers, including the Internet, or any similar means of communication, but does not apply in respect of a matter that is communicated in whole or in part by means of the facilities of a broadcasting undertaking."

Not that the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, as presently constituted, would do a blessed thing. But it might make the point.

You can even send this reply anonymously, if you fear repercussions: just set your email program to an unknown return address you have created in hotmail or some similar service; or cut and paste and reply directly from the anonymous address.