Friday, June 2, 2023

Gender (excerpt from Losing My Religions) (2/2)

Over The Rhine - Within Without

God fails to smite me. (p. 258)


Gender led to an awkward situation that Christmas [1993]. While we were trimming the tree in Tiffin, my dad said, “Let’s hope [the baby is] a boy to carry on the Ball name.” (This was really a big thing with him, one that would ultimately disappoint him, with EK being his only grandchild.) Anne, whom I had failed to brief on this topic, replied, “Oh, we’ve decided the baby will have my name.” I mean, c’mon, this is obvious – Green is vastly superior to Ball. Why would anyone saddle a kid with “Ball” when “Green” is right there?! 

The surname was continually a big deal. In yet another example of how men are considered owners, women would ask, “How will people know who the father is?” That one caught me by surprise. Women’s willingness to allow themselves to be “given away” from father to husband, with the surname changing to reflect the change in ownership, is utterly repulsive. Everyone who thinks that women have it easy should imagine being so indoctrinated that you go along with it.

p. 258


PS: I'm going to start posting on fewer days, so subscribers will receive fewer emails (but the same number of posts; i.e., multiple per email). 

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