Was Women's Lib Good For Women's Heads?
The Skinny is Keach Hagey's take on the top news of the day and the best of the Internet.
A new study released this week showed that, for the first time since the 1970s, women reported being a little less happy than men. Just what has caused the change got the comments flying beneath Wednesday's column. Not surprisingly, men and women view the matter a bit differently.
The experts mulling the news thought it had most to do with the fact that, while women now work more hours at work, they still have to do lots of unpleasant household chores.
Commenter slim1h2o said most succinctly what many others thought: "I'm going to take heat on this, but . . . Stay home, have kids, take care of them. The system won't work any other way. Admit it libbers, you ladies messed up."
Commenter tuckerndfw thought the same thing, only more sarcastically: "Hey women, I have a deal for you! Instead of staying at home, taking care of the kids and putting up with one ***, you can enter the workforce, take care of the kids and put up with lots of ***."
Commenters of the female persuasion were no more surprised by the data than the men, though they drew different conclusions. "Men should be happier," wrote Mari1963. "They don't do anything! They don't raise their children - women do that. More men leave their wives than the other way around. And who gets left to raise the children when they do? The wife. . . Laugh it up, boys, but stick to what you do best - nothing. Women will take care of the rest."
Drugs And Diapers? What's Next?
You'd think that, if they weren't surprised by the new happiness gap, readers might at least have been surprised by this story: When Los Angeles police raided a day-care facility this week, they found 14 kilos of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, a stash of firearms and $300,000 nestled in the children's toys.
But Thursday's column just seemed to draw exhaustion at the new lows our culture finds ways to sink to. "Nope, nana, nothings suprises me anymore," wrote slim1h2o.
Imagining A Phone Service That Listens, And Markets
The witty commenter award this week goes to brianbwb, who wrote the following in response to Monday's column on a new Internet phone service that will listen in on user's conversations and pitch them related ads on their computer screens:
"I can see it now...
Me: You know, Bush is a complete moron and a Nazi
(Mercedes ad)
Other: Yeah, everybody knows, but no one has the balls to do anything about it
(Nerf ball ad)
Me: And the economy will soon collapse into bankruptcy because of this idiot.
(Master card ad)
Other: Don''t forget Cheney, he is the master, Bush is just his lap dog
(Alpo ad)
Me: And now they talk about permanent hostilities in Iraq, we need a way to tell them all to take their stupid rhetoric and shove it.
(tampon ad)"
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