The washing machine 'liberated women'
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Independent Minds
As International Women’s Day is celebrated, the Vatican had a novel message for the women of the world: give thanks for the washing machine. This humble domestic appliance had done more for the women’s liberation movement than the contraceptive pill or working outside the home, said the the official Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano.
“In the 20th century, what contributed most to the emancipation of Western women?” questioned the article. “The debate is still open. Some say it was the pill, others the liberalisation of abortion, or being able to work outside the home. Others go even further: the washing machine.”
The article is entitled, “The washing machine and the emancipation of women: put in the powder, close the lid and relax”, taking its name from the Washy Talky, the Electrolux bilingual-talking washing-machine launched in India seven years ago, which would remind the absent-minded housewife how to use the appliance.
The Catholic Church was never likely to laud the pill for its transformative power on women’s lives. Since Pope Benedict became the leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics, he has published a religious document condemning contraception for “negating the intimate truth of conjugal love, with which the divine gift [of life] is communicated” and has urged pharmacists to refuse to dispense the morning-after pill. The Osservatore Romano held the pill responsible for polluting the environment and contributing to male infertility.
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Comments
A SKRUBBA (Latin:CCRUBBER/CKRUBBER) IS AN YNGLISH WASHERWOMAN
HENCE THE OLD YNGLYSH EXPRESSION
OIYy, SKRUBBA
But then, Catholic churchmen are mostly usually mysogynic witless arseholes anyhow.
Catholic "churchman" are mostly not that, thank you very much. I hope someday that you meet many good priests, for there are many.
As a male with a family of six and having always done most of the laundry in our household am I also allowed to feel liberated.
The washing machine, a good ga/slow combustion stove and the vacuum cleaner are the only domestic appliances without which I could not do.
All others are useful additions but not essential.
A BATHTUB MADE OF TIN
A SKRUBBING BOARD HADE OF WOOD
A SKRUBBER
A BAR OF SAOP
WATER
RECENTLY SPOTTED
MARIO
MARI O
MARI A
MARI OS
MARI JHUAN
MARI JHUANA
MARI JHUANyTA
MAI JEAN
P
PI
PI ZZA
PyTSSA
PAE TA
PITA
PIZZA RO
PITSSA ROM
PIZZAROQKH
ROCCO
ROSSO
ANDSO
ON
PY
PYTHAGORA
PYTHAGORAM
PYTHAGORAMA
PYTHAGORAMUS
PYTHAGORASS
YU KLYD
EU KLYYDD
YU KLEPT
YU SLEPT
YU ALy
YU ALi
YU ALI BA BA
ALI BABA M8*
The economy of the household improved when women were able to control the number of children in the family, take a good job and keep it without feeling obliged to endure "the divine gift" yet again. The opportunity to have a good matrimonial relationship was now available to a loving couple without the fear of having another child.
You fellows in your dresses scooting around in you tax-free haven with the wealth of art and money, are so removed from reality - it's impossible to see when you will be able to give any advice that makes any sense to us mortals on the outside !!!
r
JUST SPOTTED FROM GREENWYTCH
STELLA NOVA
ANA
ANAQKON
ANNAQKONDA
ANNAQKHONDARA
LATIN SKRYPT WAS INVENTED BY DGJHEWCSZ
JUST LYKE LATIN GNUMBURZ
U KAN LEAF THE TCHURTCH OF ROME,
BUT U KANGNOT GET AWAY FROM THE FAQKT THAT WOT U KALL GOD IS A DGJEWYSH WURD
IN
IN THE BEGINNING WAZ THE WURD
AND THE WURD WAZ WITH YHOD
BKOZ YHOD IS YHID HID IN GHUDy YHUD
Point two: Philosophical musings on household appliances, the 1960's creation of the "super housewife", and a comparison of ancient communal clotheswashing to modern coin laundries do not constitute some kind of religious pronoucement.
Point three: Why was this fluff piece picked for examination, ignoring discussion of the more serious pieces in this issue, including the necessity of solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, the alarming civilian casualties in Sri Lanka and Somalia, the UN irresolution on Sudan, the ancient and increasingly vital role of women in bringing faith and society together, and a reflection on ideas like "The Catholic Church... defends the possibility of equality in difference, considering this difference as a gift from God to humanity."?
VIVA LA DYFF
ARE ONE OF MANS* GREATEST KRyASCHIONSZ
B.A. Brooks
U.A.F.F. Founder
http://www.uaff.us
The Roman Catholic Church, like Islam, was founded on hatred, born in lies, and grew up in terrorist actions. It accepts no dissent nor correction and is deaf to reason, blind to facts, and like Islam, the greatest threat to mortals everywhere.
Frankly, I believe that the Vatican, given their anti-Women attitude over the centuries, is just petrified that the Women of this World are finally asserting themselves. Too bad.... we are half of this Planet's population and we expect to be recognized. Get use to it.................
Rita S
Pope Benedict XVI's global prayer intention (which he asks the rest of the Church to pray for also) for the month of March of THIS YEAR, 2009, is this: "That the role of women may be more appreciated and used to good advantage in every country in the world".
What is anti-Woman about that, you tell me???
To the question, In the 20th century, what contributed most to the emancipation of Western women?, the answer we were looking for is EDUCATION.
Yes, EDUCATION of Women remains the best path from poverty and abuse and is documented to be instrumental in the stabilization of birthrates.
The Vatican is a rogue nation.
Education must also include realistic health and sex education, where both male and female learn about reproduction and ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies. It must also include in the presentation of sexuality that homosexuality is genetic, not a choice--and one of the greatest virtues of homosexuality is that it is among nature's most perfect form of birth control.
War is neither glamourous not valid, and to teach it as a form of patriotism is to ignore the numerous civilian and military lives losts, property damaged and destroyed, and the loss of the tools of education--as with the burning of the Great Library at Alexandria, Hitler's Book Burning binges, and such.
The population explosion, the abuse of nature and greenhouse gasses must all be explored and understood along with ecology. Education must be for all people regardless of gender, age, or condition. Nothing must be accepted unless tried and proven. Religion pretends to have absolute answers and that automatically disqualifies it as any form of academic study except a review of absurdities and lies that fester to this day.
The collapse of the Catholic Church could liberate so many....
The automatic washer was certainly liberating!
(My cousin and niece were the ones pictured in that ad from (I think) Look Magazine. I guess that allows me to comment!)
-R.
Why should the male, and on second thought female as well, readership of the OR be concerned about fertility? Aren't these people supposed to be celibate?
Most "princes of the church" are very humble and down to earth men. I have met several of them. They do not live in the dark ages.
So maybe you could read what this issue of the Osservatore actually says, and explain to me why this humorous look at development of the over-commercialized 1960's "super housewife" stereotype is more worthy of discussion than the article about the large and increasingly important role of women in bringing the practice of the faith to their communities (or any of the other articles in the issue with a more serious tone.)
You might also want to tell the Italian journalist and legal historian who wrote the washing machine article that, with all these men beating her down, her law degree is useless and she might as well give up on finishing her doctorate.
The cardinals who surround him are even worse than he, and if any of them becomes pope the world will see the final erosion and dissolution of the Roman Catholic Church.
I am seriously considering removing myself from this cult of ignorant, mysoginistic ruling. To think I wanted to be a nun as a child.....
*