Genius
Albert Einstein, to this day considered by most people in the world to be the most brilliant human who ever walked the planet, was a devoted pacifist and abhorred the idea of conflict. At the outset of WWl in 1914 he co-authored a petition entitled “Appeal To The Cultured World” which, among other things called for the formation of an international body to resolve disputes among nations (predating the League of Nations and the UN). Interestingly, he also felt that war was a distinctively male trait. In a letter to a friend he wrote “What drives people to kill and maim each other so savagely? I think it is the sexual character of the male that leads to such wild explosions.”
I wonder why Hillary hasn’t caught on to this yet? Imagine the campaign slogan: Trust Albert, vote Hillary! Anyhow, he was probably on to something and as much as I hate to admit it, most of the world’s problems could be easily solved if the solutions were left to women. I am not a feminist; I never did like Phil Donahue. But I believe that women have a way of looking at contentious issues that men just cannot.
There are a lot of powerful women out there and many of them have moved into positions of influence in media industries. In advertising, design, film, TV and theater there are amazing women at every turn. There are many powerful women in politics too but it seems when they get into positions of power they start to resemble the men and lose their feminine sense of reason.
We need some of the women in advertising to start running for office. It will have two positive effects. First, it will eliminate some of the gas bags we have in office now. Second, it will create more available jobs for men in advertising.
Barry Shapiro's Weblog 
May 18, 2008 at 8:36 pm
*sigh* As a guy, I would wholeheartedly admit that this world would be a much kinder place if women were in charge of everything.
May 25, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Amazingly it was a woman who ate from a forbidden fruit that started us down the road to the mess we are in now and a man who was unable to resist what was offered, and blamed both the woman and the creator instead of admitting his own fault. There is a lot in those very few verses in Genesis 3.
I don’t think it will make any difference who is ruling, in the end we will be in the same mess we are in. I am grateful that for most of time women have been able to claim a higher ground, being removed and in some ways protected from “man”kind’s idiocy. But, in the modern world where everyone wants equality I guess it is time to prove that like man, women can be as brutal and as beastly. Pray that we get leaders better than what we deserve.
And Einstein was wrong on this one, “sex” has nothing to do with this and our bent nature has everything to do with this. Proving that even the most brilliant minds are still not perfect. Good thing Einstein did not live under Queen Elizabeth….she had a fondness for removing the heads of very smart men.
May 26, 2008 at 3:12 am
Dear Cda,
Though I appreciate the biblical reference, I cannot go down that road. What we do seem to agree on is the fact that no matter who the next president of our great nation will be, he or she is not going to get us out of this mess any time soon. And though I am not a praying man, asking for leaders “better than we deserve” is certainly a worthy ask.
The reference to Elizabeth only makes my point that women who attain political power seem to often turn into men. What we need is a woman who can be like the “first mom.”
May 26, 2008 at 12:09 pm
My son Christophe went to a private catholic grammar school. Every year at the school fair it always shocked me to see herds of little boys winning guns, pistols, bazookas, you name it and running after the few nearly extinct nuns still around! It’s not that I’m a true blue catholic prude, but I kept thinking why don’t they get other prizes instead. I talked to one dad on the school fair commitee, a fervent sunday church goer, who told me that those were the only prizes they could afford; and any way if little boys don’t play war with guns, they’ll play with sticks, or fingers, or whatever they’ve got onhand! Like Einstein he told me just like throwing a ball, it was a male sexual thing and couldn’t be avoided!!! What an incredible thing to say! It may explain why I never became neither a nun, nor a good christian!
Being part of the old hippy make love not war generation, I was led to believe the two were two very different and opposite things!
Now that men are becoming pregnant and and women who want to rule are turning into men, what on earth is this upside down world coming to? No wonder we’re all confused and in great big mess!!!!
May 26, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I think that your churchgoer was right. Males love to play with their sticks and balls, and use their fingers, from the time they are aware of sticks and balls up to the time when they no longer know what a stick or ball is anymore.
The idea of a bazooka as a prize at the Catholic school fair is truly mind boggling. It conjures images of a seedy old preist taking some wide-eyed little boy in short pants by the arm and asking him to come back to his office so he can demonstrate how his bazooka works in person.
So, I haven’t bought a toy bazooka in a while, but are they that much cheaper then, say, a pet rock or a Chia Pet?
Seems this man/woman issue has struck a cord. I’ll look forward to more interesting comments.