Life, explained...

[j4]

In case people haven't already seen this:

http://www.aldaily.com/life_explained.jpg

(I want this on a t-shirt, captioned "SWITCH HITTER".)

Comments

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

I find this kind of thing a bit offensive, actually. Damn, looks like I am a humourless feminist bitch after all.

[j4.livejournal.com]

Don't you think my proposed caption changes the meaning/implication at all?

[mobbsy.livejournal.com]

Er... which way? It seems to me that it's fairly offensive to both men and women.

(I actually find it more offensive towards men than women; I'd rather see the complexity of a human mind acknowledged.)

[mobbsy.livejournal.com]

(er... I should also say that I was amused by it as well, and Janet's caption improved it)

[j4.livejournal.com]

Er... which way? It seems to me that it's fairly offensive to both men and women.

What, the caption? Or the picture?

I think the picture could be read as offensive to either/both. Which is probably at least part of the reason why I don't really find it offensive to either.

[mobbsy.livejournal.com]

The picture. My first reaction was amused, and I only really saw the offense after analysing it a bit. Lesson from that is don't analyse, just enjoy :-)

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Both! I am also a masculinist.

*whispers* to be honest, I didn't understand Janet's caption.

[j4.livejournal.com]

A "switch hitter", in baseball terminology, is a player who is able to bat left- or right- handed. This fabulously monospaced glossary of sexual terms (http://eserver.org/gender/sex-glossary.txt) defines the term (and a myriad other fantastic names for indie bands such as "AGATE", "FIFTH WHEEL", and "SEA FOOD" ... no, wait ...) if the above doesn't make it obvious what it has come to mean.

(I also note with some amusement that it appears in scrabble terminology (http://www.scrabble.org.au/resources/glossary.htm#S), too, which makes me wonder whether they've borrowed the term directly from the baseball, or whether in fact It's All True what they say about people who play Scrabble.)