Short-sighted.

[xviragox.livejournal.com]

A good friend of mine, who is male by no fault of his own, was apparently perusing my friends page and asked me if anyone who posts to the Hut isn't pissed off. The discussion that followed led him to the amazing revelation that if it didn't piss women off, it wouldn't be PMS.

Anyway, he made some comment to the extent of "I guess PMS is what gives us the musical genius of Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos" or some such like that. Made me think....why is it that men can write emotional songs and it's about life, but when women express strong emotion, it must be related to PMS? As if women were not subject to the human experience outside of their apparently uterine-centric universe?

Comments

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

I dont see a high pissed off to non pissed off ratio in here.

Sure people may discuss problems, but not because they are pissed (i mean, c'mon, 'which pill works best' sort of discussions isnt being PISSED OFF, is it), but because they are looking for solutions.

I am not a fat at ALL on blaming hormones for attitude/behavior. I am a human being and can control myself to an extent. I'm not a 2 year old having a tantrum. Things suck both on and off the rag, and using it as an excuse for dealing with it poorly is just. . .not my cup of tea.

[xviragox.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Apparently, this is a difficult idea for many men to process.

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

I think it's a question of how much info is available, and the mythology that surrounds the facts. A man did start the hut here, after all. ;)

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Wow -- I wish there was some way I knew that -- to know who the founder/moderator is.

I mean I guess it was stupid for me to think this was a safe women's only place -- but to think the moderator was male?

Why that makes me uncomfortable, I don't know, but uncomfortable enough I would love to find all my entries and delete them before I leave.

Maybe thats immature or something, but there was a feeling of safety here, of comraderie with other women, and again, I was stupid and naive to think that would be the case. You'd think after all these years online, I would know.

[kanga2roos.livejournal.com]

Wow -- I wish there was some way I knew that -- to know who the founder/moderator is.

That would be scottobear, the person you're responding to ;)

There are also a couple of male members of this community, if I recall... can't remember names, unfortunately..

-kanga

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

I figured as much, that it was him.

Im sure others dont mind, dont care, but I did. Its just my mindset, how I view this subject and myself. I can't stay, and dont want to criticize the founder at all because it is a great place, I just wish I knew.

[jenx.livejournal.com]

My husband made an observation once, when I was apologizing to him for a PMS-related irritation. . . that when I was having PMS, the same things irritated me as usual - but the "veil" was thinner, I was more likely to say something about my irritations than usual. My concerns were the same, and just because I was PMSing didn't make my concerns any less valid.

[ex-bandwidth835.livejournal.com]

Men seem to have this wacky idea that any female emotions are automatically a result of PMS.

Don't worry, we're not all that stupid :P Just most of us *sigh*

[tyrsalvia.livejournal.com]

It makes me really angry when people do this. I never get emotional because of PMS, and I honestly thought it was all total bullshit until reading people's stories in the hut. It makes me really angry that my emotions are assumed to have some kind of 'feminine' origin, largely because I have huge huge huge issues with 'femininity' and people who are over-emotional to begin with.

[gigglinggorgon.livejournal.com]

I just have less tolerance for stupidity when I am pms ing... and my back gets really itchy, lol!

my husband tried once to blame my moods on my menses... I informed him that it was his being a dickwad that irritated me, and as far as I knew, that had NOTHING to do with my menses. He has never gone there again ;)

[melonaise.livejournal.com]

The way I see it... raging hormones help me overcome my instinctive tendency to let everything "roll off my back." I become more forthcoming about what pleases me and what doesn't. There's nothing wrong with the way I act on PMS; there might be something wrong with my submissiveness when I'm off PMS.

[vangie.livejournal.com]

exactly. i'm a lot more likely to stand up for myself when i'm PMSing. i think part of it is simply cuz if i have cramps, there's nothing else i can think about, so i don't have the brainpower to be scared of what will happen when i rightously tell some idiot to fuck off.