|
|
2003-02-10 - 9:27 p.m. Last night I watched "The Women" a very funny movie from 1939 about a bunch of bitching, back-biting, beautiful women. Basically the plot is this: A group of society women all go to the same beauty spa to get the gossip. When one woman hears about an illicit affair of her friend's husband the back-stabbing banter begins. Its got very witty repartee between these women who alternate between borderline bitchy and hell on high heels. While I enjoyed the movie and had a good laugh I couldn't help thinking, "Are we really like that?" and the shocking answer is YES. Sometimes anyway. I have to admit that I have, in my time, not only listened to but also actively engaged in dishing dirt, passing gossip... sometimes without even a thought about verifying its veracity or whom it might hurt. And I feel horrible about it. What is it about gossip that feels so good? Sometimes I think we talk about others because we want to divert attention from ourselves. Maybe we're bored, maybe scared to look too long at our own lives so we devote our attention to what's going on it others. And its fun, in a sadistic sort of misery loves company - at least my life is better than that -way. But more than just the gossip - why is it that some female friendships are worse than your worst enemy? How is it that we can love each other and defend each other on one breath and then bear the knife down in each others' back on the next. Mind you, I have no answers here for why it happens. I just know its true because I�ve been on both sides of the knife. It makes me long for the apparent simplicity and straight forward friendships of men. I never hear B stressing about his friends going out and not including him, or whether they appreciate him nor does he discuss their relationships with women, why they do the things they do, or whether they looked fat the other night. They just hang out and play video games, watch movies, eat junk, drink liquor and grunt occasionally. There�s no drama. Or is there? Come to think of it, the last time I was privy to a guy�s friendships it turned out that one was sleeping with the other�s girlfriend until he got caught. God knows that I�ve experienced that horrible moment when the love of your life (or at least the moment) steps out of the room/bar/car for a moment and his supposed �best bud� suddenly has his lips inches away from your ear whispering something along the line of, �what he don�t know won�t hurt him...� Then when your elbow connects with his gut and you call him a pig and horrible friend, he looks shocked like it never even occurred to him that hitting on his friend�s female companion was wrong. So maybe all friendships and relationships are fucked up or at least flawed because that�s what we all are. Drink of the Day: Bitch on Wheels � 
|