Hullo again, everyone
Penis jokes. We all know one. Your doctor, he knows one. The schoolteacher you were afraid of in elementary school, she knew one. Your mother-in-law knows one. You in the back there, shaking your head. Stop it Cleopatra, Queen of denial, you know a cracker-jack of a penis joke or, as it is sometimes lovingly referred to, a 'knob gag.' This kind of joke is our collective secret shame.
My favourite one is included in the title. It is one of my go-to, fail-safe jokes. It is not a joke to be told at a family gathering or to a maiden aunt. It is not a joke to tell other people's children or even a joke to be told when at a formal occasion. No, it is filthy crude and best told in a dingy bar in the early hours of a Saturday morning long after that fifth alcoholic beverage has disappeared. Just like every good joke about the penis should be.
This genre of joke belongs to the 14 year old, the embarrassing uncle, or after many drinks have been consumed. The kind of people who are our last bastion against the seemingly eternal wave of political correctness, headed by feminists and middle-class, middle-aged white people. The ones with privilege. I mean, why let people who are being discriminated against defend themselves when the moral arbiters of society can step in instead, usually without being asked.
But Erectile dysfunction is no laughing matter if you have it. Like racist jokes and gallows humour, these penis jokes mask something more sinister. Gallows humour actually has a use- in the darkest of times, it can shed a brief gleam of light on a terrible misfortune. Jokes that are racist or about genitalia have little use. They are utterly inappropriate- why else would we secretly enjoy a really good one?
Going back to why 'ED' is such an issue, I'd read two articles on erectile dysfunction this week, of which the link to the first one is here.
Now the first important issue it talks about is whether or not the drug is safe. It has been thoroughly tested and has no risky side-effects. But the main issue it talks about is fascinating.
It talks about the psychology- does it make you 'less of a man'? Over 50 per cent of American men suffer ED according to their studies. So we need to, as a society, normalise it. And it's easy to do that. This is simply a lifestyle drug. They even hired a baseball star, Rafael Palmeiro, to be a spokesperson. That is a great first step.
It is seen as a joke to take Viagra seriously, but it is just as valid a medicine as the next cure. It gives people a great chance to live a happy, healthy lifestyle. In fact Viagra also helps with mental well-being. Men who have ED are often depressed and feel like societal outcasts. So if you find out someone you know is taking Viagra, don't laugh; support them.
The other article is all about women with their version of the health issue, called FSD, [Female sexual dysfunction].To call ED a problem is a little clumsy.
With FSD, there is a small issue with disease-mongering. It probably exists but it has been blown up and out of proportion by the greed of pharmaceutical companies. And that makes it harder for the women who do have it. The smoke caused by the companies blinds everyone.
There is an element of sexism which is why this such a recent development. Because education focused on men so much, doctors were rarely women and so female problems were overlooked. Ladies were still dying in childbirth at a reasonable rate until the 1950's, if not even further in the Western World. In the developing nations, it is still happening.
There is not such a big sexism element anymore, though I may just be happily oblivious to it. I mean, I'm a pretty oblivious person in general when it comes to things like this so I may have missed it. But I feel safe in thinking the gender inequality issue is mainly historical.
Well, that's another post from me.
Thanks for sticking with it, Galileo
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