Doris Ulmann, Woman on Porch (ca 1930)

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May 25, 2005:

Around the dinner table one evening the grownups discussed domestic gender roles.

"It's not polite to leave the toilet seat up," said great-uncle Gene.

"Why not?", responded the only non-grownup. He himself would never have left a toilet seat up. But to him the discussion seemed curious.

"Because," answered great-uncle Gene definitively, "women, who are more delicate than men, should not have to touch the toilet seat to put it down again."

The only non-grownup thought about this for a moment. Then he asked, "Who cleans the toilet, then?"

Around the table there was a moment of silence, followed by laughter from all the grownups.

That moment of silence is the subject of this piece.

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