I've been reading a lot about an article, featured in "O" Magazine, written by a New York Times writer, Ellen Tien titled, "Divorce Dreams". Unfortunately, the article is nowhere to be found online. However, I did find an excerpt. This woman writes an article about her bumbling, doof of a husband, and how much she secretly detests him. She says she "thinks about divorce every day". It's tough for me to form an opinion on this because I haven't read the full article. Many people think it's wrong of her to air her dirty laundry on a such a public forum. I'm curious to know if she had told her husband that she was going to be writing an article about her seemingly loveless marriage. Maybe she told him, and he didn't listen. Maybe she played up the disdain to gain publicity, or maybe she really despises the guy and could care less what he thinks anymore.
On a side note, I had no idea what the word "chyron" meant. Apparently, it's the the scrolling news ticker found at the bottom of the TV screen. Who knew!
This is an excerpt from "Divorce Dreams":
“Will and I remain if not happily married, then steadily so. Our marital state is Indiana, say, or Connecticut - some red areas, more blue. Less than bliss, better than disaster. We are arguably, to my wide-ish range of reference, Everycouple…Still, beneath the thumpingly ordinary nature of our marriage - Everymarriage - runs the silent chyron of divorce. It’s the scarlet concept, the closely held contemplation of nearly every woman I know who has children who have been out of diapers for at least two years and a husband who won’t be in them for another 30. It’s the secret reverie of a demographic that freely discussed postpartum depression, eating disorders, and Ambien dependence (often all in the same sentence) with the plain candor of golden brown toast. In a let-it-all-hang-out culture, this is the given that stays tucked in…To be sure, there will be throngs of angry women who will decry me for plunging a stake into the heart of holy matrimony. “My husband is my lifeline,” I’ve heard said (and that’s bad news for the aorta). “My husband and I never fight” is another martial chestnut - again, bad news (not to mention a big fat lie), since according to the experts, the strongest relationships are the ones in which people can continually agree to disagree. “My husband is my best friend,” others will aver. No. Your husband is not your best friend. Your best friend is your best friend. If your husband is your best friend, what would that make your best friend - the dog? When a woman tells me that her husband is her best friend, what I hear is: I don’t really have any friends…This is not to say that dismantling one’s marriage will automatically bring happiness; it’s the idealization of marriage that needs to be shredded, along with itss accompanying bumper sticker WIVES MAKE BETTER WOMEN. If we stay, we stay because we decide to, not because our ankles and wrists have been locked into societal expectations. If, after various efforts, we finally leave, we have the confidence to be the leavers and not the left. Having choices is the cornerstone…” (Via Susan's Day)
What do you think? Do you think it was wrong of her to write such a scathing article, or do you applaud her for her honesty?
2 comments:
You failed to mention that your "ridicuously good-looking feline friend" is ridculousoly good-looking inspite of having only half an ear...
We don't talk about his half an ear. It makes him feel self-conscious! The half an ear gives him character. It's like a battle scar, reminding him of the days he was in the wild with no cat toys in sight.
;-)
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