via www.nypost.com
Ruth Zafrin got tired of being the butt of her daughter-in-law's jokes which were a staple of her comedy routine. Some mothers-in-law would opt for the passive aggressive approach but not Mrs. Zafrin, she decided to sue her daughter-in-law, Sunda Croonquist, for defamation of character. Unfortunately for Mrs. Zafrin, the judge in the case decided in Croonquist's favor.
While her jokes about her mother-in-law are not legally punishable, that doesn't make them appropriate. The fact is that Ms. Croonquist has chosen to step up on stage, her mother-in-law didn't. Therefore it seems inappropriate to drag a family member's life into your show when they are not supportive. In terms of this blog, it was my choice to write it, not my parents' or my friends' and definitely not my office's. Because of this, I do not write about them or things that happen involving them because that isn't a liberty that I have. It sounds like Croonquist feels too self-righteous on this issue to take a step back and try to think how she would feel if the shoe was on the other foot. If she did this, she might see that kindness dictates she leave her poor mother-in-law out of her act!
Trousers Nix Travel Plans
Yesterday, I wrote a post commenting on France's restrictions on swimwear, today I was glancing through Yahoo's Odd News page looking for something amusing when I came across something that was not amusing at all. Lubna Hussein was at a party with some other women back in July when she and 12 others were arrested for being indecently dressed. Hussein lives in Sudan where a woman's indecency is a criminal issue. The problem for Sudanese women (apart from living under an oppressive religious regime) is that there is no clearly defined definition of indecency. This means that police officers can use their own discretion in arresting women on these grounds. Hussein currently faces 40 lashes for wearing trousers on that night. While she is in the midst of trying to fight this case, Hussein as a journalist was invited abroad. She got to the airport only to find that the government had put her name on a blacklist that prohibited her from being allowed to travel. Hussein is now stuck in Sudan. Who knows if her name will be removed from the list once this case is settled in court.
Stories like this make me very thankful that I live in a world where women have choices and am not subject to the objectifying notions of sexist men. I for one am hopeful that Lubna gets the support she needs to beat this wrap. Going back to France's fight against Islam that I began discussing yesterday, I think the problem with having the swimwear restrictions that they do and making an issue about girls wearing head scarves to school, is that it actually makes France seem just as fervent and unaccepting as the countries whose influence they are trying to keep out. Sudan forbids trousers, France forbids burkinis while French citizens have much more freedom than Sudanese, on this issue at least, they seem similar. Given the disdain with which France seems to regard nations that are ruled by religion, you would think they would want to prove that they are nothing like them.
Come on France, whatever happened to 'Liberté, Equalité, Fraternité'...rise above these petty issues!
Posted at 10:00 AM in Cultural Commentary, Current Affairs, Hot Topic | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)