Must must must say something.

Anyone here read the local rag? Specifically that stupid column where they pit the super conservative woman against the super liberal woman and give them some dumb thing to debate? I’m not naming names, since I find that terribly rude, but I’m sure you can figure it out if you care to try.

Last week, one of the topics was something incredibly topical like "are romance novels ruining women's expectations of marriage".

As was expected, the conservative lady (in her little lavender sweater set) said "of course they are, they give women the wrong idea, and of course they are all about S..E...X" (Now, I'm paraphrasing here people, so don't go get all literal on me). Then she goes on to say that she thinks these kind of books ought not to be published.

Well clutch my pearls!

I think, really, just maybe, quite possibly, that the collective intelligence of women across the world has just been insulted.

Are we so lacking in grey matter that we are unable to determine a work of fiction from a work of non fiction? (I mean, whose bosoms heave? Ever met a man named Nigel Greystoke who lived in a manor home called Broadriver? Ever met a woman named Penelope Smithingale? ever danced a waltz? been abducted by an Indian? been attacked by pirates? foiled a plot against the crown? Been struck on the head and awoken in a foreign country? Been sold to a harem? Stolen from a convent? just running through some popular themes here)

Evidently, we ARE lacking in said grey matter; so much so that we are unable to think for ourselves. Since we can't think for ourselves, we shouldn't be allowed to have access to anything that might cause us enjoyment, or might be about (shhhhh) S...E....X.

Hey, I like these books. They are...mental popporn. Good for passing the time. Good for a giggle. Sometimes even good for reminiscing (remember when you thought oral sex was kinda shocking?) . They certainly never gave me irrational ideas about what relationships should be like. I recognize them for what they are – housewife porn. I don’t think men look at Maxim for serious marital advice (at least, I hope not).

What makes me uneasy is that someone else would even say the words out loud "I don't think these books should be published".

Darling, you simply must tell me where you got that that lavender burqa!!