I guess if you follow the Vatican’s no-contraception policy, you REALLY need the washing machine to keep up with the mountain of clothes the mountain of children you’ll have and to give you more free time to create more babies.
To mark International Women’s Day, L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s official newspaper, has graciously commented on women’s lib for us. Its editorial decrees that the washing machine has contributed more to the emancipation of western women than the pill, or the legalisation of abortion, or being able to work outside the home. But it would, wouldn’t it? Abortion and pills aren’t allowed over there. Washing machines are.
What a bizarre world L’Osservatore describes, with its “image of the superwoman, smiling, made-up and radiant among the appliances of her house”. It’s more than half a century ago, back in 1953, that the automatic washing machine took off and women apparently went mad in the suburbs, turning to drink and sex. Only I didn’t notice my mother and her chums being radiant and smiling. They may have got rid of their heavy mangles and twin-tubs, but it was still a fairly bleak life, stuck at home fiddling with these new machines. And it’s still a bore today; we’re still trying our best to perk up doing the housework (not so long ago, the Daily Mail discovered a new social phenomenon: “Countless British women … doing housework in the nude …”)
“Put in the powder, close the lid and relax,” reads L’Osservatore’s headline – but it isn’t that simple, Vatican, honestly it isn’t. Have you ever tried it? I thought everyone knew that the more time these new appliances saved us, the more tasks we found to fill that time.
Paddy–foreign religions don’t count. I thought Italy was the best example? Less than replacement rate.
Their stock market used to be a high flyer too for some reason.
#21, Interesting. Spain has a very low birth rate also.
#22,Cow-Paddy, Ignorant Shit Talking Sociopath, Retired Mall Rent-A-Cop, Pretend Constitutional Scholar, Fake California Labor Law Expert, Pseudo Military Historian, Phony Climate Scientist, Leading Troll Extraordinare, Asstrologist, Unintelligent Designer, Cyber Eggspert, Goofy Geographer, and President of the “I Hate America Club”
It’s a little late, but we were kind of hoping your mother would have too.
We know, we know, your sister is an only child.
#18 wins! Wedgie for sure.
Will OCTOMOM become a saint?
Hey, having babies is good for the economy. Provided you have an economy to begin with of course. Maintaining a high economy is a bitch though. When you start having women participate in managing the economy, you have fewer people having fewer babies, and the economy lags. Yes you need their superior skills but is it worth taking out so many baby machines? The calculus needs to be studied and refined. Wash machines won’t replace the calculus.
Anybody actually read down threads this far?
You see, the real reason the atheist piggies don’t like un-protected sex is not because of the resulting abortions, or unwanted children or the unimaginable sufferings of unprepared parents… they just don’t like being out-voted.
RBG
#26 And to compound this problem, O’Mama the deciderer has ruled out cloning for non-scientific reasons…
Children are a punishment.
29,
why don’t you help your parents and the rest of us out by offing yourself?
#6:
Totally agree.
Women used to be the ‘appliances’ before we got these machines. No washing machines and birth control pills means the woman still stays at home.
Yeah OK but, in my house I run the washing machine, I have to, my wife is an early death to any machine. Does that mean she has to give me more sex? If that’s the case I’m ready for catholicism!
#22
That’s right, so much so, I got big fat goverment checks (1200€) every january for the first three years of my last two kid’s lives. That’s why I don’t mind paying so much in taxes, you get so much back.
I’d certainly rather leave my health and hormones unaltered and take the washer. Only one baby of my making…and she was made on purpose.
But I hate laundry even with the wash-machine. Can’t imagine doing it by hand. Now I just need to hire someone to run it…
I think it’s time that they Vatikan gets closed up from the rest of the world. How about a huge wall around it???
Ths bs they talk about is unbearable. Washing machines are what? aha…and the condom is not good for AIDS…right. That pope needs to go…seriously. Anyone who has some interest in history knows about his past…for the ones who don’t…read what he did before he became pope…