- Joined
- Mar 8, 1999
- Messages
- 8,911
Are You Afraid of the Dark is the name of a book by Sidney Sheldon. He's won an Oscar for screenwriting, a Tony for the musical stageplays Easter Parade and Annie Get Your Gun. Supposedly the most translated author in the world.
So why am I telling you this? Because of course, it starts off with two women finding their husbands have been killed - and may be in danger themselves. Ho-Hum. Yawn. Scratch scratch. Boredom.
Standard woman in home hearing some strange and scarey noise out in the dark - oh, won't someone save Poor Pitiful Pearl? Heaven forbid that she take reasonable steps to protect herself. Of course a man has to come to her rescue!
Just once, why can't she grab a 20 ga. side-by-side, stick a couple rounds of buck into it, and when the shadow shows up looming on the curtains, blow the window out, call the police, and duct-tape some trash bags over the broken window? Or pick up a khukri or sword from somewhere and when the guy forces the door, step out of hiding and lop his head off?
How long do you think it would take for a man ( and not an east-coast girly-man ) to grab a revolver and couple of speedloaders from his nightstand and be ready to stand between the threat and his wife and children?
Why is the woman always a blonde airhead who's never ever been scared before? I've been in situations where I had the he!! scared out of me. I've been backed down and ran. But at some point I evaluated the experience and took steps so I can run if only I'm at risk, or make a stand to protect my family with a reasonable chance I will either survive, or at least won't have been killed for nothing. If I gotta go, I want to take an honor guard with me.
Alright, I'll go back and read the book. Just tell me though, does anyone else ever get tired of the poor helpless woman with a head full of fluff always having to be rescued?
So why am I telling you this? Because of course, it starts off with two women finding their husbands have been killed - and may be in danger themselves. Ho-Hum. Yawn. Scratch scratch. Boredom.
Standard woman in home hearing some strange and scarey noise out in the dark - oh, won't someone save Poor Pitiful Pearl? Heaven forbid that she take reasonable steps to protect herself. Of course a man has to come to her rescue!
Just once, why can't she grab a 20 ga. side-by-side, stick a couple rounds of buck into it, and when the shadow shows up looming on the curtains, blow the window out, call the police, and duct-tape some trash bags over the broken window? Or pick up a khukri or sword from somewhere and when the guy forces the door, step out of hiding and lop his head off?
How long do you think it would take for a man ( and not an east-coast girly-man ) to grab a revolver and couple of speedloaders from his nightstand and be ready to stand between the threat and his wife and children?
Why is the woman always a blonde airhead who's never ever been scared before? I've been in situations where I had the he!! scared out of me. I've been backed down and ran. But at some point I evaluated the experience and took steps so I can run if only I'm at risk, or make a stand to protect my family with a reasonable chance I will either survive, or at least won't have been killed for nothing. If I gotta go, I want to take an honor guard with me.
Alright, I'll go back and read the book. Just tell me though, does anyone else ever get tired of the poor helpless woman with a head full of fluff always having to be rescued?