The premise of this joke is that men somehow like sex more than women, and would have definitely taken multiple orgasms over peeing standing up, had they been aware of both options. Of course, this premise ticks me off.
Leaving that aside, it is unfair to compare the two, because obviously the average man uses the ability to pee standing up way more than the average woman uses the ability to have multiple orgasms. This is not only because of centuries of Western culture's denying the validity of women's sexual urges and teaching them to be afraid of expressing their desires in bed, but also because one pees much more frequently than one has sex.
Anyhow, this entire post so far has been an introduction to my favorite gendered epithet for a man: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt08a25.htm - "one who pees against the wall".
Think about it: If you have a really good date, peeing against the wall can be a sign of manliness:
"We had the best time last night. He's so hot - such a משתין בקיר".
If on the other hand, you have a terrible date, it can be taken as a sign of man's vulgarity. "Uch. I had such a terrible time last night - the guy was such a "משתין בקיר
By the way, there is a great article in Bitchfest about gender politics and the different design of men's and women's restrooms, with a focus on how the ability to pee standing up is perceived in pop culture. http://www.amazon.com/BITCHfest-Years-Cultural-Criticism-Magazine/dp/0374113432 Did I mention that I have this book proudly displayed in my parents dining room?
By the way, there is a great article in Bitchfest about gender politics and the different design of men's and women's restrooms, with a focus on how the ability to pee standing up is perceived in pop culture. http://www.amazon.com/BITCHfest-Years-Cultural-Criticism-Magazine/dp/0374113432 Did I mention that I have this book proudly displayed in my parents dining room?
Interesting - I never interpreted in the joke what that premise. I actually never read anything into it about which one like sex better; I never thought it had the sense of the multiple orgasms being wasted on the woman. I just read it as one clearly inferior and one clearly superior gift that *both* would have wanted had they had the choice, and the brash and impatient Adam chooses too quickly and loses out. I almost felt like it came from the female perspective - like, "Yeah, sure, you can pee standing up, I suppose that's nice. But guess what *we* can do?" But yes, your point is still well taken.
ReplyDeleteMost importantly, though, that is an awesome Biblical epithet for a man - one I'd not seen or focused on before. Excellent :)