A Chauvinist is... [antikvár]

PrefaceThere are approximately 150 members of the United Nations and I've done my bit towards international cooperation by marrying a good cross-section of them. So I am now in a position to assure you that a chauvinist is a chauvinist the world over. Cochon, porco, schwein or pig! I may be wrong but I don't think chauvinists are found under toadstools. They are created. We create them. Maybe there is a little seed of chauvinism in every child just waiting to be given manure, and we sure supply it. By the bucket! The least aware of us create them then step back in horror at the monsters we fashioned into sons and lovers and husbands. We shouldn't complain. We should have our heads examined! I care about people and have a large capacity to love and show it. I kiss friendly men, women, children, dogs and pussy cats. The only trouble is that this impulse has often been misunderstood by men and women. The men who have misunderstood a moment of love and affection have been frightened by it. The word 'commitment' or 'sex' leaps into their heads. These are chauvinists who ridiculously and sadly deprive themselves of affection, fun and warmth. Chauvinists are buttoned-up people who can't share momentary joy. I once kissed a woman and she said, 'Don't kiss me. I am not woman oriented.' I thought 'How sad. She has cut out half the population of the world.' I'm certain that we destroy the time we have by role playing and being frightened by each other. If we dropped the poses and thought of each other as vulnerable humans in our relationships, we would have such joy. We think we have progressed. But, it hasn't been much. The only revolution has been the scientific one - the pill. That's the only liberation, the sexual one. The little pill which made us advance below the belly must graduate to our minds and create an emotional revolution of responsibility towards each other.These cartoons and captions are, for me, an affectionatenudge at what we still are. Even if we don't change, we canlaugh at our mistakes. Movements will come and go. Somé tocastrate men and somé to rob women of their womanhood,but somewhere in there is a democracy of considerationwhere we may find an entirely lovable world . . .I must be out ofmy mind!. , _MARCELLA MARKHAM