Sunday, May 19, 2013

Gardening and the single woman

The Germans don't hold with it:
"We've had bad experiences with single women," said the chairman of the Fiekendorf allotment club, named only as Hans-Dieter H. "They can't do this, they can't do that. It never works out. I'm sorry. It only causes us trouble."

Speaking to Wednesday's edition of the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper, he explained that the club's communal work - like hedge-cutting - was especially beyond a woman's power, adding that there was already one single woman in the club and she was annoying.

He also said that there were several women who had been left with an allotment after the husbands had died and subsequently also caused "difficulties."

"They have to understand that," said Hans-Dieter H. "We're not going to invite the bother anymore."

One woman left particularly frustrated at the new rule is Nafize Ö., a farmer's daughter from Turkey who has just had her allotment application turned down by Hans-Dieter H. "He told me that he turns down all women who don't have a man. He said they can't manage the work."
I find it interesting that many women who have no problem with understanding the concept that young men should pay higher insurance premiums because they statistically tend to drive faster and crash their cars more often are so easily outraged by the same concept being applied to women.

"But I'm not the one who didn't do X!" they protest.  Which is true.  And yet, there isn't a single young man who has just received his driver's license that has racked up six speeding tickets in a year or overturned his car while driving 75 in a 35 zone. His treatment is based on the expectation of his future actions on the basis of the knowledge of other young men's actions.

And let's face it, in Germany there is no higher crime than failing to keep your garden allotment in order.

33 comments:

Leni Dog said...

And this is in Hamburg, not some Burg in the hinterland. Ordnung muss sein.

N5

Doom said...

Wait until this catches on. I've been watching the social roll over lately. I think it is coming fast. Oblivious folk don't know, but they will be informed by reality shortly. Next thing you know they won't be letting women hold office. Then they will be kicked out of college, put only into the pink industries and greatly curtailed then (that is what started this mess in earnest), then maybe out of high school. It's coming. Don't know if it has that much momentum, but once that ball starts it's going to be very difficult to slow down.

Maybe not all of it in my lifetime, though twenty years might see all of it. Hard to tell.

lk said...

"adding that there was already one single woman in the club and she was annoying. "

lol

Michael Maier said...

Imagine if "annoying" were a disqualifying factor for women in US society... wow... what a blissful thought...

NateM said...

Germans are interesting to be sure. A friend of mine came to the US from Germany at a young age and I noted with no small amusement in HS how his folks lent him the Mercedes to tool around town, but under no circumstances could he touch their Buick.

rycamor said...

I imagine all the angry women commenting on such an article if it were to appear in a USA publication... Then I imagine which percentage of the angry commenters have ever managed a successful garden of their own. It's far tougher work than most people imagine.

Aeoli Pera said...

Another takeaway is that this accusation broadly applies to communal work, which suggests that single women simply aren't civilized enough for basic give-and-take.

Jill said...

I'm not sure how this is related to insurance, except that under a socialist system as found in the EU, inequality and injustice are part of the game, and those receiving undeserved benefits are hardly going to admit to it out loud (unless they are unusually honest or self-aware).

I mean, yeah, I get that this man is making a preemptive decision based off his own experience with single women, who have apparently cost him extra work. That's--outside of an unfair socialist system--how insurance companies make decisions, based off how much certain groups affect the bottom line. That's the only real connection, though. A club that has requirements for membership operates a little differently. If a person can't do the work, they need not take part, a widow's legacy notwithstanding.

Stickwick said...

It's not entirely clear what the problem is. Does this mean that single women tend to welch on their obligations or that they just aren't capable of following through on them, e.g. because of physical limitations? In other words, are married women less annoying because they're more likely to honor their commitments or because they get their husbands to help them with the difficult stuff, like hedge-cutting? Not that I doubt single women are annoying, I'm just curious what exactly the problem is.

BuenaVista said...

On USA college campuses now, if the latest federal dictum goes through, calling a single woman "annoying" will be illegal.

Alexander said...

From the club's point of view it's irrelevant what the married women do - as long as the work gets done. Whether it's done because married women are made of stronger stuff or because the man is henpecked into doing it is irrelevant.

All they see is a strong correlation between a particular demographic and work not getting done. So they give them the boot. Fair enough.

Josh said...

I would guess that the single women are a problem for the club because single women tend to be selfish and flaky, traits which are not good for a communal garden.

Stickwick said...

Alexander, a club should be able discriminate on whatever basis it chooses, irrespective of whether anyone outside the club thinks it's relevant or fair or whatever. That's not the question. The question is, what is the difference between married and single women that makes the latter annoying? I'm simply curious; I like to look for patterns in human behavior.

Josh, I suspect you're right, but it would be instructive to know for sure. There's a tendency for married women to be more conservative in their politics, too, and I wonder how all this fits into the bigger picture. Is it that women who are inclined to marry are more reliable and conservative to begin with, or is it that women who get (and stay) married are influenced by their husbands and become more reliable and conservative?

Josh said...

Is it that women who are inclined to marry are more reliable and conservative to begin with, or is it that women who get (and stay) married are influenced by their husbands and become more reliable and conservative?

I suspect it's a little of both.

Res Ipsa said...

Men listen up.

THE PIGS ARE IN THE AZALEAS!!!

Never ever, ever let your women even think about “helping” in your garden. I made this mistake when Mrs. Ipsa and I got married. It started as my project, and today I’m only allowed to look at it and occasionally buy her accoutrements. KEEP women out of the gardens!!!

This goes beyond a shit test, it’s a women’s way of ruining everything.

BuenaVista said...

Can you get her to spray the roses? I hate doing that.

Res Ipsa said...

Ha! She hates roses (except when I buy them) she kills off all the rose plants.

The worst part is no more okra, its to pricky for her.

Sigyn said...

Res Ipsa, did you try growing Clemson Spineless okra? It's supposed to be not-prickly (though I haven't tested that myself yet).

BuenaVista said...

Good news, Res. Now you get to have a real garden again, and she won't fuck it up. Gee, I wonder which garden will do better.

Res Ipsa said...

Sigyn

No I've not heard of those.

WomenRuinEverything said...

Saw on my twitter feed one of Scalzi's devotee's whinging on about the lack of WOMEN LEADERS in the new trek movie.

Anonymous said...

Does this mean that single women tend to welch on their obligations or that they just aren't capable of following through on them, e.g. because of physical limitations?

Yes.

Doom said...

Res Ispa,

Huh? That's... half of my plan! To get her to do the garden that is. Goats too, but... that might be a little more difficult. I guess we just differ on this thing.

Toolbox said...

On a slightly related note:
http://video-embed.cleveland.com/services/player/bcpid649725534001?bctid=2350624009001&bckey=

Quote from woman cop: "You cover, I'll call for backup." Result is, male cop then strikes subject several times in the resulting few seconds, killing him. Female remains useless, also shot.

Res Ipsa said...

Doom if you want her to do it she'l never go for it. If you don't want her to do it you'll never get to do it again.

Sigyn said...

@ Res Ipsa: Clemson Spineless is supposed to be free of the pricklies, while still giving a good yield of decent-quality okra; you just have to be a little more vigilant to pick the pods young.

It was bred in the 1930's, so it's an heirloom seed AFAIK, no Monsanto shenanigans.

Again, take this with a grain of salt; I've never grown okra.

Mike M. said...

Rock gardens. Just grow rocks.

Res Ipsa said...

Sigyn,

Thanks for the info. We get about 8 seed catalogs each year and its impossible to keep up with it all. I'll keep a look out for some plants since its too late to start them from seed in my zone.

rycamor said...

@Res Ipsa,

I know you are somewhat joking, but dude, if you want to grow okra, just choose a spot and grow some okra. Spank her if she tears it up. BTW, okra grows quite well in a pot, so you can move it around easily if you really don't want to mess with her garden's feng-shui.

Honestly, worried about spines in the okra? Then buy her a pair of gloves.

Sigyn said...

I was thinking things like that, Rycamor, but I said I wasn't going to try to contribute along those lines anymore and I meant it.

And you're welcome, RI. Happy gumbo!

Res Ipsa said...

"Then buy her a pair of gloves."

If I buy her gloves then she'll want shoes and that will wreck the whole bare foot and pregnant thing.

Mrs. Ipsa slowly took over in the garden because there were things she wanted to try with organic gardening. She has fun with it and as long as I get a couple of things I like all is well. She does the mowing too. As long as she likes the outside stuff, she can do it. I work 6 days a week and she works 2 ½ so its all good for now.

Herman the German said...

And let's face it, in Germany there is no higher crime than failing to keep your garden allotment in order.

LMAO +1

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