Why ‘A Day Without A Woman?’

I’m not talking about the thing; I’m talking about the wording.

How does that make sense?without a woman

I could see “A day without women.” We’re assuming more than one woman is taking part, and even though it’s only some women, and not all women, “a day without women” would still be a true description. (Despite the fact that, you know, the women still exist; they’re just not at their usual jobs.)

But “a day without A woman” expresses one of two unlikely extremes. Either it means one particular woman — say, Mary Smith of Anytown, USA — is staying home today, or it means a day without a single woman anywhere.

Each of which is obviously untrue.

Who are the ad wizards who come up with these things, and what are they thinking?

Setting the wording aside and dealing with the thing itself — how’s it going out there? So far today, I haven’t encountered a single situation in which a woman wasn’t at work. Every woman I would normally encounter is on deck, attending to duty. Nor have I noticed them wearing red. (Although I did overhear a man on an elevator jokingly asking a woman why she wasn’t wearing red. I missed her response.) So it seems like a bit of a bust.

This might be because personally, I hadn’t heard about it until last night on NPR as I was driving home. But maybe there’s some sort of lady grapevine out there to which I am not privy (which would not be a shock), and it has been organizing this thing with relentless precision for some time. I just can’t tell.

How’s it going where you are?

8 thoughts on “Why ‘A Day Without A Woman?’

  1. Brad Warthen Post author

    You like my graphic? I wanted to make the “cross-out” line thicker, but couldn’t figure out how. I probably could have figured a way in Photoshop, but I used the simpler Windows Paint…

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      I have no idea. I tried to figure it out when I heard about it last night, but didn’t arrive. The point is probably obvious to someone — so obvious it needs no explanation — but not to me.

      Is it to demonstrate that women are integral to the economy? If so, who do they think is not aware of it? Whom is being enlightened?

  2. Scout

    I would guess that the point is to show the impact Women have on many things, not just the economy. On the smooth running of many businesses, for example. However, if there is a woman grapevine, apparently I also am out of it. Probably not a shocker. I’ve kind of lived in my own little introvert bubble for most of my life anyway. I found out from media coverage yesterday too. And I might have worn red but I forgot. Driving to work, listening to the radio, I looked down to see what I was wearing and said, oh well.

    I tend to think these sorts of things are a counter productive way of making the point. I mean are you going to get bonus points at your company for nearly sinking it to show your worth. If those in charge were humble to acknowledge such a point in such a circumstance, you probably wouldn’t have the problem in the first place. Instead you likely will just create a situation where human nature dictates that the powerful will not want to acknowledge your worth even if they see it, just out of spite. I don’t see it as a way to make positive change. But that’s just my personality. I don’t know that I have a better solution for people who don’t feel they get the proper acknowledgement. If that is the issue.

    I suspect the people who believe in this sort of thing would say the people who need enlightening are Trump types and their ilk in the business world.

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      “I tend to think these sorts of things are a counter productive way of making the point.”

      I agree wholeheartedly. Assuming, of course, that there IS a point. These kinds of activities are chock full o’ attitude, but lacking in coherent content.

      They show spunk. But I appreciate spunk alone about as much as Lou Grant did…

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