The Lady Things FAQ

If you're anything like me, you've been recalling every bleak, painful moment of 2017 each night in your dreams, so rehashing the year in my waking moments is not something I want to spend much time on.

Bad memories/ DoD photo by U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Cristian L. Ricardo

Hello and welcome back to Lady Things!

I'm promising you right now this isn't going to be an End of the Year Retrospective or a Best of/Worst of List because a lot of people hates those. If you're anything like me, you've been recalling every bleak, painful moment of 2017 each night in your dreams, so rehashing the year in my waking moments is not something I want to spend much time on.

That's why this week I'll be briefly responding to some of the more common types of reader questions that I've seen come up since I started this column in June. This is a rare, not-going-to-happen-that-often chance to see if your pressing Lady Things question is finally answered. This won't take long, so let's begin.

How is this topic a "Lady Thing?"

That's a good question. Basically any topic I wish to discuss here is a Lady Thing because it's a thing which I, a lady, would like to talk about. Those are the only two requirements, hope that clears things up!

Do I know that classic rock is racist?

Thank you for your concern. Yes, I do know that classic rock is a radio genre that includes a lot of artists who are Problematic. I can think there should be a permanent moratorium on "Brown Sugar" while thinking "Renegade" is a really fucking good song. I have the capacity for both, don't worry.

Why do I talk about racism so much?

I see what you're thinking, "What, is everything racist?!?!" or "Is nothing safe?" Well, I hate to break it to you, but, unfortunately, there are a lot of things that have racist origins and implications. Even the ice cream truck song was born out of prejudice and gross racial stereotypes. Just know that when you say "What, is everything racist?!?!" that I'm most likely saying it as well, because this shit is everywhere and you can't really get away from it.

Why do I complain all the time?

Um, why do you complain all the time? Isn't that what you're doing when you ask me that question? If you want a world with less complaining, be the change you want to see. It starts at home.

Why do I need to talk about coming from a family of migrant farmworkers?

I don't know, I suppose if I came from a family of optometrists in Iowa, that I would talk about something like that every once in a while. That's about all I can say. Who you are and where you're from influences your worldview, and sometimes it comes up in the stuff you talk about. I thought that was obvious.

That's it for this week's edition, thanks for stopping by.

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