Another religion/etiquette question

I have another problem with religious etiquette and I'd like some input on this one. This is serious, not so much the hooch-fuelled rant of 4 July, as a serious question about etiquette and when and where religious practices are appropriate or not. And what the hell is up with the inconsistency in this one practice.

Okay, I was just introduced to someone who is an Orthodox Jewish male. I went to shake his hand, and he refused, just saying "Sorry, I'm not allowed."

I made the assumption that it's because I'm female. I tried to think of some other reason - he certainly couldn't tell anything about me, my cultural background, religious or non-religious leanings, etc. just by looking at me - the only visible cue he had to go on was my gender. So, right, must be the female thing. Putting aside that this is just another example of misogyny-with-a-religious-excuse, and just about all religions have them, so I'm not picking on the Jews here, AT ALL, I didn't say anything, just passed it off quietly in the name of not making a scene or causing discomfort.

BUT: A few minutes later, when he was introduced to another female, this time a member of our faculty, I looked over and, you guessed it, he shook her hand!

Now, I am a clean person, he certainly didn't see me handling food before the introduction, or coming out of a bathroom or anything. I literally stepped off an elevator, and was introduced to several people, him being the last I came to. And when I got back to my office I immediately googled a few phrases or words to see if I could come up with some answer, but none was to be had. Some Orthodox Jewish males do not shake hands with women, fine, my google search revealed that quickly enough. So, wrong and stupid and backwards and caveman and misogynist as I think that is, I'm just...whatever, dude.

But why not shake hands with me, but then shake hands with another female - in the same context, event, room, program, etc.? Is it my long hair? Did he make an assumption about my marital status? Does it have anything to DO with marital status and any assumptions he may have gotten wrong? (For example, the other woman he DID shake hands with is married - but so am I, and my ring is displayed just as obviously as hers. Nah, that can't be it.)

Anybody got an answer for this? Because, frankly, I am a little bit, shall we say, verklempt?

Submitted for your enjoyment...

What the...?


I wish Kingsley was still alive, because I would PAY to be a fly on the wall as someone shows him this. I'm pretty sure he would implode.

Happy Friday, My Gentle Little Petunias...

I live for Fridays, I really do. It's a bit sad, but there it is.

In the mood for a good jukebox, a ton of Guinness, the ballgame on the big screen, some good conversation, a bunch of laughs - all within a mile from home. Truth be told, I'm pretty much ALWAYS in this mood, except when I'm not. Sometimes I'm after vodka.

Anyway - off to the pub.

OH for the love of Salma.

You guys!

I just got back from a barbecue. Everyone was having fun: the food was cooking,lovely smells wafting across the yard, kids in the pool, lots of beers everywhere, a few folks with the hard stuff, some sangria, lots of laughs, sports discussions, general social catching up, the game on the outdoor TV, Sox beating the Yankees, etc.

All good, right? Small town America, celebrating a national holiday. Sweet.

So a large bunch of food comes off the grill, right, a HUGE platter of chicken, steak, pulled pork, burgers, dogs, veggie stuff, the works. It's all good. And then...

And THEN: We all had to gather while someone said GRACE! Seriously, 50 people, regardless of religious belief - OR LACK OF - were all expected to stand around and give homage to this ONE person's imaginary friend.

Fucking hell.

What do you do when this happens? Is there a chapter in the Miss Manners Guide for something like this?

What gets on my tits is this: If I had actually actively dipped out or not participated in this 'ceremony' would it have been obvious and caused some kind of offense? And if so, why then is it okay for someone's religious beliefs to highjack (word used absolutely fucking on purpose) the day and this point in time for EVERYONE at the BBQ, when this person did not KNOW many of the people there, and could not judge what religious beliefs everyone else held, if any, when my LACK of religious beliefs would have caused offense?

Why is it okay to blast your religious beliefs to a crowd of unknown people, when it's offensive to express the opinion that you're atheist?

I've walked on egg shells for too fucking long. It is time for me to start getting militant about this.

It starts here. I don't want to hear any fucking church bells this weekend. It OFFENDS me that other people's religious beliefs interfere with my fucking Sunday morning lie-in. Got it?

Good.

That is all.

Things I don't need in my inbox

No pun intended.

So, I'm getting some interesting spam in my yahoo account lately. Aside from the viagra offers (how do they KNOW I speak German?) and invitations to view people masturbating on their web cams (Yeeeah, no, I'm good, thanks), the latest seem to be offers to join over-40 dating services. Fuck that. If I suddenly find myself single again (not likely) I would totally have a mid-life crisis and get something younger. Not illegal, I'm no pervert, but something ...uncomplicated by age and experience. In boots. Sinewy. With good teeth. A tool belt is good. I'm a simple person.

Holy shit, I just described the construction worker from the Village People.

Think I'll stop here with this line of thought.
Let's look at a video:








Think I'll form a Stranglers cover band. Who's in?

I'm fine, really, thanks for asking.

It's hard not to think my life is charmed in some way.

Don't expect much from this blog post.

I'm just saying...




And with that, I say happy weekend. I'm off to celebrate the Celtics in a very loud and inappropriate manner.