The Joke is on Me

I was chatting with a customer the other day. He mentioned the difficulty of something. I don’t remember what it was, but he said, "Can’t live with them."

I thought of the old cliché and said to myself, "Yeah, just like a woman."

Suddenly, I realized, what I’d said. I laughed, and told myself, "Yeah, and you are one." the male in me had made a sexist remark, and as a woman, it was directed at me.

The old saying, You can’t live with them, can’t live without them, has been used by men and woman for many years. It’s a sexist joke and it can be funny, when applied to the right couple. Because Mars and Venus are so opposite, living together has sometimes been difficult. That’s why the joke has survived for so long in human culture.

Still, the joke is, as Shakespeare wrote, a comedy of errors. That’s especially true, when you apply it to transgender folk. If I could choose, right now, I’d come down on the feminine side. Then men could say that about me, but I’m caught in the middle. He, (meaning my masculine self), still has influence in my life.

So, I could say, I can’t live with him, can’t live without him. He could say the same about me, but it’s not a joke. I really couldn’t live without the experiences of his life. He needs me to literally keep him alive, but there will be only one winner of this game—me. Does that sound crazy? Tell me about it. That’s why it’s a comedy of errors. It’s also sad, because I can’t stand being him.