Scheherazade and the Vultures
“Failing to see important women in history, a girl learns how insignificant she is.” I can not remember the exact quotation but it was along these lines, nor who said it. So, in places where it is practically not possible to keep the women illiterate any more, controlling what they will be taught is of paramount importance. From various cults to religious sects, from filthy sheiks to the greatest self acclaimed thinkers of the past century, everybody pokes a finger in education.
Almost every paragraph, figure, picture, story gives this subliminal message: “You have to be submissive and obedient.” And despite I like good ol’ Rimsky’s (Rimsky-Korsakov for the masses) music, variations of Scheherazade’s tale complete the picture. God’s will is enforced.
As an ideal (not in the Platonic sense of the meaning, but that’s a different story) woman, your job is to be the ultimate decision maker while the male thinks he is, just like Scheherazade. The female of the species tries to make her way cunningly and tactfully.
Frankly, this might have worked in an ideal (non-platonic again) world, had half of the women been as shrewd as Scheherazade and (a logical and) half of the men half smart -so that they could understand subtle inferences- as they seemed to be. Well, they are not. While some women end up like Ezo Gelin, some men take the meaning of submissive and obedient seriously and get nasty.
To further benefit the readers of this one and only matchmaking guide of mine, here are the subsets observed (adjectives are used with respect to Scheherazade and in this and this context only):
- Dumb men - Dumber women
Surprisingly, this works very well. As well behaving citizens, they consume and reproduce. They are the best candidates for the heavens. - Dumb men - Dumb women
Nope! Tragedy awaits the female. - Dumber men - Dumb women
It might work if the male has money.
- Dumber men - Smart women
Theoretically not possible. - Dumb men - Smart women
This is also good as long as the monetary requirements are met. - Smart men - Dumber women
Its chance of success is directly proportional to the appearance of the female.
- Smart men - Dumb women
It’s not going to work. - Smart men - Smart Women
An intriguing possibility but the outcome will depend on the affluence of the female.
And the vultures. I did not tell you about them, did I? Well, considering the unpopularity of classical music, I would recommend “Scheherazade and Other Stories” instead, by Renaissance, dated 1975. Still not very popular, the band had some cult followers including me and …(long time, no see and New York seems very far away now). Although there are probably better songs like “Ocean Gypsy” in the album, I like “The Vultures Fly High” for some reason. Find it, buy it, steal it if you must. If you have read this far, you are smart enough to like it.
