Seminole Sentinel

A “Mansplaining” Crisis in Texas

Mercy me, there are those times when you want to slap yourself silly for getting up in the morning and reading someone else’s newspaper. Especially when you were drawn to a headline that you had a hunch was going to raise your blood pressure.

It must have been a slow day for one Houston Chronicle writer, Rebecca Hennes, whose story was headlined “Sexist Police Facebook Post Draws Ire From Friendswood Moms.”

And what was the offensive “sexist” Facebook post?

After a rash of purses being stolen out of women’s cars, it went like this: “How many times will thieves steal purses out of cars of mothers who `just run inside’ the daycare to pick up or drop off their child? The Friendswood Police Department needs your help!”

“Ladies... take your purse and cell phone with you. Don’t leave it in the car for crooks to steal. That extra minute it would have taken to grab your purse now turns into four hours of calling credit card companies, banks, and cell phone companies to cancel your stuff. Worse, you’ll have to tell your spouse, and that won’t be pleasant.”

And some “Friendswood Moms” were on it, calling the department out for “mans-plaining”, and for their posts “rude and unprofessional” tone.

One woman wrote, “Husbands/Male Head of the Household, really, if you are allowing your wives or women of your family to drive a motorized vehicle without male supervision this is your fault, Friendswood Police Department ought to suggest you just keep those females at home, where they belong. Besides, who is doing the cooking, cleaning and ironing if they’re out irresponsibly gallivanting around?”

Another woman commented, “What society doesn’t need is a snarky, victim-shaming Facebook post, from the police department, no less. I’m absolutely repulsed by this post. The sexist and demeaning tone is a disgrace, and it is wholly inappropriate for a police department.”

So now that they’ve been whipped into submission, the Friendswood Police issued its apology, adding “the post had a very casual tone with exaggerations; much different from the PD’s usually serious tone. The message was not received by everyone in the spirit it was intended. This has given us an opportunity to work toward more effective communications.”

That’s loosely translated, “all future communications will be robotic and devoid of any humor and/or humanity.”

In the fourth largest city in America, with all that happens there, 24 hours a day, this is a story? That’s some big city journalism right there.

Granted, I wouldn’t have written it the same way, but If we ARE “offended” by something, can’t we just comment on it to those we know, maybe find a little humor in it, instead of publicly shaming someone for their non-politically correct language?

Thank you, social media, for giving us all a platform for becoming lecturers.

Do you suppose that maybe 95% of Houston women were not offended by it? Most were probably wondering why the police would have to spend their time with any person who left valuables in an unlocked car.

And if I ever get through a day without hearing about the dumb stuff that men do, check on me, because I’ve probably fallen and I can’t get up.

If I read a police notice that read, “men, bring your lawn tractors in at night. You don’t want to have to explain to your spouse why your John Deere disappeared,” I don’t think I’d be overly offended. We’ve all had some explainin’ to do. If the “other” in our lives isn’t going to hold us accountable for our carelessness, who is?

What do you bet all these “offended mom” posters hang out together at pilates class? And how does the Chronicle even know that they are the Friendswood Daycare Moms?

If they were, I can see it now. “Mom” leaves the Audi running and her purse in the seat while she grabs little Kamryn under one arm and the Lhasa Apso in the other. Her skinny jeans are interchangeable with those of her man bun-wearing husband who just transferred to Houston from his IT job in Santa Monica.

Maybe he’s the one she’s really angry at because he won’t get off his butt and take the kid to daycare.