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April 26, 2006
A Guy from Dorking
Found this story in the Times of London on the results of--I'm not making this up--The National Housework Survey of Great Britain 2006.
This survey was commissioned by a British cable television channel, the Discovery Home and Health channel, I guess so it could create a reality TV show, Cleanaholics, which, according to the Times, will "[follow] 27 women and three men as they plough through their chores. " The website claims the show "delves into the psychology behind [the cleanaholics'] routines, and asks – is cleaning the new therapy?" A provocative question indeed!
The headline of the Times story is, "The women who think housework is better than sex," because a third of the 2000 women surveyed reported that cleaning house was more rewarding than having sex.
But I think the real gem of the Times story is the final paragraph:
Graham Peters, 40, of Dorking, one of the minority of superclean men (about one in ten), says he wishes he could cut down on his cleaning habit. “I’ve always been tidy,” he said, “but if I got a young female to clean for me, I would give up tomorrow.”
"If I got a young female to clean for me"?!
Has he ever looked into a cleaning service?
There are plenty of things I would give up tomorrow if I could get someone else to do them willingly, graciously, free of charge, for me: mowing my lawn, servicing my car, dry cleaning my fine woolens.... Oh wait! I forgot! I CAN get someone else to do those things for me, willingly and graciously! I just have to PAY FOR IT, because people tend to expect to be paid for their work!
Oh, wait: I forgot something else: People expect to be paid for their work.... unless that work is housework, and it's done by a woman.... Then it's supposed to be UNPAID. AND it's supposed to come with the added bonus of FREE SEX once the house is clean.
And yet, I imagine that given Graham's attitude, any "young female" he could find to clean for him would be one of the women who find housework more rewarding than sex. Who wants to get it on with a guy who's primarily interested in free maid service? I wonder if they asked THAT of the women who prefer housework to sex.
Posted by holly at April 26, 2006 9:17 AM
Hmmm... I would give up cleaning, too, if I got a young male to clean for me - :P
Ha, what a gem or germ! This man's mind needs a good cleaning, me thinks.
I seriously want a maid, too. A male, Cuban one. And I want him to be HOTT.
The one I can't believe is the woman who cleans her crystal chandeliers every week. Talk about a life out of control. I wonder how long they searched the length and breadth of England to find enough positively sick people to make a television show out of it.
That said, I do get a certain satisfaction out of a well-vacuumed carpet. Something about all of those little lines in the pile makes me feel virtuous. But not every day, heck, not even every week.
Jesus. What an ass. The sad part is that there are women out there that wouldn't mind cleaning if he'd buy them a pretty rock for their hand.
Reese and FG, I'm with you: I'd give up cleaning if I had a hot young guy to do it for me too.
The sad part is that there are women out there that wouldn't mind cleaning if he'd buy them a pretty rock for their hand.
I think you're right, Anita, both about the fact that some women would settle for that and the fact that it's sad.
I do get a certain satisfaction out of a well-vacuumed carpet. Something about all of those little lines in the pile makes me feel virtuous. But not every day, heck, not even every week.
I agree, Juti: I like a clean carpet, but I sort of like to wait long enough between vacuuming that I really appreciate the before and after comparison.
The only housekeepking task I really stay on top of is washing dishes, because I HATE a dirty kitchen with a sink full of dishes. But even then, I like to wait until there are enough of them to justify my time--depending on how much I'm cooking, once a day or once every other day. Not after every time I dirty a plate and fork.
Any young hottie of either gender, who would be willing to clean houses, MUST also be in it to crib some of your stuff as well. As I value my valuables, I could never let a stranger dust my treasures. Maybe I am a bit too untrusting, but maids, houseboys, etc. are KNOWN to steal. I saw it on TV.
That is why, twice a year, I magically transform into a hot Cuban houseboy and scrub the f*ck out of everything I own. Then I take advantage of myself all night. That's all the therapy I need.
I wrote a rant, but it's not coherent. The gist of it is that I think Americans are spoiled and want to get things done for them cheaply or for free. Everything has be neat, nice, and expensive looking. However, we're very busy these days. So we have all those illegals to pick up the slack for us.
I don't want to sound mean about this, but when I see what aristocrats my formerly bare-assed relatives and friends have become over the years, thanks to all the hidden and overt cheap labor that supports their "lifestyles," I guess I do get hostile. It used to be different. In the 50's most people were lower middle class, lived modestly and did their own domestic chores (women in the house, men in the yard). I'm not suggesting a return to that, but I must say people were not spoiled then the way we are now.
Oh, I should make it clear I'm not slamming people who are struggling to get by. What's happened is that it is no longer possible in this country to live in a decent and modest way, but that seems way off the thread topic. I'm really not being clear enough, I know.
Hattie--I agree with you; people are far too anxious to get stuff for free.
And SO, if anyone could transform himself in a hot Cuban houseboy, it's you.
Heh. Well, I'm a good cook. That's a start.