[Marxism] Virginia meets The Tramp

[Brian Shannon <brian_shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

In the first song, the singer is a member of high society, who sees
its falseness as it relates to a lady whom he admires. His "elite"
group claims to be superior to commonly accepted rules of behavior.
If "the lady" has commonly accepted standards which are based on
politeness and courtesy and even ordinary logic, she is a tramp,
i.e., not the equal of the superior ones who ignore the standards of
the "hoi polloi."

In Meet Virginia, the woman in question appears to be and act
directly contrary to the one in The Tramp.  She violates the rules on
purpose. However, behind the formal difference between the two modes
of behavior lies the reality that some rules are imposed, not to ease
relationships, but to control. Even here, however, much of what
Virginia does is also quite logical.

In both, there is admiration for a woman who wants to go her own way,
who rejects the restrictions placed on her by class, sex, irrational
rules, alienation, purposelessness.

And in both, the woman is the victim. Her rebelliousness is not only
the male rebellion of changing jobs, dropping out, etc. She has to
confront not just the swinging blade, but the small cuts of everyday
life. A much harder struggle as we have become acutely aware.

The saddest thing that my mother ever said to me was that instead of
becoming a physician, she should have become a nurse. As a competent
and successful head nurse, the same breed of male physicians that she
had to deal with would have praised her to the skies for her ability
to make their professions easier or for saving their ass when she
corrected or questioned some of their decisions.

The relative success today has come from the power of the woman's
movement. At Pomona College (class of 1957), half the academic awards
for the three layers of cum laude were for female students. Yet it
was the men who were expected to achieve professional success. In my
1962 law school class at UC Berkeley, of over two hundred entering
students, there couldn't have been more than 4 women, two of whom I
knew. One is now on the California Supreme Court, another (just as
brilliant) found the study of law to be boring and returned, I
believe, to philosophy.

Today over half the incoming students at law schools and half the
incoming students at medical schools are also female, as are one-
quarter of the medical faculty.

Despite this obvious transformation, all you have to do is turn on
the TV to see that in popular culture, women are still objects who
are expected to play roles. Dressing like a "ho" is not just a joke,
but an emulated goal. Adapting, confronting, and transforming this
seems to be as immense a task as ever.

Meet Virginia -- Lady, Tramp, Mother, Whore, and Professional Success

Brian Shannon
__________________


THE LADY IS A TRAMP

She gets too hungry, for dinner at eight
She likes the theater, and never comes late
She'd never bother, with people she'd hate
That's why the lady is a tramp

Doesn't like crap games, with barons or earls
Won't go to Harlem, in ermine and pearls
Won't dish the dirt, with the rest of the girls
That's why the lady is a tramp

She likes the free, free fresh wind in her hair
Life without care
She's broke, but it's o'k
She hates California, it's cold and it's damp
That's why the lady is a tramp

She gets far too hungry, to eat for dinner at eight
She adores the theater, and she doesn't arrives late
She'd never bother, with people she'd hate
That's why the lady is a tramp

Won't have a dice game, with any barons or earls
She will never go to Harlem, dessed in ermine and pearls
And she won't dish the dirt, with all the other girls
That is why the lady is a tramp

She loves the free, free, fresh wind in her hair
Life without care
She's broke, but it's o'k
Hates California, 'cause it's so cold and so damp
That's why the lady
That's why the lady
That's why the lady is a tramp
_____________


MEET VIRGINIA

She doesn't own a dress
Her hair is always a mess,
You catch her stealin' she won't confess
She's Beautiful.

Smokes a pack a day, but wait,
That's me, but anyway
She doesn't care a thing
About that hair,
She thinks I'm beautiful
Meet Virginia

She never comprimises,
Loves babies and surprises,
wears high heels when
she exercises
Ain't it beautuiful
Meet Virginia

Well she wants to be the Queen
Then she thinks about her scene
Pulls her hair back as she screams
"I don't really wanna be the Queen"

Daddy wrestles alligators
Mama works on carborators
Her brother is a fine mediator
For the president
And here she is again on the phone
just like me hates to be alone
we just like to sit at home
and rip on the President
Meet Virginia, Mmmm...

Well she wants to live her life
Then she thinks about her life
Pulls her hair back, as she screams
"I don't really wanna live this life"

She only drinks coffee at midnight
When the moment is not right
Her timing is quite, unusual
You see her confidence is tragic, but her
Intuition magic And the shape of her body?
Unusual

Meet Virgina I can't wait to
Meet Virginia, yeah e yeah hey hey hey

Well she wants to be the queen and
then she thinks about her scene
Well she wants to live her life
then she thinks about her life
Pulls her hair back as she screams
"I don't really wanna be the queen"
I, I don't really wanna be the queen
I, I don't really wanna be the queen
I, I don't really wanna live this

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