I don’t like A Christmas Carol.
I’ve never liked this story. I don’t like Dickens. I don’t like the name Ebenezer and all of its crappy remake nicknames. I hate the damn 3 ghosts and the “error of my ways” bullshit. The only version I can sort of stand is the Disney one with Scrooge McDuck, because I like Scrooge McDuck.
Over the thanksgiving weekend I had the unfortunate experience of catching bits and pieces of the A Christmas Carol Lifetime network rip off “Ebbie” starring Susan Lucci. I didn’t see the film in its entirety, and I have no desire to, but the bit I did see grated on my nerves. In this particular scene “Ebbie” canceled on her boy toy’s planned vacation because she was just informed of a shiny new project she was put in charge of for her job. She was obviously excited about the position, yet saddened because she’d miss her vacay since she needed to start right away. Her lovely boyfriend decided that this was a reason to break up with her, because, as it is my understanding, she picked her job over him.
Now, without getting into the whole “but Ebenezer was a cruel money-hungry man who did nothing for his employees and what about poor Tiny Tim?!” which I am well aware of, I kinda think Ebbie’s boyfriend is a bit unreasonable. What’s so wrong with enjoying your job, being good at your job, and being excited over a new facet of your job to the point that you’d rather work then jet off to Kokomo with a guy? We, as the audience, are supposed to implore Ebbie, “Don’t work on that cool project, go hang out with the cute (by ‘95’s standards) boy who packed your luggage for you! Work will be there when you get back! So what if you fail to get a promotion or meet your career goals, you’ll be with a GUY!”
Sorry.
No.
Maybe I’m a capitalist at heart but money makes my world go round. And truthfully, any guy who would fly the coop when I canceled plans in the name of work (more so work that I was EXCITED about than “Oh, damn it, I have to work and I’m too lazy to argue for the time off” work) is not someone I’d want in my life anyway. Ebbie is passionate about her job, she was excited at her new opportunity; but because she ranked that higher than her relationship in this particular situation, she gets the shaft. I wonder, if the situation was reversed, how it would go down. Am I delusional to think that if my significant other canceled plans with me because he had an opportunity for advancement that he was super stoked about I’d be more ‘Woohoo! Go you! I’m so happy for you! We’ll make plans again soon, don’t worry about it, go do your thing!” I think many women would be all, “Well it sucks our plans changed, but awww, look at my provider being all good at his job!”
But when it’s a woman making the same choice we’re all, “How awful! That poor sweet man! He better break up with her because she’s a heartless selfish bitch.”
Now, of course, no matter what the sex of the person if one person continually picks work or anything over their significant other there’s a problem. But it seems like women get penalized way more harshly than men when they don’t adhere to their expected relationship gender roles.
In closing I say, “Boo on You, Ebbie. Boo on You.”
