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Most mornings I don't have to shut off the alarm clock. It's not that I spring out of bed, happy as a grig, before the sun has even shown itself (if it's going to show itself). It's just that Ezra Pound Tartaro, has different ideas than I do about when to sleep and when to rise. The minimum social compact between dog and dog-owner requires that you get up when he wants you to-unless you are seriously dating someone in the carpet cleaning business. Ezra, who probably turned 12 a few months ago, was the star of one of my very first columns for W&G. In case you didn't commit it to memory, basically it mused (trust me, both poetically and philosophically) on a puppy that looked like a hunting dog but didn't act much like one, except to occasional appear with a pair of my red-banded gray socks in his mouth. I noted then that I don't hunt, either, but that I find some of the gear-especially those toasty socks-practical. I made some comments about the couture fashions that were popular that year, many of them with a decidedly outdoorsy feel. I was reminded of that column comparing fashions, both literal and figurative, with reality by a recent phone call. The phone call was from a free lance writer (female) who wanted
to talk about, if I understood her premise correctly, whether
"empowered" female movie characters as well as real-life
examples, inspired women to be gunowners. Or, to use a more, well, realistic, example, you watch the terrifying but inspiring story of Pvt. Jessica Lynch unfold on the 24-hour cable news channel of your choice, and think, "yes, I've delayed too long-this weekend I become the proud owner of a Browning Pro-9." What you basically want to say in these situations is, "um,
uh, um, yes, but, um, uh." Lots and lots (and lots) of factors go into the decision to
become a gunowner, including outside dynamics such as current
events and even perception, as dramatized in popular culture,
or whether it's socially acceptable to be a gunowner. The facts of Jessica Lynch's heroism may indeed inspire some young women to join the armed forces, even though these same facts are a lot tougher reality than one is ever likely to see in a "gritty" movie. Heroism, most people will understand, takes more than an hour (less commercials). Most real heroes, we learn again and again, are people just like us who summon strength and courage in extraordinary moments. That's why we lionize people as heroes-because we all hope that we could find our way to act precisely at our best in the moment when it seems least likely. As to fictional heroism and heroines, again, there is some inspiration, but most people realize there will be a lot perspiration to follow, and that, in any event, it is unlikely that no matter how much you would like it otherwise, you are ever going to be able to affect the weather with a frown or trade quips with guys named "Malek" while wearing a bikini. It is fun to see a woman take a few names now and then, but most of us understand the line between faction and fiction, even if it is breathlessly labeled "based on a true story." And, while as a younger person I harbored some hopes of turning out exactly like Emma Peal of "The Avengers," it turned out quite differently. Gunowners often complain about the stereotypes in the media which show them as in-bred, gimme-capped morons, but we should also be wary of the super-sizing of myths, which all of a sudden, turn us into snappily-monikered girls in Spandex. Not only is it not true, but, frankly, it cheapens the real achievements of real women. The decision to own guns takes guts, but doesn't seek glory. A reality show based on the bureaucratic hoops-scurrying here and there for just the right paperwork- of becoming a licensed gunowner, would surely be cancelled before it made it to prime time. The hard work of training is more than a 3-minute montage set to music. And the work of real women-every day-deserves more than passing
attention to the latest trend.
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By
Peggy Tartaro,
