Singing karaoke is something that I had wanted to do for a really long time. Many opportunities arose but I was never able to take advantage of any of them, and it wasn’t until after I finally got to go that I realized what, or should I say who, had always kept me from doing it. Even on my 8 year wedding anniversary/long overdue honeymoon trip I had an opportunity and somehow got talked out of doing it again.
So, the day after the worst birthday I ever had, I finally went with my brother to sing karaoke and have been going pretty much every week since. And let me tell you, it is so much fun. Thursday night is the worst night of the week because that is the night the kids go to their dad’s house. The only thing that makes them bearable is gussying up and going out to sing songs about things that I could never really do without maybe going to jail.
I must say, up until recently, I didn’t really like that many female recording artists. The day after my hell on earth started, I listened to a couple songs by Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Pink, to name a few, and instead thought, ‘Ah, some women who understand me!’ I will admit, that until that day, I really didn’t like Katy Perry at all. I had heard the song “Roar” a few times before and thought to myself, if only I could be like that. That just happened to be the first of these songs that I listened to after all this mess started. I finally realized, I am like that, I just didn’t know it yet.
I am sure there are some men out there who just plain hate those women and their songs, but let me tell you something. You should probably thank those women for singing those songs. You see, when women get angry, they either hold it all in until it is too much to deal with and end up lashing out to unreasonable proportions, or they find some way to deal with it. That is why those songs have probably saved you a few times. Think of it this way, if the girls you wronged didn’t have those songs to listen to or sing along with to vent their anger towards you, you may have had to deal with the damage to your face, car or other property, or the part of your body that got you into trouble with them in the first place. So, for the sake of ‘your manhood,’ thank those women who wrote those songs.
Please understand that most of this is being written, at least to this level, just to be funny. I am in no way condoning violence or saying that anyone would be justified by doing it, though it would be incredibly satisfying, until the jail cell bars closed. What I am saying is that there is far too much screwing around going on and a lot of women (and men too) with justifiable anger because of it. For some people, doing some sort of physical activity helps bleed off some of that anger. I know that I have done my share of swimming laps, taking walks, and chopping wood in the last few months. But to me, karaoke has to be one of the most fun ways to get out some of my anger.
I also want to make it very clear that I don’t think that all men, or even a majority of men, are liars, cheaters, and betrayers. Quite the opposite actually. I am lucky enough to have so many good men in my life that I don’t have to go through an “all men are the same: jerks” stage. Instead, I have more hope for the future than I’ve ever had before. Someday someone is going to treasure the woman that someone else treated like trash. And if not, at least now I know that I am completely capable of taking care of myself.
Louisa Koch 