The Washingtonienne gave me gonorrhea – figuratively, not technically speaking. Here’s now it happened. Last night, I bumped into Nichelle at the 5th Anniversary Cupcake Takes the Cake Party. In passing, she mentioned recently hanging out with Jessica, author of The Washingtonienne, in New York. I forgot she lived here. So, today, I looked up her book again to see what she’s been up to. In an odd chain of ADHD point and clicking, I traveled from Cutler’s wikipedia page to The Smoking Gun to TSG’ videos. There’s where I got the idea to write about “gonorrhea.” Why? Well, one of TSG’s most frequently viewed clips is a vintage United States War Department Army Service Forces short film about sexual health called Easy To Get. Of course I watched it! Who doesn’t love a dirty girl?
Easy To Get contains so much WIN that I don’t even know where to start. Hmmm, maybe my favorite part is the section where the narrator reminds us it’s better for a baby to DIE than be born with syphilis. Or, maybe this part was the best:
ARMY DUDE: “You got gonorrhea , Baker.”
CORPORAL BAKER: “Gonorrhea?!?! I don’t know how I …”
ARMY DUDE: “I do. You had a dirty woman!”
CORPORAL BAKER: “No sir [...] She wasn’t a prostitute!”
ARMY DUDE: “You known her long?”
CORPORAL BAKER: “I met her the day I got home!”
ARMY DUDE: “On the street or in a bar?”
CORPORAL BAKER: “I don’t mess around with street walkers [...]“
Yes, my friends, street walkers are living gonorrhea vessels. Easy To Get is Made Of Win :) And ooh, ooh, ooh … how could I NOT love the part where the music turns sinister and Mr. Announcer says the girl seemed nice enough but SHE WAS DIRTY ON THE INSIDE!! :) Easy To Get = Easy To Love. Tons of great messages about health, clearing up STDs / STIs misconceptions about “the strain,” women’s roles in spreading disease and other fun stuff. See how the internet works? It goes from Jessica Cutler to The Smoking Gun to The Army … somehow gonorrhea gets mixed in … and then it goes to YOU via Funky Brown Chick. C’est tout! That’s all I’ve got for you today. Just a quick and “dirty” (ha, ha) post because I’m rolling toward Philadelphia as I type this. By the way, THANK YOU to the lovely folks at Bolt Bus. Their ridiculously inexpensive pricing — coupled with a great Priceline deal for a nice 4-star waterfront hotel — delivered quick and wonderful 3 day / 2 night weekend trip to see a friend. (Will tweet and post Philly pictures on my Flickr.)
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Credit paid: Dirty girl image is a self portrait by Phoney Nickle
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Great meeting you last night!
And I so have interwebz adhd. Interesting where it lands you.
You too!! :) And, yeah, I sooooo know what you mean about adhd web surfing. :) I landed on the “Easy to Get” video and I thought, “This HAS TO be a spoof! This can’t be real.” Amazing what you find on the internet, no?
I remember seeing a vintage clip on Ebaum’s world that illustrated one of the main reasons for the inability for some white sub-urban couples to have children back in 1940s’ or 50s’.
Basically it was lack of knowledge of intercourse on the part of the couples. Lol, the narrator reasoned the husband wouldn’t penetrate due to deeply religious beliefs or upbringing.
Lol
Wow. Sooo glad we’ve come a long way in science and sex ed. It’s shameful how women were portrayed in the clip. smh.
AnthonyB: I love these old clips. Makes me realize how much and changed and, in some instances, how much hasn’t.
NeoAfroGuy: Yeah, the clip was SOOO over the top that I couldn’t stop laughing at it. I’m not joking; I kept thinking: “This can’t be real!!” :)
Those old “PSA’s” Kill me. LOL
Like the young naive guy who says ” But Sarge her name was Amy…..No girl named Amy has the clap…”
Sarge replies ” The best hooker in NY is named Amy , kid….”
naive guy ” Golly!!”
Sarge, ” Look kid…you’re a nice guy….stick with these” Hands Naive guy a condom and jar of vaseline….
naive guy beaming” Thanks Sarge!!” as they look off into a red sunset with the star spangled banner playing….
Isn’t it WONDERFUL?!?!! :)