The ABC show 20/20 recently treated its viewers to an all-out condescending pity-party for the women it calls 'crazy cat ladies.' The segment hosted by Elizabeth Vargas, with an accompanying article online, was so over-the-top that it was almost a parody of itself.
The article begins this way:
"Single. Female. Three cats.Red flag! For most people, the combo invites the label Cat Lady, says Christie Callan-Jones, a filmmaker."
Vargas interviewed the filmmaker about "Cat Ladies," her documentary of four women with cats. Here are some of the quotes you will hear in the 20/20 piece, or the preview of it, and I swear I'm not making up any of them:
• "shadowy lives of cat ladies"
• "shadowy existence consumed by an uncontrollable connection to cats"
• These women "struggle with alienation, loss, and loneliness"
• She (one of the cat ladies) "feels like society has thrown her away"
• She (another cat lady) is "protecting herself with a wall of cats"
• "I'm starting to fall apart"
• The cats "aren't making it any easier for her to find a man."
Fortunately, the viewers were having none of it. The 175 comments posted (so far) to the online story are overwhelmingly excoriating. They take on Vargas, 20/20, and the filmmaker for the stereotyping of cat lovers, the disregard of the number of strays and the good some of these women were trying to do by caring for them, and much more.
I wrote previously about the bogus claim that singles who love their pets are just "compensating" for not having a spouse. That post was called, "What's with the cat, and other questions about singles and their pets."
Here I'll underscore just one big complaint about the 20/20 segment, the online story, and what I could tell about the documentary from these sources: They all create a gratuitous link between being single and being a crazy cat lady. All four of the women (continue reading here).
I saw Bella in the introduction of new documentary "Single" a recent BarnesandNoble.com" pick of the week"....very articulate. see www.singlefilm.com for more info on the film which is now available at netflix and major online DVD retailers as well as cable VOD nationwide untill end Jan 2010.
son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't
speak clearly. Dogs and cats are better than kids ...they eat less,
don't ask for money all the time, are easier to train, usually come
when called, never drive your car, don't hang out with drug-using
friends, don't smoke or drink, don't worry about having to buy the
latest fashions, don't wear your clothes, and don't need a
gazillion dollars for college - and if they get pregnant, you can
sell the children."
from a internet pass around that I have been sent several times. Makes sense to me!
Thank you, I agree. I said the same about three kittens I took in 22 years ago. One lived to be 15 yrs, one 17 yrs and my bad boy S. put to sleep at 21yrs. I don't regret it.
They were cute, didn't bother anyone, I didn't have to dress them and take them to school...............think twice before having kid's..........get a cat ladies.
In my opinion, the same applies to cats, except they're cheaper than children. Cats are entertaining to watch, their gracefulness is pleasurable to witness, and their silky fur feels good to the hand. My wife and I have always had cats, because we enjoy having them around. We've also got a daughter, which is certainly pleasurable, but cats have their own attraction.