Awareness of the outside world. Yesterday. “At 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first known explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.” History.com, This Day in History: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach Everest summit. When I was growing up, the only name we heard was Hillary. This is progress. Did you know Norgay had gotten close before? “Two climbers, Raymond Lambert and Tenzing Norgay, reached 28,210 feet, just below the South Summit, but had to turn back for want of supplies.” ibid.
~~~
The struggle was real.
I remember a joke going around, perhaps early 70s?
Father and son are in a car accident. Both hurt. Taken to hospital.
Surgeon announces, “I can’t operate. This is my son.”
What?!?!
The surprise implication being that the surgeon was a woman! the mother!
We were evolved enough to know that women could be doctors, surgeons even. The shock of the joke was, ‘Oh, of course, women can be doctors.’ and then be a bit embarrassed that this hadn’t occurred to you. The joke confounded assumptions that you didn’t realize you still had.
Nowadays, no one would get the joke.
Even more so because the surgeon could be a man and also be the kid’s parent.
Previous Post
I seem to be doing a Women in Medicine series. [Witness To History, Years Ago In The Emergency Room, With Apologies]
I really & truly didn’t think she was a doctor. On the plus side, my mother was probably horrified. Times were changing.
Onwards!
Katherine
Virtual Brush Box 