Write or Die - Hot Take

I'll admit coming up with a hot take for our writing group was a lot harder than I expected it to be. For those who are unfamiliar with the term: 

hot take (noun)
: a quickly produced, strongly worded, and often deliberately provocative or sensational opinion or reaction (as in response to current news)

I suppose this hot take is "in response to current news" to the extent that this about period simulators and my real life situation (ie. not simulated) has continued to level up. Since Ibuprophen hasn't even been taking the edge off on the really bad days, my doctor prescribed Meloxicam, an NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) like Ibuprophen, but stronger. Like I can only take it once a day kind of stronger. Sadly this last month I took it on the two worst days and it either didn't help or else it would have been that much worse without it (I shudder to think). Using a heating pad helps, but when you're dealing with both abdominal and back cramps, you end up juggling it back and forth...and that's when you're able to stay in one place, since you have to plug it in. 

Let's just say I'm taking increasing issue with Genesis 3:16: 

To the woman he said:
I will intensify your toil in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.

There ain't no childbearing happening at the moment. If anything, it's the opposite, so I officially object having to go through all of this. Maybe I'll write a letter or something. 😄😐

Separately, I find it concerning that "roofie" is the 5th most looked up word while I had Merriam-Webster Dictionary online open (it moved up to 4th then down to 6th after I took the screenshot). 😳 Also don't love that bootylicious was #1 the whole time. 

Ok, here’s my hot take - I think every high school freshman and college senior guy should be required to use a period pain simulator. These work similarly to TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) machines, in that they use electrical impulses. Unlike TENS, which use electrical currents to stimulate nerves and block pain signals to the brain, period simulators use electrical impulses to cause muscle contractions, mimicking uterine cramps.  

Most girls have started their periods by freshman year of high school, so this would help at least a portion of boys be more empathetic* to what their classmates (sisters/girlfriends) have to endure and, before graduating from college and entering the workforce, men would be reminded how their coworkers (girlfriends/wives) lives are affected while doing the same jobs. An eight year interlude between encounters seems more than reasonable, since for most women this is a monthly experience. 

In both scenarios, my suggestion would be to ask girls or women to volunteer to be the control group, to use the simulator first and provide a number that is a relative comparison to their typical pain level, as well as a particularly bad day. I think this makes the simulation more impactful, since then the guys’ experiences on the simulator can be directly compared to a specific person’s norm. 

Does this provide an accurate picture of what half the population goes through for 3-7 days a month? No, since there are a variety of symptoms, but period cramps are a PMS hallmark, as well as the easiest to simulate. Others, like fatigue, joint pain, bloating or anxiety would be harder to replicate. 

Admittedly the simulators provide an imperfect comparison, since the electrical current can only mimic the uterine muscles contractions, but it offers the closest replication. The example I’ve used in the past is the ache and soreness when you have a terrible flu or food poisoning, have been throwing up and are now just dry heaving. Your stomach muscles are tired, sore and everything hurts. Different muscles are obviously used, but it’s in the ballpark. This also doesn’t take into account that most women have multiple symptoms, some that change day-to-day. But focusing on one makes it simpler and easier to demonstrate.

What would this accomplish? Hopefully it would cause an increase in care and understanding by one half of the population for the other. Research has shown that empathy can be taught, and the simulator would literally (as possible) allow for being in someone else’s shoes. It could provide a shift in perspective, helping guys appreciate the extra effort their classmates, coworkers and family members have to put into normal, everyday actions while in discomfort or pain, and hopefully decrease dismissive behavior toward women for “being hormonal” or “dramatic.” Anecdotally, I’ve watched Youtube and Insta videos where men express their amazement of women being able to go about their lives while dealing with their period pain, since they could barely sit, let alone function, while using the simulators. Results like this would hopefully lead to the best case scenario - increased empathy that in turn grows into compassion.  Since the world could use more understanding and compassionate people, cultivating both in this area could have the beneficial effect of bleeding into other areas of a person’s life. 

Therefore, in an effort to increase empathy and compassion in our world, I return to my premise, that every high school freshman and college senior guy should be required to use a period pain simulator. 

Thank you for coming to my hot take talk. :) 

~ Katie Q. 🐧

*Empathy : the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.

Sympathy is a feeling of sincere concern for someone who is experiencing something difficult or painful. Empathy involves actively sharing in the person's emotional experience. 

Compassion and empathy both refer to a caring response to someone else’s distress. While empathy refers to an active sharing in the emotional experience of the other person, compassion adds to that emotional experience a desire to alleviate the person’s distress.