The scene appears to have been a staple of old Hollywood black and white movies:
A female gets mad at a guy and starts throwing dishes at him.
Recalling from my childhood, the scene happened in a wide range of movies: from Mrs. Hardy heaving them at Ollie .... to the big budget productions.
My question is prompted by an article in today's San Diego paper (written by a female) that a female has opened up a business where people can pay to break glass and china.
I searched on You Tube and what did I find? Females breaking glass.
So ladies: Have you ever broken china or glassware in anger? Is there something deep in the female psyche that prompts that conduct? Does it have anything to do with women's traditional role of being a "slave in the kitchen"?
My Motto: If your female is pissed, stay away from her kitchen.
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Females breaking dishes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpRM3yv01o0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78IC4r1bpw0
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"Store breaking new ground"
Business gives patrons a place to take out their frustrations
By Sharon A. Heilbrunn
STAFF WRITER
September 3, 2008
DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – Mortgage payments.
Smash!
Gas prices.
Ten-hour workdays.
Crash!
At Sarah's Smash Shack, a new business in downtown San Diego, everyday frustrations often join the plates, glasses and photo frames patrons pay to hurl against a wall.
Owner Sarah Lavely, a former veterinarian, has drawn a strange satisfaction from breaking things ever since she was a little girl. She said she opened the bright, compact storefront on Sixth Avenue to give people a chance to try it in a “supportive, appropriate environment.”
In the lobby there is a white cabinet filled with delicate pieces – vases, ceramic plates, dainty glass flowers.
“People say they don't like to break things that are so nice,” Lavely, 38, said. “But I like to.”
Customers can choose from a menu of destruction. There's the Smash Shack House Special (15 plates, 15 minutes, $45) or Lover's Lane (three glass flowers for $10).
Bad breakup? Bring in a photo. They frame it; you chuck it.
Feeling a little dark? Hurl two gothic glass candlesticks.
Or, bring in your own stuff to smash, such as an old cell phone or a vase filled with dead flowers from the paramour you thought was the one.
Customers are wrapped in coveralls, gloves and a helmet, then led into one of two “Break Rooms,” where they stand behind a 3-foot-high barrier and throw the items against a large sheet of stainless steel. Black and white checkered foam covers the walls. Lavely provides a Sharpie if smashers want to pen a message on a plate before they chuck it.
The experience is a rush, albeit a quick one. When it's over, Lavely donates the shards to schools, artists and nonprofits to use in mosaic pieces.
Emily Whelan, 19, recently took her frustrations out on two plates, six small glasses and two gothic candlesticks.
“I'm stressed right now,” she said, declining to elaborate, as she signed her release form.
With Linkin Park playing in the background, she hurled the objects without hesitation, green glass splintering off the silver wall.
“I feel incredible,” she said afterward. “I'm shaking. My heart is pounding.”
Smashing is not about anger, Lavely says, but about celebration. “Celebrate that breakup . . . . Good riddance!” reads her Web site. “Celebrate dumping that job you hated anyway!” “Celebrate Friday night!”
“It's more about doing something naughty,” Lavely said. “We want everyone to know there's some quirky thing you can go do to forget about life for a few minutes.”
Lavely's advice for novice smashers?
“Don't hold back,” she said. “Don't be afraid or shy.”
Lavely doesn't know of any similar businesses in the country. When she came up with the idea, she shared it with her colleague, veterinary technician Ed King. He jumped on board as co-owner. They did some research on how certain types of glass break and outfitted the rooms with MP3 hookups so customers could smash to their favorite song.
For now, customers need to be at least 15, and if they're under 18, they need a parent's signature. Couples, friends, bachelorette and birthday parties are welcome. Even support groups have been encouraged to try the experience.
But not everyone thinks it's such a smashing idea to break for stress relief or therapy. Christina Zampitella, a clinical psychologist in Kearny Mesa, said the outcome depends on the person.
“If you've got someone that doesn't have an issue with expressing their feelings in a constructive or assertive way, this might be fun and different,” she said. “But for others, smashing things is emphasizing that you don't need to use words to express your feelings. You can be violent.”
To Joe Barros, a passer-by on vacation from Illinois, the experience seems like an impulse buy.
“I personally wouldn't spend $45,” he said. “But I'd drop $10 on it easily.”
