Harrop: What Betty White and other Golden Girls got right

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By Froma Harrop / syndicated columnist

Ever notice how many landmark sitcoms feature four female friends? The generations change. The original “Sex and the City” was mostly Generation X, and “Girls” were millennials. Their trailblazer was “Golden Girls,” about older women sharing a midcentury home in Miami. But the stories all center on single women (never married, divorced or widowed) trying to get through the day.

The formula rests on conflicting personalities. The women each face their age-appropriate humiliations, but at the end, they limp home to the warmth and comfort of their all-female pod.

Betty White was the last surviving principal of “Golden Girls.” The obituaries track her 99 years in movies and on television but also her personal history as a spirited daughter of the Midwest, who drove a truck during World War II. White embodied decency, for example, brushing off racist practices in show business. She was well groomed and wouldn’t give up on manners. She could make the saucy remark but didn’t throw around the “F” word.

White may be best remembered for her role in “Golden Girls” as the clueless Rose, an innocent from the fictional town of St. Olaf, Minn. As in all these sitcoms, personal traits provide funny contrast. Rose, Blanche (the Southern sexpot played by Rue McClanahan), Dorothy (Bea Arthur’s retired schoolteacher) and Sophia (Dorothy’s feisty mother acted by Estelle Getty), all bounce off one another.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/harrop-what-betty-white-and-other-golden-girls-got-right/

[left-of-center2012]

1. "never married, divorced, or widowed" ?

That certainly does not describe the Golden Girls.

Dorothy was divorced and the other three were widowed.

[Silver Gaia]

2. Turn it around... widowed, divorced, or never married...

That's what was meant, but it was phrased poorly. I was confused at first, too.

[left-of-center2012]

3. Their trailblazer was "Golden Girls,"

the stories all center on single women (never married, divorced or widowed)

[niyad]

5. Single, meaning either never married, or they were divorced, or they were widowed.

It was awkward phrasing, but those are the options.

[Silver Gaia]

7. Right.

Thank you!

[Silver Gaia]

6. I think you misunderstood me, too.

Here's a complete quote:

The original “Sex and the City” was mostly Generation X, and “Girls” were millennials. Their trailblazer was “Golden Girls,” about older women sharing a midcentury home in Miami. But the stories all center on single women (never married, divorced or widowed) trying to get through the day.

The words in parentheses are meant to describe the types of single women in all these stories. In that light, think of the words "never married" as a term describing single women who have never married. That's one type. Other types of single women in these stories are divorced or widowed (those who were previously married). Had the writer written "divorced, widowed, or never married" to describe these types of single women, the meaning would have been clear.

As written, our brains want to use the word "never" as a modifier for all three of the words that follow, so "never married, never divorced, never widowed." But since we know that is not true, it becomes confusing. Thats why I said it confused me, too, at first. Then, I realized what was meant. So, I suggested that you think of the terms in reverse order. Had the writer reversed the terms, the intended use of "never" would have been much more clear. Like this:

The original “Sex and the City” was mostly Generation X, and “Girls” were millennials. Their trailblazer was “Golden Girls,” about older women sharing a midcentury home in Miami. But the stories all center on single women (divorced, widowed, or never married) trying to get through the day.

Written in this way, it is much easier to see that "never" only refers to the word married, not divorced and widowed as well.

A good copy editor should have caught that, but alas, far too few publications employ copy editors these days. (My daughter works as a copy editor. I teach, so I edit language for a living, too. This is a common lament we share.)

I hope that helps. ? I am just trying to be helpful.

[RussBLib]

4. St Olaf is a real town in Minnesota

and there is a college there by the same name.

[ahlnord]

8. Not quite

There is no town in Minnesota by the name of St. Olaf. There is, however, a private Lutheran liberal arts college - St. Olaf College - in the town of Northfield, Minnesota. The college was founded in 1874 by Norwegian immigrants and was named after the patron saint of Norway. St. Olaf died in battle against heathen Vikings in 1030 during his campaign to Christianize Norway. He was canonized in 1164.

[RussBLib]

10. you are right about the school in Northfield

but my Google Maps shows a St Olaf Township off I-94 close to Dalton, MN

[Beatlelvr]

9. When I was in Ireland back in 86

We were staying in the dorms at Trinity College. (This was a bare bones student tour.) Some of us went into the students' tv lounge, and all of a sudden several students came in and sat down. Turns out they were waiting for The Golden Girls to start!

[róisín_dubh]

11. I used to watch GG with my grandma

back in the 80s (so when I was 5-8 maybe).
When Betty White died, I felt like my grandma went too (she’s been dead nearly 20 years). It brought back such funny memories.