A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from November 29, 2014
“If it has tires or testicles, you’re going to have trouble with it”

“A Woman’s Rule of Thumb: If you have ties or testicles, you’re going to have trouble with it” (also, “If it has tires or testicles, it’s gonna give you trouble” and “If it has tires or testicles, it’s gonna give you problems”) is a popular saying that has been printed on many posters. The saying appeared on a poster that was photocopied by Ohio State Senator Linda Furney, who showed it to other delegates at the Democratic National Convention in New York City in July 1992,  when the saying made national news.
 
 
Google News Archive
15 July 1992, Reading (PA) Eagle, “Clinton is cheered for pledge of fidelity to feminist agenda” (Knight-Ridder Newspapers), pg. A8, col. 4:
And while Clinton may have survived reports of marital infidelity, lingering distrust with party leaders can be summed up in an acidic quote by Ohio state Sen. Linda Furney, as reported in “The Getting It Gazette,” a feminist convention newspaper: “If it has tires or testicles, you’re going to have trouble with it.”
 
Google News Archive
22 July 1992, The Blade (Toledo, OH), “Furney says slogan was ‘joke, payback’” by Chase Clements, pg. 1, col. 1:
“If it has tires or testicles, you’re going to have trouble with it.”
—attributed to state Se, Linda Furney; Democratic National Convention, July 13, 1992.

 
The only problem with the attribution, the Toledo Democrat says, is that she did not say it, although she does not deny bringing the sentiment to the convention floor.
 
She says that before leaving for New York, she saw the saying on a poster in a friend’s office (she won’t say whose) under a heading that read, “This is a rule that has no exceptions.”
 
She thought it was funny, got a photocopy, and stuck it in her purse.
 
When she got to the convention floor, she was showing it to friends in the Ohio delegation, when a reporter for The Getting It Gazette, a convention-only newspaper, picked it up and printed it in Tuesday’s edition attributing it directly to Ms. Furney.
 
Google News Archive
24 July 1992, The Blade (Toledo, OH), “When the laugh falls flat” (editorial), g. 6, col. 1:
STATE Sen. Linda Furney circulates a sexist slam at men that gets national attention and then wonders why some people can’t take a joke.
 
A feminist newsletter which made the rounds at last week’s Democratic National Convention in New York City included a quote attributed to Ms. Furney: “If it has tires or testicles, you’re going to have trouble with it.” The Toledo Democrat now says that she didn’t really say it; she only passed along a slogan she saw on a poster in a friend’s office. Regardless, her comments were soon picked up by the Washington Post, the CBS Morning News, and other media.
 
Google News Archive
12 October 1994, The Blade (Toledo, OH), “Veteran, newcomer matched as state Senate candidates” by Tom Troy, pg. 3, col. 3:
Ms. Furney says she doesn’t run from her feminist background.
 
But there have been times she probably would like to. She is still explaining the remark attributed to her in 1992 that, “If it has tires or testicles, you’re going to have trouble with it.” She say the line on a poster, thought it was funny, and distributed a photocopy of it to friends at the 1992 Democratic National Convention.
 
Twitter
Connie Reece
‏@conniereece
Heiferdite says: If it has tires or testicles, it’s gonna be trouble.
5:28 PM - 24 Oct 2007
 
Twitter
Storm Arcana
‏@stormantic
“If it’s got tires or testicles, it’s gonna give you trouble.” (guess who)
2:15 AM - 27 Feb 2008
 
OCLC WorldCat record
Tires and testicles.
Author: James Weigand.
Publisher: [S.l.] : Xlibris Corp., 2010.
Edition/Format:   Book : English
 
Twitter
Rae Porter
‏@RaePo
Womans Rule of Thumb ., If it has Tires or Testicles ....You’re going to have trouble with it !!
6:07 PM - 28 Nov 2014

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityTransportation • Saturday, November 29, 2014 • Permalink


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