Nothing is new. I have been surfing the net looking to find other opinions and insight into my personal struggle with the nature of being a man, and came across a series of articles written for the Washington Post. Details after the jump. You can read the articles here . Here is the line that caught my attention "Surprisingly, although men and women agreed they should have equal work opportunities, and men said they approved of women working outside the home, large majorities of both said it would be better if women could instead stay home and just take care of the house and children." This was written in March of 1998.
Nice to know that people have been struggling with this for at least a decade. I think what it really comes down to is that many woman would like to stay home and raise the kids. So why aren't they? A couple of reasons jump out at me. First, society has placed such an emphasis on material success that two incomes have become the norm. You need both parents to be working so you can afford a nice car, and a nice house, and shiny new toys. Second, I know that if I had specnt a huge amount of time and money becoming successful in this world, it would be damn difficult to get me to give it up. Finally, I think many women feel pressure from other woman not to be "just" a mom. As if somehow they are betraying womankind by being a mom.
I am certain that there are hundreds of reasons that woman continue to work as opposed to staying home (certainly, simply having the option to work in their chosen career is a good one). However, I think society as a whole suffers for it.
I will have more on this series of articles in the next few days.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Nearly 10 years ago
Posted by
struggleformeaning
at
5:42 PM
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Labels: gender roles, Men, society, Washington Post
Monday, August 20, 2007
War changes everything
It should be obvious that the times one lives in can have a tremendous impact on the worldview of any generation. Those who fought in WWII have an inherent certainty that they can handle anything. They saw themselves (rightfully so in my opinion) as the saviors of the world. They were scared, but they did it anyway. When the rest of the world was on its knees, with only the British still standing tall and free, they fought, and they won. They are the last true heroes. Then they came home, and they saw the world they had fought so hard for, shed blood for, laid down their lives for, change.
Russia went from ally to enemy in the blink of an eye. Nazi's were replaced by commies, Germany with Russia and China. Nuclear war wasn't a question of "if" but "when." They were sure that it would happen ("Duck...and cover"). The Korean war was, at best, a draw. Those who fought in Korea saw their country show weakness for the first time. They knew defeat.
Then a new level of cynicism entered the lives of the next generation After McCarthy and Nixon they felt they could no longer blindly trust in the government. Those who fought in Nam KNOW they can’t trust the government, or even their own commanding officers. They have seen their country lose a war. They have seen soldiers who risked their lives spit on and called baby killers. They saw JFK, RFK and MLK gunned down.
Today, we have seen an attack on our own soil. We saw our hunt for the killers sidetracked into a "greater war on terror" that has cost us more lives than the attack itself, while also weakening our moral stance in the worlds eyes. We have seen secret torture camps, and not-so-secret torture camps (Abu Ghraib).
We are a generation that has traded security for liberty. That has been all but abandoned by its leaders, where any man or woman who possesses real leadership ability would never subject themselves to the witch hunt that is a political campaign these days. Where a soundbite has replaced thoughtful dialog, a good haircut substitutes for solutions.
Who can we look to for guidance? For a way to live? Who are our role models? Athletes with coke-problems who beat their wives? Celebrities? Models? In all honesty Barak Obama (who, in the interest of full disclosure, I probably won't vote for due to a lack of foreign policy experience) is the first politician I have ever heard publicly state that he doesn't have all the answers. That is powerful to me. "I don't know" is often the best answer. It doesn't mean that you don't want to know the answer, it simply acknowledges that some questions deserve more than a simple easy 10 word answer.
I can always look up to my father, who served in the Air Force between Korea and 'Nam. He raised two great kids (if I do say so myself), started a successful business, and has been married to my mom for nearly half a century. But I don't know that I can have a life like his. Mom stayed home to raise us (we had a cleaning woman who helped out). She had dinner on the table when he got home, and kept us out of his hair after bad days at the office. She ran the family, so that Dad could focus on work, and providing for us (which he did very well). I can't seem to find a "wife" these days. Part of that is my own fault, as I find intelligence a turn-on. Smart woman just do it for me. However, smart women these days have great careers. My sister is a good example - partner at a law firm, husband at a hedge-fund (yeah, they're loaded). Huge house in the suburbs...and 3 kids being raised by a nanny for the most part. Don't get me wrong, my sis and her hubby are great parents. They spend as much time with the kids as they can. I just think kids need their mom around.
What do you think (hypothetical non-existent reader)? Are there woman out there who don't buy into the theory that wanting to be a mom is a cardinal sin? That are up for the challenge of raising kids full time? That are willing to run the family while the husband "brings home the bacon?"
Posted by
struggleformeaning
at
7:45 PM
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comments
Labels: gender roles, generation gap, role models, war
Why now?
So if I have been struggling with these questions, why publish a blog now? It seems silly, but it's due to a TV show. I started watching Mad Men on AMC (which you should be watching Thursdays at 10PM). It is set at an advertising agency on Madison Avenue (thus the name) in 1960. It reminds us that everyone used to smoke everywhere. That it used to be okay to have a bottle of scotch in your office, and have a drink or three in the middle of the day. That sexual harassment laws were created for a reason (but have they gone too far?). That women used to fear divorce as a fate worse than death. Perhaps most importantly, it reminded me that while many may hearken back to "the good old days," they weren't that great if you were black or Jewish or a woman.
Most important, for this blog, it reminded me that people have always struggled for meaning in their lives. During one episode, our main character (Don Draper - played with smoldering star-making power by Jon Hamm) has a friend tell him that he has, essentially, achieved the American dream. Beautiful wife, amazing job, financial security, house in the suburbs, two cute kids. He "has it all." Draper responds "Yep, this is it." It both validates the premise (that he does have it all), while at the same time destroying it (this is it?!?).
Posted by
struggleformeaning
at
7:37 PM
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comments
Labels: gender roles, Mad Men, sexual harassment
The Quest Begins
I have been struggling, for what seems like my entire life, to find answers to what seem like simple questions on some level: What does it mean to be a man?
What am I supposed to do now?
What does it mean to be happy?
Is America better off now than it was in the past?
What can I learn from what has come before?
Why can't I ask for, and enjoy, what I truly want sexually?
Is it wrong to want a wife (meaning a stay at home mom who has dinner on the table)?
Just to give you a sense of my own cowardice, I haven't told anyone I know that I am writing this. I want a place where I can muse and ponder and posit without concern for judgment in the real world. This is my place to struggle for meaning.
If anyone ever reads this (which I doubt), and wants to comment, feel free. Here are the ground rules:
1) Say what you feel, try not to censure yourself. Are you racist? Antisemitic? Misogynistic? Let that viewpoint color your comments. Pretending that people don't think or feel things that others find distasteful is ludicrous and counter-productive. However, that leads us to:
2) Your comment must advance the conversation. Just posting to say that I am an idiot or that a commenter is a jackass, or that Jews are the devil, will get your comment deleted.
My next post will start the conversation.
Posted by
struggleformeaning
at
7:33 PM
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Labels: gender roles, Men, philosophy, struggle