Noah Berlatsky, Why am I a male feminist?
But I’m also a feminist for selfish reasons. I’m the primary caretaker for our son — I stay home with him when he’s sick (there he is on the futon right now, actually, watching Doctor Who with the cat sacked out beside him). I deal with school events and playdates; I schlep him to all his activities. There was a time not so long ago where doing any of those things would have made me the object of ridicule, and quite possibly self-loathing as well. Today, though, it’s no big deal — and the reason for that is feminism. […]
It empowers me. It allows me to take on roles that have traditionally been associated with women.
It isn’t the piece’s short length that makes the sentiments appear shallow, but rather Noah’s facile presentation that Left-feminism is to be credited with his ability to be a SAHD.
Now, leave aside for a moment that conservatives have a lot less to say about the sex of the parent who decides to stay home than about having at least one parent stay home with the kids. Noah posits that Left-feminism allows him to take on these duties without ridicule.
Let me posit that Left-feminism still beats the drum that no woman should be a SAHM, pointing to pieces like NYTimes Magazine’s article on opt-out moms wanting back in as something that should scare the crap out of you (and make you a Leftist demanding Government mandates in paid maternity leave, etc).
Let Noah write his piece from a conservative POV — that he’s doing it for the best interests of his marriage and family, even toss a few lines about being able to volunteer at church and God’s blessings — and see how long it takes before he is made the object of ridicule and derision.
Monty at Ace has a good writeup about that NY Times Magazine story linked above.
Over the years, I have read any number of articles about lib yuppie couples with SAHDs wherein the wife/breadwinner has decided to treat the husband like Don Draper treats his women. Oddly, a number of them have appeared in Slate and The New Yorker.
geoffb
That’s pretty good … I’ve been mulling over the NYT thing for a couple of days but its like
LIFE AINT FAIR, GROW UP .. that I keep getting back to and geez, I might get called unhelpful or something
Why are these lefty guys so desperate to have a vagina?
They have just totally embraced the leftist version of feminism is all. The entire society does its best to discourage men to be men, and they have taken they easy way out by capitulating.
I’m right there with you, Darleen. I’d add: Decisions have consequences, and There is no perfect, pain free solution.
I’m not sure why that 2nd article is supposed to scare the bejeezus out of me. SAHM have trouble re-entering the workforce, or women without a job have identity issues? This is not news. However, this nebulous third option where employers are forced to accommodate working parents that will make it all better is a crock. Work still needs to get done, kids still need time with their parents, and the household chores never go away (unless you can afford to outsource). It will always be a challenge to balance all of these, and you will never not feel a bit guilty/wonder if taking a different path would have been better. Deal with it.
Why are these lefty guys so desperate to have a vagina?
Q: Why is the United States so desperate to become a European Social-Democracy?
A: Because it’s cool. (And the U.S. lost that battle in the Cold War by default. Doesn’t seem to have even known there was a battle, actually.)
My husband is currently a SAHD, more by circumstance than choice, and he’s no feminist. He’s a parent and husband, and once we were married we started making decisions about what’s best for the family as well as accepting short-term pain for long-term gain. Both of us would prefer our roles to be reversed (that had been the plan), but that’s not what life was offering us at the moment, and we have a kid to raise.
I am just recalling how respectful the Leftoids were about you being a SAHD, Jeff.
Trying to, anyway. I can’t really remember a specific instance, but I am confident that absolutely no one referred to you as e.g. “a screamingly successful hausfrau”.
Oh. Exact quote is “our favorite failed academic-cum-screamingly successful hausfrau”.
But that was doubtless some right-wing knuckledragger that called you that.
Do you guys remember all the grief that Fred MacMurray suffered through 12 years of My Three Sons? Every episode was just full of him getting grief and ridicule from uncaring, unthinking, unfeeling, knuckle-dragging racist conservative scum.
Ixnay on the eneralizationgay.. Vlad Putin is a Lefty Guy and I’m pretty sure he’s not desperate to have a vagina.. at least not beyond the 52 he pleasured just last night… Man’s man that he is..
Andrew Ferguson: The Oldest War
Because vaginas are fashionable and penises aren’t.
Vaginas are so 2009.
This has to relate somehow.
It just has to.
Matt Damon is either gullible or dishonest enough to make an anti-fracking movie after the anti-fracking case it was based on was exposed as a hoax and then changed the movie so the crank was a plant from the oil companies to discredit anti-frackers. And he was being funded by OPEC nationals while doing it.
I’m going to skip Elsium even though it’s got powered armor, sci-fi and space. Fuck you Matt. And you too El presidente maximo supremo el jefe salvador.
I’m going to skip Elysium even though it’s got powered armor, sci-fi and space.
We’ve been calling it “Occupy Low Earth Orbit.”
It sounds like a yawnfest. Haven’t there been a shitload of apocalyptic movies made in the past 5-10 years? How many desert moonscape-like sets filled with bombed out buildings occupied by Bad Guys who have set up some sort of fiefdom, while enslaving wimmins and beta males do we need? Book of Eli was the last one that I saw and it was HG Wells enough for this girl.
The whole planet is Detroit and the Rich live in a space suburb Sixty Miles up. And Markey Mark is going to get the cure for cancer from them for Matt Damon because Obamacare doesn’t cover cancer cures.
Been done better, at least once, 23 years ago, without any prissy boy actors needed.
Or Swift’s Laputa…
Very good, palaeo. I was only thinking back two centuries, myself.
I was going to use Miyazaki’s version but went more heavy metal.
Filner must remain as Mayor otherwise all the progress progressives have made in San Diego could suffer horrible setbacks. Remember ladies, your kids need Filner and Filner needs you.
Yeah San Diego is the kind of city a perv would be the mayor of.
Filner almost okay, needs a “don’t grab stranger’s tits class” because he like didn’t know. Meanwhile Akin = Satan’s direst farts causing the bloody flame-wreathed downfall of the republic and premium cable.
My god, geoff. What a bunch of garbage. Progessive? Sure.
Been done better, at least once, 23 years ago, without any prissy boy actors needed.
Gally is cuter and a better fighter as well.