Free Men
I just had a eureka moment due to a comment I made on another blog (Antonia Zerbisias' "Broadsides") regarding women and equality. I had posted "equality will be reached when women stop giving a rat's ass what society thinks and start doing whatever the hell they want".
But then I realized, nope, that's asking women to deny a whack load of evolutionary reality telling us to put our security concerns first - all of which are regarding men and the fear that a giant plastic hand - i.e. "Gawd" - will descend from the sky and swat us dead if we don't. I mean, even in nature where life is supposed to make sense, where species are supposed to want to survive through their young, the mother polar bear takes off with the youngun's to live their lives on the run from the father polar bear, who, now that he knows there are tender and easy pickin's out on the frozen tundra, well, can't be trusted not to snack on the chillin's 'til they're all gone.
(I don't know a single human mother who hasn't, at one time or another, had to hide the next day's meal behind other food in the fridge from a marauding partner, either, but that's not really my point today.)
So, it struck me that I've got it backwards and that it's MEN who should "stop giving a rat's ass what society thinks and start doing whatever the hell they want". Then, when women see that a giant plastic hand doesn't (unless it does...) descend from the sky to swat them dead, women will feel safe copying men. (Unless what men want is for a giant plastic hand to descend from the sky to swat women dead, but that's not really my point today, either.)
And why should women take ALL the progressive risks for none of the credit, anyway? Let's face it - men aren't happy. Especially the ones who play by society's rules - get married, buy a house in the suburbs, have kids, buy an SUV, all the while working in office jobs they don't like much either and counting the years until retirement. They're miserable. What's worse is, they blame women for their misery. Especially Feminists. Because while women may feel they have more choices nowadays (yay!) - men just feel like they have to do more work than ever before. Because it's not enough to bring home the bacon, anymore - they have to cook it on Mother's Day now, too. Besides, the old ball & chain can buy her own bacon. Meanwhile, women spend all their time trying to get men to at least PRETEND this is the life they want because, of course, marriage is women's work. Society dictates very clearly that it is up to women to make marriage work, and if you can't, well, don't blame society for your marriage failing, you who put everything but hubby's happiness who doesn't want to be in this shared life any more than you do - first.
Well, guess what, everybody? Marriage doesn't work because men don't really want to be married. They feel railroaded, that none of the decisions being made in their lives are their own. Indeed, not only do they not want to be married, they don't want to be living in well-appointed houses iin the suburbs with two kids and a mortgage and housework after office work and, oh yeah, a wife who isn't all that happy, either - and therefore doesn't have sex with Mr. Miserable at the top of her to do list for the evening.
And yet, men keep tying the knot.
Well, I say it's time for men to stop giving a rat's ass what society thinks and start doing whatever the hell they want. Which would not only free up women from taking all the blame for men being miserable, not to mention free up a lot of time wasted trying to make men NOT miserable, but which would totally give women the go ahead to do what THEY want, too. And that may well be living in the suburbs, etc, etc, much as they are now - except without wasting their lives trying to make men want their lives, too.
