Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Why can't a man...

... be more like a man?

If there's anything the world does not need more of, it's sensitive New Age guys, men who want to abdicate their leadership roles in home and society to women, who've become more like women than women themselves.

I just sat in on a conference with the father of one of my students who has been suspended because of disruptive behavior. When she copped a haughty, defiant attitude, her dad tried to sweet-talk her into being nice.

Now, if that had been me with my dad... let's just say there would have been no question whatsoever who was the boss in that situation -- and it must be said that Daddy wouldn't have had to have raised a hand to me, either. He would simply have been in my face, letting me know in no uncertain terms, that I WOULD behave with respect toward my elders and my betters, OR ELSE... and he wouldn't have been the least concerned who was looking on to the display.

And you know what? My dad would have been absolutely right in doing it. It's not the administrator's job to correct that sort of behavior, although the two I was with certainly would. But it should be the parent, who has been raising the child and has to have the child go home with him at the end of the day. If the parents, especially fathers, abdicate their leadership roles with their children, then who can possibly compensate?

No one can. The child loses.

1 comment:

Andreas Meszaros said...

It's not an easy question to answer: I think it starts with the man giving in to his wife. And society has much to do with it: the way everything is set up, it's all stacked up against the man so that he cannot assert himself without endangering his marital stability. He has to make concessions, and play along in a highly womanized society. From economics, to food, to entertainment, to social life, to the workplace, to family life, much of everything is arranged to please the ladies. Look at an average shopping mall: millions of dollars invested, but to what end? What do you find there besides shoes and rags and metal rings? What is being advertised on TV? Stuff that guys want or need? Hardly. It is almost impossible for individual men to stand up to this vast machine, this establishment that little by little took all the bite out of man's authority. When a man doesn't own anything except a few plastic credit cards, he can't be too authoritative. Perhaps some day our economy will collapse and then women will depend on guys, for their strength, for their initiative, for their support. And then the guys will say: "now that I am in charge and you depend on me, let me be what I am meant to be". What do you think? Am I be right?