House of Eratosthenes

The question is not whether something can be done about it, but more like whether this is productive thinking at all. The conclusion doesn’t allow for the observations to be translated into any kind of useful advice, even if every single fact is verified and every single realization is validated. I mean, seriously, how could it?

What t’heck can you do with this? Where can you go with it?

Ann Romney took pains to present her marriage as a real marriage, not a storybook authored by rich Mormons who like to weave ribbons into their horse’s tails. She mentioned the basement apartment, and her illnesses, and lonely afternoons at home with squabbling boys. But it’s not her particular marriage that gets in the way of reaching certain women, it’s her entire worldview. In Ann Romney’s world, high-school sweethearts are to be trusted, and women should give in and trust them. They do not fail women and they do not let women down, as she said of Mitt. It’s a little bit like Paul Ryan’s imaginary world where men trek off to the tire plant every day and come home and fix the screen door.

But this is not a world that Obama negated with his economic policies; it’s a world that has been slowly disappearing for decades. Most children born to women under 30 now are born to single mothers and in their world, the men are not really to be trusted and they do let people down.

I suppose, what we would be looking at is a lifestyle dedicated to doing things for oneself. The single mother squishes the spider herself, or opens her own jar, or approaches a kindly male neighbor to do such things. Women are people and people can be smart; they adapt. But, question: How does that adaptation translate into an attitude taken into the voting booth? Once such an attitude does emerge, is it a positive one? How could it be?

I’m sure there is polling data to back up Ms. Rosin’s uh…concerns. That’s a real shame. Are none of these women, who’ve been let down by men, ready to welcome the idea that other women are more fortunate? No? They aren’t capable of it, or they don’t want to allow for it? Do they have any idea how catty that makes them look? They wish to represent their entire gender with this acrimonious sentiment…do they understand how much that would discredit the female sex? “I can’t depend on men so I don’t want anyone else to be able to”?

We come here to an unpleasant truth about America: Due to the country’s history, and its unique record of economic success, it is home to a broad range of lifestyles and backgrounds. Our impulse has been to mutter some bromide about “Well, that’s what makes us stronger” and think on it no more. We-ell, not so fast there…it takes a certain level of maturity to say to oneself “There are lots of people in the country who don’t live life the way I do, and that is just fine.” Many among our fellow citizens lack this level of maturity. And it is an unfortunate reality that it will always be the people who can’t make things work, or won’t, who are missing the maturity. That matters because it is an act of acquiescence…

Where I’m going with it is: If we have a pattern in which the dysfunctional people enjoy this luxury of standing rigid, with an attitude of “everyone living in this country must live the way I do,” and it is the functional people who must yield, then ultimately the entire country has to become dysfunctional. The mass communication is killing us. It’s making the dysfunctional people aware that there are others who are doing better, succeeding where they have failed, and giving those dysfunctional people the tools needed to cut everyone else down to size.

So Ann Romney is alienating the crazy cat ladies. Eh, I shouldn’t say that…the problem applies to single women who were stuck with a kid, through no fault of their own, and the spinsters who simply might not have found the right fella. And the widows and the rape victims who got pregnant and the — well, let’s face it, this is part of the crowd too — the girls who never were taught any of the good things about having or being a man, and have made a lifestyle out of dating vegan ferret-faced trench coat wearing skinny losers, who can’t change oil and can’t tie knots, but who, scare quotes intentional, “makes me laugh.”

Every demographic listed above offers an entirely valid claim to our sympathies, even the ones that can’t think straight. But it does not necessarily follow that Ms. Romney, or the Republican party for that matter, should do anything for them. Even if that means losing elections; it’s not a matter of winning elections, it’s a matter of “you aren’t saying anything if you aren’t rejecting anything.” And the message is a simple one. The message is that people are good. People are worthy. Women are people…so are men.

Your observations are all entirely valid, Ms. Rosin; I’ve met the very people you are describing and what you have said about them, and their reactions, is spot-on.

But, swing-and-a-miss, nevertheless. The problem isn’t what you’ve been noticing, it’s what you haven’t been noticing.

God, where do they get these people? This whole stupid argument is exactly the reason why most women no longer identify themselves as feminists. Feminists sold out to the radical lesbians that took over the group. (And don’t try taking me to task on this because I was a regular reader of Ms. back in the day and saw it all happen.) Feminists have never been able to connect with women that don’t think like they do, therefore there must be something wrong with them. We have a generation of women raised with those poisonous attitudes, who have been told on tv, print and movies that men are wimps and not to be trusted. It is a damn good thing that we live in such soft times that they can do this, although their failure to understand that the family is an economic units dooms most of them to a life of poverty.

I can easily understand why Ms. Rosen would have problems having a lasting relationship with a man who no doubt would let her down by failing to do her bidding. I personally had a successful marriage of 37 years. (My husband died in 2008 of pnuemonia at age 59). While there might have been times when my husband let me down, I could always trust and count on him. She has no idea what she is missing.
- teripittman | 08/31/2012 @ 18:57
“I can easily understand why Ms. Rosen would have problems having a lasting relationship with a man who no doubt would let her down by failing to do her bidding. ” Agreed. The dysfunction informs our expectations and we can never succeed past our expectations – no matter how much help we have. God help us… revival is just old speak for REBOOT !!
- yodi-va | 09/01/2012 @ 07:47

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent

Items of Interest

Monthly Archives

What They Say

Links

“…And They Do Let People Down”Friday, August 31st, 2012

“…And They Do Let People Down”
Friday, August 31st, 2012