Radical agenda diminishes fatherhood
In an earlier M other’s D ay article,I looked at motherhood,or what will be left of it,in the year 2115.A s Father’s D ay comes tomorrow,it’s a good time to examine the future of fatherhood. H owever,with fatherhood we only have to look ahead 50 years.
We start with what could have been an opening line for Joan R ivers: “Ladies,can we talk? What’s the purpose of men?” T hat’s an excellent question since manhood is no longer linked to classical male roles such as defense,politics,or even doing math.Putting nature versus nurture aside, we’re told women can fight,become corrupt, and can solve for “X” just like one of the guys.
T hat leaves fatherhood as possibly the last unique measure of manhood. A nd I mean fatherhood as exhibited by real men who help raise their children financially,physically and emotionally — what used to be called dads.
B ut the R ivers-esque question above hides another message;manhood and fatherhood have become nothing more than jokes.T elevision,films, ads,music and other media reflect societal attitudes,and we find the male/father figure is typically displayed as a buffoon.We’ve gone from Ward Clever to H omer Simpson;from “Father K nows B est” to “Family G uy,” and from “Wait till your father gets home,” to “I don’t know who your father is.”
T echnology has helped this transition by making active males optional in the fertilization process. Something that will happen to women also,but the complexity of the female reproductive system will require an additional 50 years to replace mom.
B ut fatherhood has mainly been pushed to its current state by a radical agenda where women were told they need men like a fish needs a bicycle. M any women fell hook, line and sinker for that advice.H owever,that means men need women like a bird needs an anchor.
O nce single motherhood became chic for the wealthy,poor and middle-class women followed suit,only to find out being accountable for all childrearing responsibilities is not as liberating as seen on T V.R ather for some it is impossible,for many a road to permanent poverty,and for most very exhausting and limiting.
T o soften the blow,Uncle Sam has become B ig D addy,Sugar D addy and B aby D addy to many single mothers.Ironically, this has liberated more men than women.B ye, bye ball and chain;let the good times roll.
M en were often asked how they would feel if their female loved ones were victims of discrimination and harassment.A similar question can now be put to women especially about their sons.T oday, boys are 2-1 more likely to be drugged on R italin just for being boys,less likely to go to college as young men,and have no unique social purpose in life as adults.In what has to be one of the great flip-flops in history,today it is the XY chromosome pair that is defective.
In 50 years,will fatherhood have vanished? T he male’s role reduced to paying taxes to support a socialized family? A ccording to many that would be a good thing.
In order to be sensitive to these cultural changes,I won’t end this article with “H appy Father’s D ay.” Instead,I’ll just say have a great summer.