Surprise, surprise, the NYTimes has an article on how the gender of children may affect how the parents vote. Parents of boys tend to be more conservative, while parents of girls tent to sing to the left.
Well, duh. Boys generally do better in a conservative enviroment, where there needs are met with little difficulty because that is the statue quo. Having a girl would mean that suddenly, you're forced to acknowledge that the world hasn't become gender equal at all, and that there are lots of things that parents will have to fight for to ensure that their daughter has a fair chance. For instance, title IX becomes a blessing if Susie has the ambition and talent to go into sports, or gender discrimitation rules means that she doesn't have to put up with a lot of shit when she goes to work. Liberalism is about making life better for everyone by making everyone equal, but when boys do better with the old system, where they are priviledged, then they (and their parents) see this as a threat to their well being.
My boss at work would disagree with me, but it helps to realize that he's the last of a dying breed of men, the fat cat white guys who had all the priviledges of wealth and still have a chip on their shoulder. It makes me smile to know that in ten, fifteen years, certain things will probably be acceptable in the workplace, say, a male co-worker mentioning that his boyfriend works in the fashion industry. A lot of problems stem from the multi-generational tiered society, and that the elderly believe that they're always right, but haven't adapted to changes in the world in which they live. For instance, woman in power, the boss can't stand it, because to him it seems unnatural. And he remembers the horror of the 70's, without acknowledging the rational behind it. What horrifies me is that he demands that people pass, gays pretend to be straight, blacks act 'genteel,' with the exception of woman, who should be act as woman in the workplace -- even though until recently, feminine traits were seen as a hinderance in the work place -- becuase showing masculine traits is unseemly and offends his sense of masculinity.
He thinks that the world was better back in the fifties. Well, I'm sure that it was for him, but I don't think that the world was ever simpler. People were less aware of the problems that surronded them, and were more insulated from the rest of the planet. My generation is more likely to admit that no most of these problems aren't going to be solved in our lifetime, however, we still have to start laying down the framework if we are ever going to fix them. Nor are we likely to reduce the world into black and white -- and even the staunchist republicans and liberals from my generation are relucant to acknowledge a dichotomic system of seeing the world. His generation looks towards 'easy solutions' where we acknowledge that an easy solution cannot exist, and that perhaps there are no good paths to take.
I'm done ranting for now.
Well, duh. Boys generally do better in a conservative enviroment, where there needs are met with little difficulty because that is the statue quo. Having a girl would mean that suddenly, you're forced to acknowledge that the world hasn't become gender equal at all, and that there are lots of things that parents will have to fight for to ensure that their daughter has a fair chance. For instance, title IX becomes a blessing if Susie has the ambition and talent to go into sports, or gender discrimitation rules means that she doesn't have to put up with a lot of shit when she goes to work. Liberalism is about making life better for everyone by making everyone equal, but when boys do better with the old system, where they are priviledged, then they (and their parents) see this as a threat to their well being.
My boss at work would disagree with me, but it helps to realize that he's the last of a dying breed of men, the fat cat white guys who had all the priviledges of wealth and still have a chip on their shoulder. It makes me smile to know that in ten, fifteen years, certain things will probably be acceptable in the workplace, say, a male co-worker mentioning that his boyfriend works in the fashion industry. A lot of problems stem from the multi-generational tiered society, and that the elderly believe that they're always right, but haven't adapted to changes in the world in which they live. For instance, woman in power, the boss can't stand it, because to him it seems unnatural. And he remembers the horror of the 70's, without acknowledging the rational behind it. What horrifies me is that he demands that people pass, gays pretend to be straight, blacks act 'genteel,' with the exception of woman, who should be act as woman in the workplace -- even though until recently, feminine traits were seen as a hinderance in the work place -- becuase showing masculine traits is unseemly and offends his sense of masculinity.
He thinks that the world was better back in the fifties. Well, I'm sure that it was for him, but I don't think that the world was ever simpler. People were less aware of the problems that surronded them, and were more insulated from the rest of the planet. My generation is more likely to admit that no most of these problems aren't going to be solved in our lifetime, however, we still have to start laying down the framework if we are ever going to fix them. Nor are we likely to reduce the world into black and white -- and even the staunchist republicans and liberals from my generation are relucant to acknowledge a dichotomic system of seeing the world. His generation looks towards 'easy solutions' where we acknowledge that an easy solution cannot exist, and that perhaps there are no good paths to take.
I'm done ranting for now.
posted by jillie @ 8:30 AM
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