The following concepts in Americana perplex me:
American Idol: Sadistic show meant to spark ridicule and scorn while rewarding a lucky few.
Birkenstocks: The absolute most ugly footwear ever made. Why would one ever want to be seen in public with them on?
Super Size fast food: Does anyone really need a pound of fries and a huge greasy triple burger for a meal of one sitting?
Oprah Winfrey: She is a cult figure now who uses her show to further feminist orthodoxy.
Tattoos: These are for narcissistic and short-term thinking people. Most regret getting them after a few months.
Lack of Geographical Knowledge: We seem to think that only the USA matters in the world. Learn where the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Falklands, and the Azores are for crying out loud!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Marriage Strike Misnomer
Many in the men's rights movement have embraced the term "Marriage Strike" to describe American men's increased refusal to be duped into an arrangement that is socially, legally, and financially against their self-interests.
But the term is not a good one. A strike implies a refusal to work or perform for want of improved conditions. Implicit in the concept of strike is personal sacrifice on the part of the strikers who agree to do without the benefits of thing they are striking against. This is the fatal flaw of the term marriage strike.
American men are not sacrificing anything by forgoing marriage, although some think they are. To reject marriage is to insulate yourself from state-sponsored wealth transfer, lower standards of living due to higher expenses, and social emasculation due to women having more comparative power in a marriage.
Some cite the benefits of marriage to be companionship, sex, and the ability to raise children. All of these can be had as a bachelor, potentially in better quality. Marriage dooms you to an aging, waist-growing, individual female. Being unmarried permits you the freedom to seek sex and companionship from any woman you choose while having the resources to attract them.
I do concede that children ought to be raised with a mother and father present, but one can still do this in a live-in partnership arrangement without the oppressive collar of marriage around one's neck. Men can also choose to adopt or take in foster children if the feel the pangs of paternal instinct. So don't feel compelled to marry just because you want to have children.
Words have power, and the words marriage strike imply to women that wives are valuable when they are actually a detriment. It is better to calmly and passively proclaim that you choose to be a free, affluent, and happy real man unfazed by the beneficial marriage myth.
But the term is not a good one. A strike implies a refusal to work or perform for want of improved conditions. Implicit in the concept of strike is personal sacrifice on the part of the strikers who agree to do without the benefits of thing they are striking against. This is the fatal flaw of the term marriage strike.
American men are not sacrificing anything by forgoing marriage, although some think they are. To reject marriage is to insulate yourself from state-sponsored wealth transfer, lower standards of living due to higher expenses, and social emasculation due to women having more comparative power in a marriage.
Some cite the benefits of marriage to be companionship, sex, and the ability to raise children. All of these can be had as a bachelor, potentially in better quality. Marriage dooms you to an aging, waist-growing, individual female. Being unmarried permits you the freedom to seek sex and companionship from any woman you choose while having the resources to attract them.
I do concede that children ought to be raised with a mother and father present, but one can still do this in a live-in partnership arrangement without the oppressive collar of marriage around one's neck. Men can also choose to adopt or take in foster children if the feel the pangs of paternal instinct. So don't feel compelled to marry just because you want to have children.
Words have power, and the words marriage strike imply to women that wives are valuable when they are actually a detriment. It is better to calmly and passively proclaim that you choose to be a free, affluent, and happy real man unfazed by the beneficial marriage myth.
It's The Lack of Confidence, Stupid!
I just finished watching one of those weekend pundit shows with the 4 talking heads debating whether the economy needs a robust "stimulus plan" or more tax cuts. Folks, I think we are in trouble more than we realize when these so-called cognitive elites still don't get it.
People are not spending disposable income you idiots! Trillion dollar new spending from the federal government may employ a fraction of the unemployed (to include some illegals aliens), and a tax cut may enable a fraction more to save more, but neither of those strategies solve the core problem of getting people to spend, spend, spend.
Our elected officials are still in an intellectual holding pattern as to what to do. Perhaps years of decisions based on special interests created this mess.
The economy will turn around when there is more good news, and the doom and gloom reports decrease. Americans are terrified, and they are undoing years of stupid consumption. Eventually, the savings floodgates will gradually open and consumer spending will increase with the renewed prosperity. But until then, the beltway's insistence on arguing about supporting special interests under the guise of fixing the economy will only prolong our current malaise.
People are not spending disposable income you idiots! Trillion dollar new spending from the federal government may employ a fraction of the unemployed (to include some illegals aliens), and a tax cut may enable a fraction more to save more, but neither of those strategies solve the core problem of getting people to spend, spend, spend.
Our elected officials are still in an intellectual holding pattern as to what to do. Perhaps years of decisions based on special interests created this mess.
The economy will turn around when there is more good news, and the doom and gloom reports decrease. Americans are terrified, and they are undoing years of stupid consumption. Eventually, the savings floodgates will gradually open and consumer spending will increase with the renewed prosperity. But until then, the beltway's insistence on arguing about supporting special interests under the guise of fixing the economy will only prolong our current malaise.
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