Thursday, January 14, 2010

Why Do Women Tell Us To Build Things For Them?

Hmmm, I was listening to some history of the City of Fort Collins in Colorado the other day and there was one thing the historian mentioned that I found quite interesting. I believe it gives us a unique insight into the oppression of women in those days.

Before the streets were paved in Fort Collins they could get quite muddy at times. Women of the day wore dresses down to their ankles. At a certain intersection the mud could get quite atrocious at times so a make shift plank walk was made that could not support two parties crossing at different directions at the same time. The women did not like this and thought a more substantial bridge should be built.

It was not a woman's role at the time to build a bridge or work in construction of any sort. I find it odd that women are still oppressed in these and related fields today.. I suppose that is why the Council On Women and Girls has announced it plans to extend Title IX gender equality law to all Science, Technical, Engineering, Mathematics courses in colleges nation wide. Anyway, women either will not or can not build bridges to this day so they decided to tell men to build it for them..

To do so was simple, the women waited at the street corner until a man came along who was crossing from the other end. When the man started crossing the women would start crossing at the same time. Naturally, seeing that women were crossing, the men would step down into the mud and bow their hats as the women crossed. Upon the combination of women telling their husbands to build a bridge and forcing men to defer to them by having the men stand in the mud to let them pass, the men built the bridge for them..This story gave me an insight into the oppression of women in the early days of the American West.

I don't know how women got to be so oppressed. I don't know how women can be dependent on men or get men to do such things for them, I suppose it is for one reason alone.....because they can.. I thought to myself, what does "an independent woman" mean, what does a "liberated woman mean". It means liberation from dependency on men! Hmmmm will women ever be independent from the dependency on men, will they ever really be independent?

Then it became ever more apparent that NOTHING HAS CHANGED. Women depend on and get the very same things from men as they always have, mostly all things stemming from protection and provision.

The only difference between then and now is that women have the choice to lean on men anytime they want to but do not "need to". To me it seems that women don't need and have told men they no longer want provision and protection but are glad to take when it is convenient for them.

I don't know about any of you but I show no form of chivalry, deference or respect to women for the fact that they are women. I will not pay for their meals or court them in the traditional sense. I do not open doors, buy them drinks, bring them flowers and gifts, get on one knee and propose to be their servant and I most certainly would not stand in the mud or give my life for some strange women because she is a woman. The list of female privilege goes on and on.. It would be one thing if deference and graces afforded to the opposite sex were reciprocal but it is only men who bear obligation, responsibility, lack of choices and risk in our relationships with women.

I struggle most with the fact that I, as a man am forced to provide financially to a woman and the children she takes from me both in and out of marriage... Will I commit to deference to women NO. WILL I BECOME A HUSBAND AND FATHER NO!

MY CHILDREN ARE A WOMAN'S NOT MINE, MY BODY AND THE FRUITS OF MY LABOR ARE A WOMAN'S NOT MINE, MY PROPERTY IS NOT MINE. I, A MAN HAVE NO CHOICES BUT ONE....