 |
|
Jim Bracewell is president of The Men's Resource Network, Inc. (MRN) and editor of MENSIGHT Magazine online.
MRN also sponsors TheMensCenter
.com an Internet Resource Center.
HELP MENSIGHT
STAY ONLINE
All donations to The Men's Resource Network, Inc. are tax deductible.
|
|
 |
Editorial... |
Real Men Talking.
by
Jim Bracewell © 2004
In the New York Times bestseller, , 26 women expounded on the disappointment, frustration and anger in their relationships. Soon after the book hit the top of the list, Daniel Jones, the "Bastard" husband of the "Bitch" author, compiled a male reply our MENSIGHT Book-of-the-Month.
While bitch and bastard are both unflattering terms, women's rights activists have redefined bitch as a term that angry men give to powerful women. A bastard however, as we all know, is still... a bastard. The "Bitch" gets to be "in the house" while the "Bastard" is relegated to being "on the couch," where, I presume, he will watch sports and drink beer all day.
In my opinion, the subtitles also reveal a bit of cultural anti-male bias. The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth About Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage vs. The Bastard on the Couch : 27 Men Try Really Hard to Explain Their Feelings About Love, Loss, Fatherhood, and Freedom. Powerful women tell the truth while bastards (men) must try really hard to explain their feelings. This is equality?
Despite the possible misandrous leaning of the title, The Bastard on the Couch is an engrossing chronicle of the modern male dilemma. At least for the dilemma of some males. Most of the 27 men and 26 women in both books are professional writers. What about the rest of us?
MENSIGHT offers the following: We would like to publish similar stories but by men from all occupations and levels of society. Women are empowered to complain openly about men in the news media, in movies and on television. We want to hear your complaints, your conflicts, your insights, your regrets, your thoughts, your anger, your fear, your frustration... your story.
Half of marriages today end in divorce. Women file first in most divorce cases and most often receive custody of the children. Women and men are waiting longer and longer to get married. Many young men, seeing what happened to their parents, are terrified that they have a 50% chance of having a failed marriage too. They lived through the aftermath of their parent's breakup and wonder if it will happen to them.
In the new age of equality men must now must compete with women in the workplace. However, the rules for dating have hardly changed. Men are still most often expected to approach first and pay for the meals and movies. If dating leads to marriage, men are still expected to buy expensive diamond engagement rings. Fathers are still expected to pay for expensive weddings.
Married couples with and without children face problems their parents never thought of. Do both partners work? How is the housework divided up? Who does the child care? How are the finances handled? Is she living up to his expectations and is he living up to hers? The stress level continues to rise with no solution in sight.
How do couples cope when there are virtually no role models for today's lifestyles? How do they communicate effectively? Should they seek secular or religious counseling? Should they emulate movies and television's portrayal of relationships?
We don't expect you to have the answer to these problems. Though we would like to hear about it if you do. Just tell us your story in your own words. They will be published in MENSIGHT Magazine in a series called "Real Men Talking."
Here are our criteria.
1. Writer must be male.
2. Write honestly about your relationship experiences.
3. Avoid bashing women. We don't like it when men are bashed do we?
4. There is no limit on length.
5. We will review all entries before publishing.
6. We reserve the right to edit but you will be consulted before publishing.
7. You may remain anonymous if you chose.
8. Please email to .
');
//-->
Copyright 2004 Jim Bracewell, all rights reserved
|
|
 |
