Thursday, September 25, 2008
Mom,Doug is a good babysitter.
When we talked about the gender stereotypes and roles in class today I was reminded of a conversation I had with my mom the other day. It was last minute and we were franticly looking for a babysitter for my brother because our usual one had called in sick. I started going through my phone calling every person I knew to be available, and all of a sudden it hit me. Doug! He would be perfect, he’s always saying how bored he is and he lives right down the street and I KNOW he wouldn’t mind. When I pitched the idea to my mom she blankly stared at me for a good 5 minutes, and then walked away. Apparently my mom had thought I was being sarcastic and was offended that I wasn’t taking the task seriously. My mom’s lack of confidence in our neighbor was hard for me to grasp because we all know Doug to be moiré responsible than myself, if anything I am probably a bad influence on him. Despite this my mom was simply “not comfortable” with the situation. When talking about gender stereotypes we hear the same old story that women get paid 3 cents less than men per hour and that woman should stay at home all day and pop out babies. We rarely hear about the things that guys have to go through. So instead, my mom stayed home from work, and I hung out with Doug at the mall.
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3 comments:
That story truly shows how far we still have to come as a society. Even though people talk about how equal men and women are in general, this fact remains to be seen in "real life."
Men are seen as lesser to women when it comes to taking care of children. Men are thought of as violent, easily distracted, and lazy. In reality, few men have any, let alone all, of these qualities. I would dare to say that for every violent, easily distracted, and lazy man, there is a matching woman. It’s not a man/woman thing; it’s simply a personal thing. Many men are responsible and intelligent. If they weren’t, they would never remember all of the baseball stats. Women don’t give the men enough credit where it’s due.
Perhaps it is because men who demand the credit come off as jerks and egotistical. Women, however, tend to be seen as strong-willed. Men don’t want to be looked down upon just because they are male. Let the man make a mistake before you give up hope. Everyone deserves one chance to prove themselves.
"So instead, my mom stayed home from work, and I hung out with Doug at the mall." When I read this conclusion to your story I laughed. I'm not sure if I laughed because it was a slap in the face to your mom (and right now I am resentful of moms) or because of the mental image that formed in my mind of your mom staying at work, tireless and aggravated, while you and Doug, two available babysitters, went shopping at the mall. Either way, I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your conclusion (and insight) and also admire your ability to play devils advocate for the opposite sex.
I agree with the fact that our society hasn't reached equality among men and women. Women are still thought of as the care givers that clean the house and prepare meals. Men on the other hand, are thought of as the money maker that is unreliable when it comes to care giving. Men are thought of as being agressive and dangerous, but this isn't true for all men. I have experianced this with my older brother. When I was a freshman, I didn't trust my brother and accused him of lying all the time. He wasn't reliable, and made stupid decisions that I didn't approve of. I thought my brother would always be that way, and he would never grow up, but I didn't give my brother enough credit. Today, my brother is one of the most trustworthy person I know. He has moved on from being the "typical male teenager" and has showed me that I can count on him with any situation. I hate the typical stereotypes for males and females because it is only directed toward the selected few people of society. People change whether for the good or bad, and they need a chance to show that they can change.
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