were talking about the fathers. She said that when she was growing up in the 1950s and 60s, white middle-class fathers weren't very invested in their children. Mothers went to little Billy's talent shows, asked how his day went, helped him with homework and monitored his nutrition.
Not that this is news to anyone. At some point, though, these fathers decided that they wanted to be more invested. They wanted to take an interest in their children on a personal level and not just be an invisible breadwinner with nominal interest in their child's upbringing. So, they started taking classes on birthing, started taking time off work to attend to their children, even going so far as to stay home for periods of time.
Why did this happen? I suggested it might have been the influence of the (white) Women's Movement. But it wasn't women who had to change ... it was the men. What were their conversations with each other? How did they decide to make a shift? What sorts of resistance did they encounter from other men?
It's weird how everything pre-Women's Movement is accredited to men. Yet, when it comes to the shift in family values during the 60s and 70s, folks attribute men's change in behavior to the political actions of women. I'm curious about the sorts of bravery men themselves had to muster.
I once asked my mom why she never hit me as a kid, since she was hit by her parents. She said that during the early 1980s, articles were emerging about the damage to children caused by corporeal punishment. As a result, she decided to try other ways of disciplining her children.
I was stunned. Hundreds of years dogma was changed because she read an article.
Even if men were influenced by the Women's Movement / Feminism, why did they listen?
All I'm saying is that I think there's a huge historical gap here. Not to mention that everything I've written about is clearly for a specific ethnicity / race and class. I know that history has largely been about men, and the stories of women have gone untold. I just don't think it makes any sense to repeat more of the same.
Sincerely,
Sarah Legg
P.S. I can't wait to write about The Jersey Shore. It's soooo good. Crap. If you haven't been watching cable lately, check this shit out. I swear, it has everything to do with this particular entry. Let me count the ways.
2 comments:
q. i love this entry
r. all i hear all day long about is how good Jersey Shore is
s. why is it so good
-Pam
Hi Pam!
I tried to write a thoughtful response about the Jersey Shore, but I kind of hate what I wrote. I think it has to do with lust over the entitlement of some people. Some people just appear so comfortable and self-assured even while doing very taboo things. There's not very many people like this. I think most of us are jealous. I think it's similar to our obsession over people from Half Moon Bay. I can't imagine feeling like that.
Seriously, someone has to get a grip on how to write about these things. They're so fleeting.
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