The American economy is much different than it was in the 1950's. Some people have cited that if minimum wage was translated from past eras it would be equivalent to $23 an hour. If one person could make $23 an hour, I'm sure there would be many stay at home moms or stay at home dads. Without traditional biases clouding that decision I would bet that in most cases it would be stay-at-home moms. Today people need to work 3 jobs between 2 people to have the same standard of living that the older generations enjoyed. It is no surprise that the older generation thinks the younger generation is lazy. I provided my wife and kids with this, this and this and my low-life son-in-law doesn't even give his family this. With that being said I don't think being a man can be defined by his income. It is easy to point out that flawed logic even though a man who earned $23 an hour equivalent his whole life would never listen to any logic.
In my personal situation (I'm 34 by the way) my wife hasn't been required to work out of the home for the first 9 years of our marriage. The last 3 she has been required to shoulder almost 45% of our household income. Does that mean I am less of man than I was during those first 9 years? By some standards people would say yes. (That would include myself.) Can a man be a man in any economic situation or is his manhood entirely dependent upon his environment? It's a puzzle to me.
It feels wrong as wrong can be. This was not the way I was raised. The lifestyle held by both of my grandparents and my parents allowed the father to be bread winner and financial manager while the mother was child raiser, housekeeper and all the other torments that go along with that. It seems to me that men are suited better for what Americans call the "traditional father figure". It seems to me that women are suited better for what Americans call the "traditional mother figure". The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes. Our global, cultural, financial, political, economic, weather and historical situations have changed and will continue to change. Does this mean that what it means to be a man changes with the wind? I would say, no.
Sure you can. We all pass judgement all the time. We have an ideal of what constitutes a good man or what constitutes a good woman. My life has been very harsh the last 3 years. I have been doing some major soul searching and trying to find out how to be a man. In good times, it was easy to be a man. It bad times, the lack of manliness starts to shine through. I would suggest that The Baron would not feel this way if the economy was brimming out of it's ears with jobs. A booming economy can make even the sorriest son-in-law look like a champion. That's why we call these "good times".
My question is this: Does the definition of a man change when the economy is bad? Let's be fair. This son-in-law probably isn't as bad as he is being described.
To answer the original question and this is something that I have learned recently.
A man is an male adult above the age of 18 who maximizes the utility of his environment to the fullest for the benefit of himself and those under his care. A man understands his place in the world. A man understands his status in the world. A man remains strong for the benefit of those under his care. This would include a wife, children, employees, assets or other persons or things for which he has accepted responsibilty. A man also unloads those responsibilities that he knows he is incapable of properly providing care. A man doesn't take on too many responsibilities that he cannot handle. A wife requires a lifelong responsibility. A child requires an 18 year responsibility. A mortgage requires a 30 year responsibility or the commitment to honor the terms. A job doesn't really require a long term commitment unless a contract is involved. A man knows his limitations and doesn't take on what he cannot handle. A man knows himself and is confident enough to disregard any and all criticism. A man is steady and strong regardless of his environment.
Just joking. I dont' really know what a man is. :lol:
