Essay/Term paper: Bad choosers

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Society Term Papers

Bad Choosers


By K.L. Casado

The tired cliché has rung throughout the halls of maternity wards and
law firms for years. "The Battle of the Sexes" as it is called; the everlasting
struggle for supremacy among men and women. However, in the wider scope of
events, how easy one's life is would ideally be more important than how supreme
one is. Just ask Colin Powell or maybe even a reincarnate Kurt Cobain. It does
not matter much if you're the top dog if your a top dog with an uncomfortable
life. Maybe the important conflict is not which is superior, but rather which
gender proceeds through life more easily. The question remains then: Which?
It would be impossible here, given the talents of even this writer, to
name a clear victor. Scholars and philosophers for years have attempted to do
so, yet no gender has ever been definitely identified. However, the clear
victor here should be the female. From start to finish, with a layover at child
birth, women tend to live easier lives. Men run the government. Men go to war.
Men encounter more obligation inside and out of the family.
When looking at specific instances, life may equally challenge the two.
Both must acquire food. It is noteworthy that men generally eat more than women.
United States law mandates that both complete a certain amount of schooling.
Both must toil through the identity crisis of adolescence, followed by the mid-
life crisis of aging, and lastly, the mortality crisis in their elder years.
There is a great possibility that both must appropriate wealth, provided they
are not substinence farmers living in some foreign country that does not tax (In
which case, the man would slave away in the fields from dusk until dawn while
the woman would wash a dish, tie their eighteen ignorant children down to a
chair and show them the beauty of using a hula-hoe). Men and women share many
hardships throughout the progression of their lives. However, men have
generally acknowledged them and taken responsibility accordingly, while women
have continually inflicted even more troubles upon themselves.
The familiar fancy of a fellow goes as follows: The man works, makes a
living to support his family, provides food and shelter and accepts a position
as the head of the family. A majority of jobs are not fulfilling. A man's
existence at work is scarcely a spiritual uplift and ordinarily may be draining
and exhausting. Even more distressing is a man's dependence on such, for
bearing the responsibility for his naked family's hunger might be a bit
disheartening. Exempting the guttedly-challenged, a man must also assume
leadership of his home, governing and supervising the affairs therein (an action
necessary as the dominant gender, but this topic shall be saved for a later
time).
A man endures many calamities outside of family-lock as well. The
natural pursuant of companionship is the man. That is not to say that women do
not do their own, voluntary, share, but who is typically the initial solicitor,
delivers the flowers and eventually looked upon for a proposal? This aspect of
male life is among the most trying of all. A man rarely finds emotional
companionship here. He serves as his own confidant and council. He must deal
with his significantly stronger sexual tendencies, especially, given today's
society, in the workplace. In the working world, an aspiring young man's
employment is most likely flushed down into the likes of McDonald's or High
School "Janitorial Administration." Although, one must acknowledge the glaring
exception of those promoted to fry-boy or window washer.
In direct contrast to the dismal drudgery endured by the conventional
male, there is the potential luxury of being a woman. It is stereotypically a
woman's position, while the children go to school, to stay home, go shopping,
watch television (including her favorite soap operas), and do whatever comes to
mind the rest of the day. Theoretically, a woman's day is complete and
satisfying. Should she feel sheltered or isolated, she is fully welcome to
venture out and about among society. Should she feel incomplete or hollow, she
is wholly able to stay home and reinforce her roots and foundation. A woman may
indulge herself at a local mall or in a gallon of ice cream. In contrast to men,
women are known to find serenity in accessible material goods, such as a new
blouse or fresh shade of lipstick. Men, on the other hand, want a Ferrari or
they want to cry like a little girl. Women are more easily pleased. A woman's
obligation to the household is minimal. Thanks to modern conveniences, she no
longer has to cook. Rather, dinner may be defrosted. A couple of buttons need
pushing and so ended is her daily onus. Breakfast for the kids? Pop Tarts and
Nutri-Grains, maybe an egg if she feels generous. The invention of paper plates
and plastic silverware (bare hands may be a bit barbaric and uncleanly) has put
an end to washing dishes, given that whatever was defrosted did not come with
one. The washer and dryer have reduced the laundering of garments from
washboard and suds to dropping them into a basin and turning a knob.
Furthermore, once the children reach five or six years of age, they can be
expected to wash their own clothing. To maintain a sanitary environment, a
woman might find an annual house cleaning necessary.
Before marriage, women can enjoy an accommodating and comfortable
lifestyle. If not, at least one which is more agreeable than that of men. At
this stage, a large majority of women are approached and sought after for their
young, attractive bodies, keen ability to defrost, and companionship (in no
apparent order of importance). Such instances are undoubtedly flattering to
women. Consequently, morale is substantially boosted. Those not routinely
sought after, admittedly, may be paling in self-esteem, but remunerate their
grievances by eating however much of whatever they so choose. Women are known
to have considerably more intimate relations with friends, especially out of
wedlock. Those individuals serve as emotional outlets, an opulence foreign to a
vast majority of men. Not only does this explain man's extensive knowledge of
beer, but also why women are more emotionally sound and content at this point.
A female, contrary once again to a male, has no trouble financially supporting
herself in a respectable manner by recording telephone messages and brewing
coffee, officiating senior citizen shuffleboard competitions, or possibly
exploiting men for their natural inclinations at a local entertainment tavern.
The facility of the woman's life trickles down from marriage and pre-
marital life all the way to adolescence. Boys must endure the painstaking and
humiliating transition to manhood. The male cannot hide his cracking speech or
his sullied lip. Undoubtedly, this will be noticed and vocally editorialized at
home. "Hey, look and listen, Mom!" Father will exclaim. "The boy's hit
puberty!" Any man can attest to the wretchedness of this situation, or perhaps
the time he forgot to lock the bathroom and his little sister just had to take a
shower. He must also request shaving equipment, a guaranteed public
announcement, one that might as well be published in the classifieds. Females,
on the other hand, are far more sheltered and protected at home. "Aw, look,
honey," Mother will sigh, "Your daughter is blooming (heaven forbid she receive
the ever so viscious "developing") into a beautiful, young lady." She asks, as
discreetly as a Central Intelligence operation, for an extra piece of clothing,
a piece of cotton, and a pill. No one ever knows the difference.
School arises as an even more dire situation. For every boy except the
mutant freak who was done in sixth grade, the junior high locker room is a
merciless and perverse place. The heartless jokes there do not even meet
appropriateness standards of this paper. Females do not fare quite as badly.
Although I can not admit to any first hand knowledge of the junior high girls
locker room, it is my understanding that as long as one maintains healthy and
clean hygienic habits, they are not harassed, at least not to the extent of
those across the gymnasium.
The troubles for women arise when they refuse to accept the comfortable
position as people with easy lives and choose to complicate them. Many women
choose to assume authority in their household. This is not necessary. The men,
power hungry and dictatorial when feasible, often can perform the task
adequately themselves and sometimes have no problem accepting this duty. For
many, there is no true need to work if they are married. An immeasurable amount
of women choose to cook for their family, routinely! Some even proceed to
prepare breakfast. In today's society, food is readily purchased, many times,
for a price less than cooking. "Microwaveable Dinners, The Wave of the Future!"
the announcements read. They choose to make use of actual dishes. Sheer
foolishness! Microwaveable dinners come on disposable trays. No dishes, no
mess, no nothing. Women choose to adopt the washing of their family's clothing
as yet another unnecessary chore. As if clothing needed routine washing, they
do not even force their children, grown-up or not, to do it themselves, further
instilling ideals of discipline in them. Women are irresponsible in many of the
choices they make.
Despite already thrusting hardships upon themselves, they decide to go
further. Women routinely maintain the cleanliness of their house. The reason
for doing so confounds all laws of practicality. Dirty houses are more
comfortable. Whenever something is needed, one can look on the ground somewhere.
It is done usually to improve the parental image, whether that image be a
guest's or their own. There are few guests, it would seem, who would be worth
cleaning your house for. If one receives more respect for tidiness, the source
of that respect needs to be very closely examined. As far as personal image
goes, it would seem practical to base one's image of herself on something maybe
more significant than having one's clothes picked up and the dust off one's
piano. The sentiment that women offer extraneous credence to self image and
thus bring troubles upon themselves is further reflected with the habitual use
of cosmetics. This is not necessary. Especially to household prone women,
cosmetics are wasted energy and money. Unbetrothed women not applying cosmetics
are not always avoided, but rather pursued even more vehemently by men who find
practicality attractive. Even worse is the state of mind dedicated cosmetic
users put themselves in when unable to apply them. "I look like crap," they'll
whine.