I think how we as Americans raise our sons and daughters is going to make a big difference here. Too many men (my goofy husband included) were taken care of as children and not taught at an early age to take care of themselves (which of course teaches you how to take care of others). Case in point: my mother-in-law once told me that she always ironed my hubby's clothes- kindergarden to high school graduation day- so he would like looking nice and always keep up that image. When I met him in college just over ten years ago, his clothes were usually kept in a giant pile on the floor, dirty mixed with clean, and I didn't see him touch an iron until he had an important job interview. Wearing clean socks wasn't a priority until sometime around last week, and if he's out of cleans, he just makes do until I run out of underwear and declare laundry day. No one learns by having you do for them. #meetthepress
@thehighshelf: Go back and look at recent history. If you really want your mind to melt, figure out when we finally crossed the threshold for people taking a positive view toward women in the workplace (hint: it was in your mother's lifetime, no matter how old you are). #meetthepress
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glib about this when I was going off and getting my career. "Whatever", I would toss. "I grew up as a latchkey kid, and my kids will be fine."
The reality was far different than I expected, and the truth is that very few men will stay home with a kid who is sick, when both of you work. I'm very happy for those of you lucky enough to have found men that will truly share in the kid-raising 50/50, but since my husband was making more than me, his job was determined to be the more important one for our family to keep.
As a country, we may be more tolerant about women in the workforce (seriously, is this a reason for applause? I guess so. Yay?), but there are really significant problems out there. I was almost too late to discover that my child needed serious help, because I was so busy working 60 hours weeks. My husband didn't realize anything was wrong, and when he did, he wasn't as motivated as I was with his treatment. I would like to counter that my husband is an incredible father. He's just not a mother, raised in a society that presses the importance on the mother for raising children. And there's no real way around that, much as we'd like there to be. #meetthepress
I've always worked outside the home, and so has Mr. Badmutha. I have to admit, sometimes it IS hard to balance our lives with 2 children. But for us, there really is no alternative. I do wish I had more time to attend the kids activities that take place during the work day, though, without taking sick leave or vacation time. I know, somebody call the wahhbulance. #meetthepress
I was at a job interview where I got the whole "but you're working 40 hours and you have a kid.. how can you make that work" thing, to which I replied I have been making it work for the past year now because kali papa takes care of the kidlet.
The look of shock on the womans face that I do not consider my man a blundering idiot barely capable of keeping a toddler alive from 9-5 was precious. #meetthepress
@Kali Mama: The interviewer's logic insults both men and women. It's insulting to men in that it doesn't acknowledge that they can be excellent parents (like the fabulous Mr. Shrew), and it's insulting to women in that it implies that not only can we not balance our work and careers, we don't have sense enough not to leave our children in the care of morons. Sheesh. #meetthepress
@Kali Mama: Why were children being discussed in a job interview anyway? Questions about marital or family status are inappropriate and illegal in some states. Leave the chat about kids until after you have the job. #meetthepress
@CParis: I'm not an American but it's not cool here either. Anyway, I brought her up so it was more an offhand comment. Either way, I made my point (and landed the job) #meetthepress
Great timing Megan. I just today decided to "get to know the White House staff", (even though I'm not American) and have made tentative searches on them all. Lots to read. Any chance of more write ups about the other women on the staff? That would be awesome.
Jarrett sounds amazing, but it was incredibly frustrating to read about how much typical white dude bullshit she faced within Obama's campaign. At least to me, the reasons Plouffe, Axelrod, and Emmanuel dislike her sound flimsy, even ridiculous, and more like sexist backlash than legitimate complaints. It's getting harder and harder to think of the Democrats as the better ones, or even as the lesser of two evils.
@somedisaster: I'm disappointed to hear there was some seeming sexist BS from Emmanuel. We were all touting him as so hawt earlier this year, and a real hard hitter as CoS.
@somedisaster: I definitely agree that those dudes came across as dicks. But I can also see being annoyed at the presence of a free agent who is accountable only to the top. Imagine if it were an article about a Bush staffer who goes wherever and does whatever to keep Bush in touch with the Texan mentality, I'd be ralphing and calling it a constitutional crisis.
@J.D.Regent: Oh, I can definitely hear your criticism. I just don't think that's the criticism that Plouffe and Emmanuel and Axelrod were making- especially when it comes to stuff like Emmanuel being peeved over something that seems ridiculously unimportant in the grand scheme of things, or Axelrod excluding her from his "hard core politics" meetings. Those seem more like sexist slights than legit criticisms of her lack of accountability. It might just be that I'm super sensitive about this kind of stuff, because it happens so fucking much.
Another thing to consider is that I think her unique position to remind Obama and his staff of the effect of public policy on women, POC, etc. supercedes any concern about her accountability. I have a hard time getting up in arms about her reporting only to Obama when she seems to be doing so much unequivocal good and making POC staffers feel so much more comfortable, because I think that's such an important function of any supposedly progressive presidency.
"Without Jarrett, these officials said they believed, their opinions and the often-legitimate concerns voiced by black leaders like Sharpton would have been thoroughly disregarded by the white-dominated senior staff. "There's a cultural nuance that they just didn't get,"
Things always seem to go back to the same, to the fact that there's a majority of people who simply can't conceive not only that there are paradigms and points of view other than their own (the standard), but that there are whole segments of the population who might feel uncomfortable with notions they deem harmless, uncomfort usually dismissed as "over-sensitivity". Nuances, indeed, that so many people can't or don't want to see.
I assume that said nuances play a big role in the feathers ruffled by Jarrett.
It is wonderful that young women in the US are granted equal access to scholastic athletics - Ms King is a gun! But I must confess that my initial thought was, "Who is that silver fox? G'day, spunkytrunks!"
10/19/09
10/18/09
10/18/09
10/18/09
10/18/09
The reality was far different than I expected, and the truth is that very few men will stay home with a kid who is sick, when both of you work. I'm very happy for those of you lucky enough to have found men that will truly share in the kid-raising 50/50, but since my husband was making more than me, his job was determined to be the more important one for our family to keep.
As a country, we may be more tolerant about women in the workforce (seriously, is this a reason for applause? I guess so. Yay?), but there are really significant problems out there. I was almost too late to discover that my child needed serious help, because I was so busy working 60 hours weeks. My husband didn't realize anything was wrong, and when he did, he wasn't as motivated as I was with his treatment. I would like to counter that my husband is an incredible father. He's just not a mother, raised in a society that presses the importance on the mother for raising children. And there's no real way around that, much as we'd like there to be. #meetthepress
10/18/09
10/18/09
The look of shock on the womans face that I do not consider my man a blundering idiot barely capable of keeping a toddler alive from 9-5 was precious. #meetthepress
10/18/09
10/18/09
10/18/09
07/23/09
THIS is what a pitbull in lipstick looks like.
love,
Attila
07/23/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
Another thing to consider is that I think her unique position to remind Obama and his staff of the effect of public policy on women, POC, etc. supercedes any concern about her accountability. I have a hard time getting up in arms about her reporting only to Obama when she seems to be doing so much unequivocal good and making POC staffers feel so much more comfortable, because I think that's such an important function of any supposedly progressive presidency.
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
07/22/09
Things always seem to go back to the same, to the fact that there's a majority of people who simply can't conceive not only that there are paradigms and points of view other than their own (the standard), but that there are whole segments of the population who might feel uncomfortable with notions they deem harmless, uncomfort usually dismissed as "over-sensitivity". Nuances, indeed, that so many people can't or don't want to see.
I assume that said nuances play a big role in the feathers ruffled by Jarrett.
07/22/09
07/22/09
06/23/09
06/23/09