US Becoming Weirder and Very Anachronistic

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by Spiffor
If the polling technique is serious, these figures are really really terrible. What a bigoted place is the land of the brave ?!?
(it would need many, many people asked to have a serious sample on each of the categories - if there are only 100 born agains in the sample, or 100 southerners in the sample, then the comparisons between these categories are irrelevant. However, the poll in general can remain relevant)

None of my friends would support the idea of a father dominated household. So it is quite suprising to see poll numbers that contradict the reality I live in.

[Imran Siddiqui]

There is a huge difference between "must be" and "should be".

Exactly! It seems some parts of this poll may be flawed. I don't see why people should be maligned for thinking that the person that brings more money home should be the master of the household (and usually men bring home more money than women in these days).

[MRT144]

imran, thats so capitalistic of you!

[Cyclotron]

So, what exactly is the problem?

[GePap]

Well, Leo does link to the study. Anyoine care to check it out? I don't.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Thank you .

I mean really... FIRST you have to find out what 'master' of the household means to the people being asked. If it means that the 'master' gets to decide ultimatly what the household will spend its money on, then I have no problem with the primary wage earner deciding that, whether it be man or woman.

I mean, there are only two of them... one of them has to break the tie. After all, how do you guys expect to get that 60 inch widescreen HDTV?

[MRT144]

i think master means "hoosier daddy!"

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by MRT144
i think master means "hoosier daddy!"

So it just means that they are more willing to experiment in the bedroom.

[Whaleboy]

[quote]
There is a huge difference between "must be" and "should be"
[/quote[

Not really, intent and perceived necessity are not dissimilar, but intent shows a voluntary submission to a particular way of thinking, in this case, male dominance, whereas with "must be", the norms one has been brought up with would take precidence, as one takes actions within the sociological context.

If people are choosing to intend for this to be the case, that is indeed a disturbing indictment on US society.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Why? If men are the primary wage earners (which in many parts they are), why is it wrong for people to think they should be the masters of the home?

[Japher]

I liked it on 'The Man Show' when they tried to get a petition signed to end women's sufferage... that was funny...

I think I should be the master of my home, my wife disagrees, and I think my dog won the battle?...oh well

[St Leo]

Exactly! It seems some parts of this poll may be flawed. I don't see why people should be maligned for thinking that the person that brings more money home should be the master of the household (and usually men bring home more money than women in these days).

The poll was asking whether the male should be on control on the basis of being male, not whether the person who brings the most money home should be in control on the basis of being that person.

A survey of more than 38,000 people in 44 countries, conducted from July to October 2002 on issues of interest to the entire planet, it was one of the largest and best I've seen (though I must declare that my firm, Environics, was the project's Canadian partner).

I think this is the same survey.

You can take the online version of this survey (the original was done offline) here.

I am:

[MRT144]

because its unrealistic and eliminates the equality that should be inherent in a marrige...

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by elijah
Not really, intent and perceived necessity are not dissimilar, but intent shows a voluntary submission to a particular way of thinking, in this case, male dominance, whereas with "must be", the norms one has been brought up with would take precidence, as one takes actions within the sociological context.

You don't think that the gap between voluntary submission and forced submission to perceived necessities is a huge difference? To me it's pretty fundamental - maybe it's just 'cos I'm a liberal (), but I get uncomfortable when people start declaring what other people "must" do or think.

My opinion on the topic is that it makes no difference whether the "master of the house" is the mother or the father of the family. I can't see any intrinsic advantages to it being either one way or the other.

[Whaleboy]

why is it wrong for people to think they should be the masters of the home?

Because who suffers in the process? Just because one provides and is the primary wage earner, does that necessarily mean that one buys a position of authority? What about the women, who often in these homes are bringing up the children or indeed maintaining the home? An equally, if not more, important job. Besides, it is my opinion that no adult should be demeaned and reduced to inferior status compared to another adult, whilst they are in one home. The general idea among my social circles is that when one agrees to let an adult into the home, one agrees that they are entitled to the same rights, except ownership of that home.

Also what of the increasing number of homes that dont fit that model? Often now it is the women who are working as the primary earner AND looking after the kids, while the men are often away, yet the men still expect to be superior.