A Good Man is Hard to Find

I really do love men, God knows I don’t understand them, but I do love them.  Let me make clear that the battle of the sexes should never be taken too seriously.  Any sane person, girding up for battle on the field of sexual difference, should plan on leaving the field with a tie.  It is a confrontation conducted for comic relief.  It allows both sides to vent some frustration while celebrating their differences.  Men and women are simply different, hard wired by evolution to have a slightly different take on the world.   If you take this biologically preordained clash of will and wits too seriously you end up sounding like the women on, “The View.” 

 My affection for men makes me worry that they might become a politically endangered species.  Of course, some of this is a problem that the male of the species has brought on themselves.  There is the seemingly endless line of high ranking male politicians who keep doing really stupid, self-serving and usually sexual things.  Say what you want about Nancy Pelosi, you never hear about her texting pictures of her, “junk” to adoring fans.  Considering the extent of her plastic surgery that presents some intriguing concepts—no, no, that is not the picture I want rolling around in my head.  But you get my point.  Pelosi, Olympia Snow, Kay Bailey Hutchison, the whole lot of them seem to be about business.   With the exception of Maxine Waters (now there’s a woman who needs her address printed on her underwear) all of the women in politics seem to have a handle on what they want to say.  Even women on the fringes of politics generally keep on point.  I don’t agree with much that Donna Brazil says, but the woman is intelligent.  When you hear from the women it is in the context of a political narrative and not something you will be embarrassed to explain to the kids.  I like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s politics better than Maria Shriver’s, but let’s give credit where it is due.  She hasn’t had anyone’s kids but his. 

So given that men have brought most of their problems on themselves, why am I worried?  Well, like I said, I like men.  I’ve seen their job and I don’t want it.  Besides, the feminist movement certainly teaches us that in this complex world we cannot discount half the brain power on the planet, male or female.  What makes me think that men are under unwarranted attack is some casual examination of totally unscientific data.  First, let’s look at the last few Presidents.  President Obama has two daughters.  While I don’t agree with 80% of his world view, he seems to be a good father and that counts a lot in my book.  But that is just the start of the trend.  George W. Bush had two daughters.  Clinton had one.  Not a male child in sight for the last 5 administration and that’s 20 years, folks.  Nixon and Johnson both had two daughters.  Ford broke the mold with three boys and one girl and only one term.  Carter had sons and one daughter—also one term.  The same with my favorite President, George H. W. Bush.  Show me sons and I'll show you a one termer.   And let’s look at the Hollywood version of the same.  Whether it’s Harrison Ford in Tom Clancy’s books to film, or Martin Sheen on The West Wing, we are only shown President’s with daughters.  Why no sons?  Are sons considered a problem?  Are men the new second class citizens?  Never mind, the next President may be a woman—maybe she’ll have sons. 

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