Rock, Meet Hard Place

Via Reader Mike L. I get this bit of news:

In Missouri, where abortion is illegal, Planned Parenthood sees surge in vasectomies

Doesn’t surprise me.

I had mine done in 1997, some time after my 43rd birthday, and have never looked back.  Frankly, I think that any man who doesn’t have it done by age 45 is asking for trouble, whether or not abortion is legal.  (If your Missus has had her tubes tied or her factory is otherwise disabled, then fine — but be aware that as long as the little swimmers are still there, you can still become a Daddy regardless of the recipient thereof.  I shudder just at the thought.)

And let’s not forget that nowadays you can be stuck with child support payments even if you’re not the daddy — but having had your tubes tied, such an eventuality is highly unlikely if not impossible.

I must admit that back in the times when I did this kind of thing on an ad-hoc basis, it was a real comfort to know that the old production pole had been turned into a joystick.

Both Sides

And back we go, into the trenches of modern warfare between men and women.  Apparently, young men have a problem:

Men are lonelier than ever as they struggle to meet the higher dating standards of modern women, according to a psychologist.  American psychologist Greg Matos wrote in a recent Psychology Today article that the current state of young and middle-aged men’s love lives shows they need to ‘address a skills deficit’.

He said: ‘I hear recurring dating themes from women between the ages of 25 and 45: They prefer men who are emotionally available, good communicators, and share similar values’.  Yet, he claimed he’s found that modern men’s biggest problem is communication, which is ‘the lifeblood of healthy, long-term love’.

[S]ociety fails to teach young boys the importance of communication, which has resulted in growing numbers of unintentionally single men.

Well yes, but this is nothing new.  Men have always had a problem communicating with women — although they seem to have no problem communicating with each other, which makes me wonder where the problem actually lies.

As this thesis comes from a psychologist, one could be forgiven for dismissing the whole thing out of hand, but it seems clear that the number of single, lonely young people of both sexes has grown over the past few decades.

There is one immediate finger to be pointed, and that is towards radical feminists, who have painted men (and especially young White men) as proto-aggressors, and nobody can deny that the feminization of the education process has left young men feeling increasing isolated.

Some have reacted admirably, turning the tables and asking women what, exactly, they are bringing to the party.  Others (such as this young man) have come right out and published their own rules of engagement, so to speak.  (In the latter case, he’s done an excellent job of “communicating” with women;  but it’s probably not at all the kind they’re looking for.)

The article (written by a woman, BTW) quotes our psychologist that “Men are lonelier than ever as they struggle to meet the higher dating standards of modern women”… really?  The way I read it, both sides are becoming more selective.  While the poorly-communicating men might be sidelined by more picky women, it’s also clear that the (shall we say) poorer applicants among the women (sluts etc.) are most likely being left alone as well.

And lest we read too much into this, the situation is by no means a new one, nor has the technology changed it much.

Periodicity

Longtime Reader and Total Hottie Mrs. Sorenson is upset by this development:

When Megan Thompson feels unwell while on her period, she can take time off. The 23-year-old can adjust her hours or work flexibly to help cope with severe cramps, migraines and fatigue. But if her period pain gets too bad, the finance company she works for allows her to take additional leave.

“It’s so refreshing being able to say to my manager ‘I’m on my period’ and she knows instantly to offer support,” said Megan. “And they actually offer me time off instead of me having to ask for it.”

Mrs. Sor asks (and I paraphrase somewhat, to spare my Readers’ tender sensibilities):

“WTF is all this nonsense?  Whatever happened to just gritting it out?  Ditto menopause.”

It should come as no surprise that Mrs. Sor is of the old-school Tough Broad type, who takes no guff from anyone — and in fact is pretty much the same as most women of my era and vintage.  New Wife’s opinions on this are absolutely identical to hers, as are my sister’s and, I suspect, all of them.  Several of them say things like “That’s why Midol was invented” and “Suck it up, sister” when confronted by today’s weepy feministicals.

Add to this factors such as long (and often mandatory) pregnancy leave demanded of employers, demands for on-workplace childcare facilities and so on, and you end up with the very reasons why in the not-so recent past women were often not hired by employers:  they’re just not as productive as men are.

And productivity, lest we forget, is the Holy Grail of any commercial enterprise.

But none of that is important, say the wimmyns, because equality.

Well, if equality means “no special treatment for men”, then I should remind everyone that it cuts both ways — except that’s not how they want it to work, is it?


…because that’s the productivity reality he faces.

Seriously?

Seen at Insty’s:

Okay… assuming that men even want to “step up”:  what are you and your girlfriends going to bring to the party that would encourage us to do so?

Because if all you have is attitude… buh-bye.

Nazzo Fast, Guida

Oy.  As if Hanoi Jane hasn’t been enough of a festering pustule on society’s buttocks long enough, the tired old tart has to weigh in once again:

Left-wing actress and activist Jane Fonda suggested America “redefine vaginas as AK-47s” in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

In her case, and by her own admission, her well-trodden vagina is more akin to a rusty old Brown Bess musket, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about.

As an AK owner myself, let me say that the AK rifle works perfectly as designed, seldom requires much in the way of cleaning and maintenance, can be shared among friends as often as desired, and as such is about as far from a vagina as one could imagine.

So this unwarranted slight on Mikhail Kalashnikov’s excellent device is simply off base — not that this is far from Fonda’s norm, though.

And one last thought:  a new AK-47 costs about a thousand bucks — and I’ve known many men who have paid a lot more than that, just for part-ownership of a vagina.