Dispatch from the man room
A friend sent me the link to a post by a Man on a blog called “Fix the Family” – a post about reasons “to NOT send your daughter to college.” “You” here of course assumes you are a Man. Only men get to send anyone anywhere, and only men get to keep people away from anywhere.
(I look at the top and see home, about, videos, blog, man room…)
(There’s no woman room. Don’t be silly.)
The logo is a guy talking.
Probably the most controversial and rejected position we have at Fix the Family is that parents should not send their daughters to college. It is even more vehemently opposed than the submission of wives to their husbands. Both of these positions we have are a threat to the trophies of the feminist agenda, so the rejection we receive is always emotionally charged and ends up insulting, since once explained logically, the opposition runs out of substance and is only left to hurl insults and presume and misconstrue this practical wisdom into some chauvinistic evil. But to distinguish these 2 issues, we are NOT saying that sending a girl to college or women working is a sin. But after looking at the issues we raise, we would challenge anyone to convince us that college for girls is not a near occasion of sin.
The funny thing is this is a Catholic blog. Of course Catholicism is not egalitarian about women, but the kind of drivel in that passage sounds more fundie Protestant than Catholic to me. I think this guy has been watching too much Duggar-tv.
Why shouldn’t daughters go to college? Because that’s for men. Simple.
If we look COMPREHENSIVELY at the Catholic doctrine, we’ll see very little that promotes a woman working outside the home. Further a good working knowledge of the basics for today’s culture and progressive society can be learned in 12 years of school. Politicians say that 12 years is not enough today, but that is because of a failed corrupted education system. Homeschooling parents can educate their children in 12 years. College may be necessary for the provider of a family depending on the vocation God is calling them to or for those who are called to the Priesthood, both of which are intended for men.
There y0u go: intended for men. What more do you need to know? Women can produce milk, therefore, no college for them.
The Church teaches that husbands and wives are of equal dignity, but with different roles. Almost all of our children will choose to marry. Actually, since the purpose of a college degree is for a job, it becomes unnecessary for our daughters to have such a credential. My personal impression is that the day-to-day grind of a job is below the dignity of women. In a way, it is like being a hired hand, as result of the fall and the penalty for original sin. Of course the Lord and the Popes have raised the dignity of work as a way of husbands living out their vocation and duty. But the penalty for the woman as a result of the fall was pain in childbirth (which requires having babies), not to work. Sending our wives out to work should be a very last resort, a misfortune, so it shouldn’t be part of a plan for young ladies before they even get a start at family life. Keeping a home, being a loving wife, and being a nurturing mother are of immeasurable dignity to a woman and not something to be farmed out to servants.
He needs to make up his mind. Is having children a penalty, or a great big prezzie?
We believe in women making wise prudent choices for themselves. The indoctrination of the feminist culture and the practicing of a sexually promiscuous lifestyle severely cloud, practically blind that good judgment. Getting a college degree often makes a young lady feel an “obligation” to use it, to make money. Often her husband doesn’t want to see it go to “waste.” So the degree is what actually traps her. Not having a degree frees her to enter into a marriage with proper roles in which her husband will provide for her and their children. Christian marriage by definition does place her in a submissive role to her husband, but no one forces anyone to marry anyone. She should go to the altar with full knowledge of what she’s entering into.
Hmm. We believe in women making wise prudent choices for themselves, except not going to college, or working outside the home, or staying single. Other than that, they can choose like mad.
Then he draws up a numbered list of reasons that daughter should stay the hell away from tertiary education. 3 is very strong.
3 She will not learn to be a wife and mother. Nothing that is taught in a college curriculum is geared toward domestic homemaking. On the contrary, it is training in a very masculine role of a professional career. So there becomes a severe inner conflict in a woman when she starts trying to be a homemaker and juggle a career alongside it.
She won’t settle down nicely to being a wife and mother and nothing else unless she is kept strictly away from all alternatives. She won’t even know how to write blog posts saying why women should be kept at home and uneducated.
H/t Gretchen
If it weren’t for all the Pope stuff, I’d think it was written by my mother! Sounds like my upbringing to atee. Naturally I am a big disappointment. Not only college but science! She rarely told anyone what I did. She would just point out that I have a son.
What I have learned from ex-evangelicals online is that there actually are college programs teaching fields related to homemaking. They fall under Family and Consumer Sciences, in particular Family Studies programs.
” since once explained logically, the opposition runs out of substance and is only left to hurl insults and presume and misconstrue this practical wisdom into some chauvinistic evil. ”
I have to wonder what they consider “chauvinistic” to mean. If something concludes or presumes different positions for women than for men, it is by definition chauvinistic. Doesn’t matter how logical or practical it is. That’s a definition.
All right, so I clicked through. It’s even worse
Jesus Fucking Christ.
The comments are fun, though. My so-far favorites:
er, even worse than the excerpts in this post, that is.
Funny how paid work is beneath Woman’s dignity, but changing diapers and scrubbing toilets for room and board is not.
This isn’t Catholic doctrine. There’s no teaching in Catholicism that says women shouldn’t be educated, or any equal-but-separate bullshit. Women are sinful? We’ve got that. Women make babies? Preferably while remaining virgins. However, the Catholic church has been downright encouraging women to get eddicated and become nurses and teachers. How else would schools and hospitals run, without underpaid women? We’re all out of nuns, we can’t cut off our supply of regular women shitkickers.
Furthermore,this bloke doesn’t have “Bishop” in front of his name and isn’t preferencing his statements by saying “At Mass on Sunday Father Adebimpe said…” Catholicism is not some free-thinking “share your interpretation” group of rugged individuals. We are a strictly top-down organization, sheep following the shepherd in the funny hat. We are still running a department for the Inquisition. There is no way he is supposed to making statements about what Catholics should do. Reading the bible and giving his own interpretation? What kind of protestant reformist activity is that?
Is this even worth responding to? OK, it’s a slow night…
1. Logic: He says his positions will be “explained logically”, but all we get is Catholic doctrine (opinion of some guys in funny hats) and God (“opinion” of a literary character). Hey! Where’s my logic?
2. Choices: “We believe in women making wise prudent choices for themselves.” And can’t you just hear the subtext: “as long as they make the choices we want them to make”. It brings to mind Sarah Palin announcing her daughter’s pregnancy during the 2008 presidential campaign: “We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby”.
@Anat
They used to have those in secular colleges too–does anyone still offer degrees in home ec/domestic science?
Reminds me of that Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man” Marriage? “Don’t go, it’s a cookbook!”
Of course Catholicism is not egalitarian about women, but the kind of drivel in that passage sounds more fundie Protestant than Catholic to me.
Yes it does. Catholicism for all its faults generally encourages girls to get at least some education. The Catholic girls high schools in my neck of the woods really drive young women to excel in life.
Of course, those same schools demonize abortion and contraception.
As we can tell by all the woman bishops, and the long line of woman Popes.
Uh, yeah. Learie @ 7 – OHHHHHHH yes there is. I’ve quoted some of it on this blog over the years, and I quoted some of it in Does God Hate Women? Their line of bullshit is that women and men are “complementary” – which is a pseudo-polite way of saying unequal.
Lady Mondegreen (@9):
Here is what I get with College Navigator searches:
4 year colleges with programs in Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General:
119 results
4 year colleges with programs in Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, Other:
12 results
I have no idea how many of these programs focus entirely on training in domestic skills vs skills that can be useful for activists, people interested in starting businesses selling products or services related to domestic skills, or people who want to do development work.
Oh, it’s all through the hierarchy. The church is built on a firm bedrock of misogyny. I remember being honestly puzzled at about age 10 as to why any of the women I knew were catholic, and why they wanted me to be catholic.
I meant, it’s not in the doctrine books they give you outlining what you should be teaching. What we teach children and what the fellas in charge say are really quite different. Possibly because of all the women involved in that work.
So yeah, there’s tonnes of bullshit about why women can’t be leaders in the church but nobody talks about that shit in school or the actual mass.
My point: girls are not taught by their teachers they are lesser beings. The primary school doctrine books don’t have any of that in them.
My other point: that bloke is taking it upon himself to say what should be taught. There is no thinking for oneself in the Catholic church.
learie – thank you for clarifying what you meant, but what you said doesn’t really say what you are now saying. Catholic doctrine, as laid down by the man in the dress, actually does call for women as lesser, and Pope Fuzzy has basically reiterated how lovely that women are caring and compassionate, so they can have their proper role.
What they teach in Sunday school in any denomination I’ve been associated with tends to whitewash actual doctrine. Apparently not Jehovah’s Witnesses, who seem to tell kids up front what scum they are, at least from what I’ve read. But other churches, not so much. They want people to come back.
iknlast, I really shouldn’t have used the word “doctrine”. I am horrified to find I am being read as saying
“there’s no misogyny the Catholic church.” That is as ludicrous as Donald Trump being president.
When I was a young wee teacher entering my first classroom, the principal gave me a big aqua coloured book called something like “Doctrine of the Arch-diocese” and it gave me step by step instructions on how to conduct my daily religious instruction, including statements I should make and thinkings the children should arrive at. It’s that book I meant when I used the word “doctrine”.