Bad Choosers Essay, Research Paper

Bad Choosers

By K.L. Casado

The tired clich? has rung throughout the halls of maternity wards and

law firms for years. “The Battle of the Sexes” as it is called; the everlasting

struggle for supremacy among men and women. However, in the wider scope of

events, how easy one’s life is would ideally be more important than how supreme

one is. Just ask Colin Powell or maybe even a reincarnate Kurt Cobain. It does

not matter much if you’re the top dog if your a top dog with an uncomfortable

life. Maybe the important conflict is not which is superior, but rather which

gender proceeds through life more easily. The question remains then: Which?

It would be impossible here, given the talents of even this writer, to

name a clear victor. Scholars and philosophers for years have attempted to do

so, yet no gender has ever been definitely identified. However, the clear

victor here should be the female. From start to finish, with a layover at child

birth, women tend to live easier lives. Men run the government. Men go to war.

Men encounter more obligation inside and out of the family.

When looking at specific instances, life may equally challenge the two.

Both must acquire food. It is noteworthy that men generally eat more than women.

United States law mandates that both complete a certain amount of schooling.

Both must toil through the identity crisis of adolescence, followed by the mid-

life crisis of aging, and lastly, the mortality crisis in their elder years.

There is a great possibility that both must appropriate wealth, provided they

are not substinence farmers living in some foreign country that does not tax (In

which case, the man would slave away in the fields from dusk until dawn while

the woman would wash a dish, tie their eighteen ignorant children down to a

chair and show them the beauty of using a hula-hoe). Men and women share many

hardships throughout the progression of their lives. However, men have

generally acknowledged them and taken responsibility accordingly, while women

have continually inflicted even more troubles upon themselves.

The familiar fancy of a fellow goes as follows: The man works, makes a

living to support his family, provides food and shelter and accepts a position

as the head of the family. A majority of jobs are not fulfilling. A man’s

existence at work is scarcely a spiritual uplift and ordinarily may be draining

and exhausting. Even more distressing is a man’s dependence on such, for

bearing the responsibility for his naked family’s hunger might be a bit

disheartening. Exempting the guttedly-challenged, a man must also assume

leadership of his home, governing and supervising the affairs therein (an action

necessary as the dominant gender, but this topic shall be saved for a later

time).

A man endures many calamities outside of family-lock as well. The

natural pursuant of companionship is the man. That is not to say that women do

not do their own, voluntary, share, but who is typically the initial solicitor,

delivers the flowers and eventually looked upon for a proposal? This aspect of

male life is among the most trying of all. A man rarely finds emotional

companionship here. He serves as his own confidant and council. He must deal

with his significantly stronger sexual tendencies, especially, given today’s

society, in the workplace. In the working world, an aspiring young man’s

employment is most likely flushed down into the likes of McDonald’s or High

School “Janitorial Administration.” Although, one must acknowledge the glaring

exception of those promoted to fry-boy or window washer.

In direct contrast to the dismal drudgery endured by the conventional

male, there is the potential luxury of being a woman. It is stereotypically a

woman’s position, while the children go to school, to stay home, go shopping,

watch television (including her favorite soap operas), and do whatever comes to

mind the rest of the day. Theoretically, a woman’s day is complete and

satisfying. Should she feel sheltered or isolated, she is fully welcome to

venture out and about among society. Should she feel incomplete or hollow, she

is wholly able to stay home and reinforce her roots and foundation. A woman may

indulge herself at a local mall or in a gallon of ice cream. In contrast to men,

women are known to find serenity in accessible material goods, such as a new

blouse or fresh shade of lipstick. Men, on the other hand, want a Ferrari or

they want to cry like a little girl. Women are more easily pleased. A woman’s

obligation to the household is minimal. Thanks to modern conveniences, she no

longer has to cook. Rather, dinner may be defrosted. A couple of buttons need

pushing and so ended is her daily onus. Breakfast for the kids? Pop Tarts and

Nutri-Grains, maybe an egg if she feels generous. The invention of paper plates

and plastic silverware (bare hands may be a bit barbaric and uncleanly) has put

an end to washing dishes, given that whatever was defrosted did not come with

one. The washer and dryer have reduced the laundering of garments from

washboard and suds to dropping them into a basin and turning a knob.

Furthermore, once the children reach five or six years of age, they can be

expected to wash their own clothing. To maintain a sanitary environment, a

woman might find an annual house cleaning necessary.

Before marriage, women can enjoy an accommodating and comfortable

lifestyle. If not, at least one which is more agreeable than that of men. At

this stage, a large majority of women are approached and sought after for their

young, attractive bodies, keen ability to defrost, and companionship (in no

apparent order of importance). Such instances are undoubtedly flattering to

women. Consequently, morale is substantially boosted. Those not routinely

sought after, admittedly, may be paling in self-esteem, but remunerate their

grievances by eating however much of whatever they so choose. Women are known

to have considerably more intimate relations with friends, especially out of

wedlock. Those individuals serve as emotional outlets, an opulence foreign to a

vast majority of men. Not only does this explain man’s extensive knowledge of

beer, but also why women are more emotionally sound and content at this point.

A female, contrary once again to a male, has no trouble financially supporting

herself in a respectable manner by recording telephone messages and brewing

coffee, officiating senior citizen shuffleboard competitions, or possibly

exploiting men for their natural inclinations at a local entertainment tavern.

The facility of the woman’s life trickles down from marriage and pre-

marital life all the way to adolescence. Boys must endure the painstaking and

humiliating transition to manhood. The male cannot hide his cracking speech or

his sullied lip. Undoubtedly, this will be noticed and vocally editorialized at

home. “Hey, look and listen, Mom!” Father will exclaim. “The boy’s hit

puberty!” Any man can attest to the wretchedness of this situation, or perhaps

the time he forgot to lock the bathroom and his little sister just had to take a

shower. He must also request shaving equipment, a guaranteed public

announcement, one that might as well be published in the classifieds. Females,

on the other hand, are far more sheltered and protected at home. “Aw, look,

honey,” Mother will sigh, “Your daughter is blooming (heaven forbid she receive

the ever so viscious “developing”) into a beautiful, young lady.” She asks, as

discreetly as a Central Intelligence operation, for an extra piece of clothing,

a piece of cotton, and a pill. No one ever knows the difference.

School arises as an even more dire situation. For every boy except the

mutant freak who was done in sixth grade, the junior high locker room is a

merciless and perverse place. The heartless jokes there do not even meet

appropriateness standards of this paper. Females do not fare quite as badly.

Although I can not admit to any first hand knowledge of the junior high girls

locker room, it is my understanding that as long as one maintains healthy and

clean hygienic habits, they are not harassed, at least not to the extent of

those across the gymnasium.

The troubles for women arise when they refuse to accept the comfortable

position as people with easy lives and choose to complicate them. Many women

choose to assume authority in their household. This is not necessary. The men,

power hungry and dictatorial when feasible, often can perform the task

adequately themselves and sometimes have no problem accepting this duty. For

many, there is no true need to work if they are married. An immeasurable amount

of women choose to cook for their family, routinely! Some even proceed to

prepare breakfast. In today’s society, food is readily purchased, many times,

for a price less than cooking. “Microwaveable Dinners, The Wave of the Future!”

the announcements read. They choose to make use of actual dishes. Sheer

foolishness! Microwaveable dinners come on disposable trays. No dishes, no

mess, no nothing. Women choose to adopt the washing of their family’s clothing

as yet another unnecessary chore. As if clothing needed routine washing, they

do not even force their children, grown-up or not, to do it themselves, further

instilling ideals of discipline in them. Women are irresponsible in many of the

choices they make.

Despite already thrusting hardships upon themselves, they decide to go

further. Women routinely maintain the cleanliness of their house. The reason

for doing so confounds all laws of practicality. Dirty houses are more

comfortable. Whenever something is needed, one can look on the ground somewhere.

It is done usually to improve the parental image, whether that image be a

guest’s or their own. There are few guests, it would seem, who would be worth

cleaning your house for. If one receives more respect for tidiness, the source

of that respect needs to be very closely examined. As far as personal image

goes, it would seem practical to base one’s image of herself on something maybe

more significant than having one’s clothes picked up and the dust off one’s

piano. The sentiment that women offer extraneous credence to self image and

thus bring troubles upon themselves is further reflected with the habitual use

of cosmetics. This is not necessary. Especially to household prone women,

cosmetics are wasted energy and money. Unbetrothed women not applying cosmetics

are not always avoided, but rather pursued even more vehemently by men who find

practicality attractive. Even worse is the state of mind dedicated cosmetic

users put themselves in when unable to apply them. “I look like crap,” they’ll

whine.