North of the 49th | Amway

I dragged myself into work today. I'm fighting (and losing to) some sort of bug… aches, fuzziness, chills — the whole works. But I'm here. In fact, last night I made dinner for the family and promptly fell asleep at 7:30.

Some of you out there may be thinking one of two things: a) ah.. it's just a Man Cold; or b) he made dinner? So why are these the only options?

Yes, I am penning (uhm.. typing?) this post in defense of my fellow men. Some of you may have read Cindy's post yesterday regarding Momventions. If you haven't, check it out now… I'll wait.

OK, back? I know Cindy, and I know she's not like that, so I'll exclude her from my rant, but there are certain attitudes, both in life and in the media, that reflect a belief that men are incapable of doing, well, anything. How many ads have you seen that showcase the harried wife, rushing around managing 15 different priorities, while Lunkhead McNeanderthal sits on the couch, eating himself into oblivion?

Or what about the never-ending recycling of TV shows that feature dumpy, semi-evolved man with smokin' hot wife? Lather, rinse, add respective Belushi or James. 

In fact, we even have a series here in Canada dedicated to mocking men's lack of abilities, called "The Week the Women Left." And apparently we can't get enough of it here, because they've just started a second series. You may not have seen it because, well, it's on the CBC. But the concept is that they go out to some small town in the west, ship out all the women-folk (I don't get to use that word enough…), and watch as the men stumble and bumble their way through a week of household chores, cooking, and child-rearing.

And why can't guys be legitimately sick? Do we need to physically expel a lung before our illnesses are acknowledged? Or would that then be, "Oh, that's just a Man Organ Failure…"

Enough! It's time for the rest of us to stand up and say, "I am Man, hear me roar! I can cook in the kitchen AND mop the floor!"

My personal situation is a little different, and I won't bore you with the details. But, in short, my wife and I were involved in a head-on collision a few years' ago. Since then, she's been suffering from severe pain, which we think is related to severe nerve damage (not that our medical establishment — or insurance system — is quick to help.. but that's another story for another day). With one arm severely restricted in movement and additional agony added to the baseline pain whenever any major exertion comes about, I've had to pick up the slack (fortunately, my pain is restricted to neck and a shoulder tear — I can deal).

Now I do most of the cooking, much of the cleaning, all the laundry, etc. But these were things I was also doing before the accident. We worked in a partnership, sharing the chores. Why? Because that's the way I was raised.

The thing is, so too were most of my friends! Very few have those "women's work" attitudes — and those people seem to be ones that come from societies where there are very clearly defined male/female roles. 

So my question is: do these neanderthal men exist? Are there still men out there who are allergic to the kitchen? Are there guys who can figure out how to repair a vacuum, but are clueless in how it actually works? 

Speak up blog readers! What kind of man are you? And women, share your thoughts… It's an equal-opportunity world North of the 49th.

Now, let me get back to (It's Not a) Man Cold.

All the best,

Jay