Thanks for the reply. I'm interested in your further thoughts. Just wanted to clarify that I actually do not mean that women did this in the past. I mean that the women I know who are not employed full-time are *still today* the glue of their communities. And not as appendages to the garbage postindustrial system, actually as replacers f…
Thanks for the reply. I'm interested in your further thoughts. Just wanted to clarify that I actually do not mean that women did this in the past. I mean that the women I know who are not employed full-time are *still today* the glue of their communities. And not as appendages to the garbage postindustrial system, actually as replacers for it.
For just one small example, the (many) housewives I know invest a huge amount of time and energy providing good food for their households -- and good food to them means as much locally sourced, high-nutrition, balanced and handmade food as possible. That takes a huge amount of time, knowledge, skill development, and effort.
Feeding the kids and husband well not only detaches the family from compromised postindustrial food chains (which we all see are collapsing, besides never providing high nutrition) but also from the collapsing American health care system, by reducing their need for medical care. As you probably know, the majority of health care consumption is not a result of accidents but of bad lifestyles -- i.e. because Americans are fat, don't exercise, and eat the utter garbage SAD (standard American diet).
Some of these women also turn their knowledge into home-based, flexible and sometimes part-time jobs, as well as jobs that are turning into businesses that employ others after starting small at home -- baking amazing sourdough, growing veggie starts for locals and and specialized produce for local restaurants and farmer's markets, customizing menus and teaching people how to start eating and cooking well, etc. This is a creative and generative response to a major social problem, starting at home.
All this to me screams "Proverbs 31 woman" as opposed to the more limited vision of "1950s housewife who is home bored all day drinking wine" ("Mad Men's" crystalization of this view is representative of this kind of anti-woman, anti-family, anti-happiness propaganda).
OK, I think I'm done now, thank you for letting me jabber here!
Thanks for the reply. I'm interested in your further thoughts. Just wanted to clarify that I actually do not mean that women did this in the past. I mean that the women I know who are not employed full-time are *still today* the glue of their communities. And not as appendages to the garbage postindustrial system, actually as replacers for it.
For just one small example, the (many) housewives I know invest a huge amount of time and energy providing good food for their households -- and good food to them means as much locally sourced, high-nutrition, balanced and handmade food as possible. That takes a huge amount of time, knowledge, skill development, and effort.
Feeding the kids and husband well not only detaches the family from compromised postindustrial food chains (which we all see are collapsing, besides never providing high nutrition) but also from the collapsing American health care system, by reducing their need for medical care. As you probably know, the majority of health care consumption is not a result of accidents but of bad lifestyles -- i.e. because Americans are fat, don't exercise, and eat the utter garbage SAD (standard American diet).
Some of these women also turn their knowledge into home-based, flexible and sometimes part-time jobs, as well as jobs that are turning into businesses that employ others after starting small at home -- baking amazing sourdough, growing veggie starts for locals and and specialized produce for local restaurants and farmer's markets, customizing menus and teaching people how to start eating and cooking well, etc. This is a creative and generative response to a major social problem, starting at home.
All this to me screams "Proverbs 31 woman" as opposed to the more limited vision of "1950s housewife who is home bored all day drinking wine" ("Mad Men's" crystalization of this view is representative of this kind of anti-woman, anti-family, anti-happiness propaganda).
OK, I think I'm done now, thank you for letting me jabber here!