Today's Dose of "Aaaarrgh!"

In today's NY Times Magazine Maureen Dowd asks the vexed question: What's a Modern Girl to Do? Apparently, give up on the social gains of the feminist movement of the 70s. I have no problem with women who want to take their husbands' names, let the boys pay for everything, and be "taken care of" if they can do it. No, scratch that. I have no problem with women who want to take their husband's names. I have not much problem letting boys pay for everything, but a big problem with the underlying assumption that men should pay because women don't get paid enough: they just have "girl money." (fumefumefume) And a huge problem with the notion of anyone being "taken care of" by anyone else. Any woman who retires from the business world under the impression that running a household and taking care of kids is all bonbons and marabou slippers is not working in a reality-based paradigm. But more than that, the idea that an adult relationship should be based on helplessness on one hand and power on the other strikes me as wildly sinister.

Of course, that's just me. And my husband. When I read him some of the stuff from this article he looked distinctly queasy. Good man.