I didn't even bother to read the article itself but went straight for the comments thread as apparently I like a little trolling and misogyny with my coffee. Sure enough, there were a fair number of posts decrying feminism, er sorry, "raging feminism" and how women, the second they whined to be let out of the kitchen, doomed themselves to be miserable and poor mothers. Sure, whatever you need to keep telling yourself to feel better about why no woman in her right mind would want to be with you, dude...
There were also a number of posts in which men were very eager to brag about their own domestic skills or those of their father, grandfather, etc. Often cited as the reason for these skills was necessity or experiences in the military. Great!
Most of the other posts were comprised of women who came forward to declare that they indeed know how to cook, sew, and the rest of it, but that they also chose to work, stay at home, or take turns staying at home with their partners. Also great!
My anthropologist's mind was reeling with retorts and arguments. I started my own post and would type several paragraphs before deleting the content about five times. I realized it was an exercise in futility and would only result in either being called a derogatory name or being asked, "How YOU doin'?" Instead, I searched for a particular set of words; "zombies" and "apocalypse."
Sure enough, this is where I found my ilk; those light-hearted (or seriously crazy) folk who warn everyone that all genders better hurry up and learn how to knit, cook, construct, and produce their own food. Why? Because the last thing we need is a bunch of naked, hungry fools whose only skills in life are Tetris (sorry Sam) and reformatting their hard drives (again, sorry Sam) running from zombies when the apocalypse happens.
Coincidentally, I had this conversation with Sam last night, as I shoved a newly knitted sock in his face.
"Look, I can fashion clothing out of string! What are you going to do when the apocalypse comes?"
"Uhh, I have a lot of clothes, I'll be fine."
"Dude, what doesn't get destroyed by brimstone is going to be stolen and eaten by the zombies. You're screwed!"
Okay, so maybe I won't get Sam to learn how to purl anytime soon but there's a nugget of truth somewhere in this goofy back and forth. What happens if we suffer a major catastrophe, the likes of which throws us back into a situation in which we must be self-reliant? Do we sit here and wait for some government to send aid? I think there are a lot of Katrina victims who would strongly recommend otherwise. What about the rising costs of food? I make choking noises every time I walk into a grocery store and see the cost of tomatoes. Should I cough up the cash or plant my own?
The satisfaction of being able to make a meal from scratch, knit my own clothes, and do other "domestic" activities does not come from some innate femininity nor desire to become June Cleaver. It comes from knowing that I can survive and the fear of not having perfectly-fitted socks with which to run from zombies.
