From the Advice Goddess

March 12, 2009

Um, What About The Men And Boys?
Obama has just signed an executive order creating a White House Council on Women and Girls. From AFP:

"The purpose of this Council is to ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy," Obama said.

The council will meet regularly, he said, and will include Clinton, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder among other members, Obama said.

"I sign this order not just as a president, but as a son, a grandson, a husband and a father," Obama said.

He cited the example of his mother, Ann Dunham, who educated herself even while she worried about paying the bills and cared for Obama and his sister as a single parent.

Obama also recalled the example of his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who worked hard in the corporate world, but then hit a glass ceiling and saw less qualified men get jobs ahead of her.

"I've seen Michelle, the rock of the Obama family, juggling work and parenting with more skill and grace than anybody that I know," he said.

I've heard horrific stories of men being denied access to their children after a divorce, of boys getting harsh punishments that are not applied by schools or the legal system to girls, and I've seen scholarship and fellowship programs for women and minorities where guys, especially white guys, can't get in.

We don't fight discrimination with discrimination -- and while I am not for "councils" of this kind to begin with, I'm disgusted that the president thinks it's a good thing to come out with a council for women and girls when there are vast problems men and boys are dealing with.

And come to think of it, life is tough. For all of us in various ways. Isn't the president himself supposed to be a council for ALL Americans? Now that we've got a black guy in The White House, can't we stop with the coddling groups and special rights and privileges for some?

Then again, if you really want to change things, to really improve life for a great number of people (especially children), how about coming up with a Council Against Single Motherhood, including rich, largely white women, who are selfish, me-first/children's needs second "single mothers by choice"?