Hi Dr. Laura,
I am a 27 year old woman, raised with strong traditional values with parents who have been married over 30 years. I have been listening to you with my mom since I was a child. Your show and my parents' successful life and marriage have kept me in the right frame of thinking as I have a tendency to lean toward the feminist thinking ("I don't want to be dominated"... I can do what he can do...", etc.). I listen to your show daily via the monthly subscription - technology is wonderful! I am currently engaged to be married on November 17, to a wonderful man, and I try very hard to keep in mind the importance of appreciating, accepting, and admiring him every day.
This month, my church had its semi-annual conference that is broadcast throughout the world. I wanted to share one specific talk, given to just the men of the church, as it puts very well the things you say on a regular basis. It talks about the fading presence of real MEN in our society today, the arrested development of young men, the lack of hard work or purpose the men have. But also, he talks of the emasculation men have experienced due to the uprising of feminist values.
I wanted to share this so you can feel the support of individuals who still uphold traditional values, and know that we are out there fighting the good fight!
Here are some snippets from the talk:
"Brethren, much has been said and written in recent years about the challenges of men and boys. A sampling of book titles, for example, includes Why There Are No Good Men Left, The Demise of Guys, The End of Men, Why Boys Fail, and Manning Up. Interestingly, most of these seem to have been written by women. In any case, a common thread running through these analyses is that in many societies today men and boys get conflicting and demeaning signals about their roles and value in society."
"In their zeal to promote opportunity for women, something we applaud, there are those who denigrate men and their contributions. They seem to think of life as a competition between male and female-that one must dominate the other, and now it's the women's turn. Some argue that a career is everything and marriage and children should be entirely optional-therefore, why do we need men?2 In too many Hollywood films, TV and cable shows, and even commercials, men are portrayed as incompetent, immature, or self-absorbed. This cultural emasculation of males is having a damaging effect."
"...we have an essential role to play in society, at home, and in the Church. But we must be men that women can trust, that children can trust, and that God can trust...we cannot afford to have boys and men who are drifting. We cannot afford young men who lack self-discipline and live only to be entertained. We cannot afford young adult men who are going nowhere in life, who are not serious about forming families..."
Here is the entire text.
Katelin
