Well, the Old Man’s about to tackle a subject even more emotional than Trump’s election – the current “Me To/Time’s Up/Equal Rights” movements. Excuse me while I either put my foot in my mouth and piss off millions, or maybe ignite some thought (my actual goal here). Can you believe it – three different movements dedicated to one proposition – that All Men Are Created Equal (in this case, the term “men” refers to the species “human”).

And while there may be strength in numbers, breaking into three individual groups kind of loses that advantage. I’ve written before about teamwork, about how a team working together, regardless of size, can overcome a more superior, but individually numbered opponent. Maybe it’s time for these groups to merge into one team – not to beat Men, but to beat the System and make the necessary changes.

To this day I am still amazed at how poorly, despite laws to the contrary, we treat our fellow man here in the USA. Well, all except for Congress, where equal pay and equal respect has been enforced for quite some time. Does anyone else see the irony in that? Usually it’s us setting an example for them…

But lets get down to it – first the “Me To/Time’s Up” debaucle – I call it a debacle because it’s something that should have gone away long ago – along with rocks and spears. I am definitely in agreement with the Time’s Up folks, and have been my whole life (though I never put a tag on it). While crude and abusive acts by people in power have been a human tradition for centuries, I’ve never been a proponent of it. Not because I’m not rich – but because I was taught to play fair (probably WHY I’m not rich).

On the other hand, I am wholly in disagreement with the “Me To” movement. If you were physically abused and reported it (or tried to do something about it) you have my utmost respect and support. If you CHOSE not to do anything about it, allowing it’s purpetuity, then you’re just as guilty as those that perpetrated the act. And don’t start whining about why you didn’t do anything – because you had a CHOICE, and we all must live with our choices.

And all the men that are guilty, well, they obviously have low self esteem and “Mother” issues. I’m not making excuses for them – if I did, it’d only be that they should be institutionalized indefinitly. Or maybe forced to spend a month in isolation with “Bubba with no neck” so that they could better understand the error of their ways (alright ladies, quit smiling).

As for the “Me To” mentally abused, well that’s a really slippery slope. In some cases you can or could walk away (again, a choice), other times not so much. And again, it gets down to intentions – were the comments and conversations intentionally aimed at inflicting injury, or were they offensive in an “eye of the beholder” way? Intentional harm is unacceptable – anytime, anywhere. The other, well, either walk away or learn to grow a thick skin (that’s what men do).

The subject of equal pay seems to be an easy one to solve – there are laws against discrimination based on color, creed or sexual orientation – that seems to cover any and all female (as well as male) types. Start a class-action lawsuit against any and all businesses that subscribe to paying women less and see how fast things change.

But it goes a little bit deeper than that. There are other preconceptions that need to be erased. Take divorce for example – usually young children are automatically given to the mother, along with a stipend paid by the man. This needs to abolished – if women want to be considered equal then there should be no “usually” We are no longer in the days of “Mother knows best” – at least not if “Mother” wants to be considered equal. The paradigm of women staying home, or men being “the breadwinner” needs to be broken.

There are many more of these but, not being a woman, I wouldn’t even begin to say that I could list them here. Equality means exactly that – giving up the priviliges of gender, removing the paradigms and ensuring that everyone plays on a level field.

When my girls were growing up, very early on, I told them that they could be or do anything they wanted, as long as they worked hard at it. I knew it wasn’t true, but I had hope that, by the time they reached adulthood, the world would have changed enough to not make a liar out of me. And I still have hope…