This guest post by Michelle Cottle reads like a right-wing parody of progressive values:
“[Bristol] doesn’t want him in Hollywood. … She wants him to sort of be like Todd Palin in the background while she does the running around. Levi, on the other hand, is not ready to settle into that role.”
I ask you: How awesome is that? It seems Bristol Palin has been raised to assume that a man’s role is that of supportive helpmeet, that it is Dad who’s supposed to keep the home fires burning while Mom goes out and sets the world on fire. If that’s not a progressive perspective on gender roles, I don’t know what is. Way to fly that feminist flag, Sarah! And, oh yes, you too Todd.
Really? That is exactly the same attitude that progressives rightfully dismiss when it goes the other way. How ugly is it? Read it the other way:
Levi wants Bristol to be in the background while he does the running around. Bristol, on the other hand, is not ready to settle into that role.
I ask you: How awesome is that? It seems Levi Johnson has been raised to assume that a woman’s role is that of supportive helpmeet, that it is Mom who’s supposed to keep the home fires burning while Dad goes out and sets the world on fire. If that’s not a progressive perspective on gender roles, I don’t know what is.
In answer to her implied question, I would say that the progressive perspective on gender roles is that both men and women should be able to work outside the home, or be stay-at-home parents, or anything in between. The exact roles each partner plays should depend on their personal goals and desires, and should be agreed to by both partners. An assumption that either partner is "supposed to keep the home fires burning" is a slap in the face to both of them.
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