“Still not over the American woman who was super surprised to see so many men walking around with strollers and generally looking after their children alone during her travels through the Nordic countries.”
Bolognese sauce: https://satwcomic.com/the-implication-of-that
Do American men not look after their kids?
America is just like every other highly patriarchal society: No
Some men are wonderful dads and incredibly involved but culturally speaking American men still very much buy into the concept of “woman’s work” and included in that is women raising his kids for him
It doesn’t help that men looking after thier own kids is seen as “babysitting” or even worse a predator.
There’s plenty of YouTube reviews of men taking thier kids to the park and watching them play while being a parent. Then female parents call the damn cops on the clear dad being a dad.
so my doofus brother’s wife grew up one of those “i refuse to be one of those women who does ‘women’s work’” and just wants to stay home playing video games. and my doofus brother, well, he’s a doofus so neither of them gets their house cleaned. or their food cooked properly. or their clothes cleaned. or any of that shit. it’s embarrassing
am a dad, been told I’m ‘babysitting’ my kids a few times.
Not sure I’ve ever been directly told that despite being just me with my daughter most days/weekends due to my wife’s work schedule. Thinking on it, it’s probably that I look way more intimidating than I am
The number of fathers that gave me shit for taking care of my kids is rediculous. We had our kids 15 months apart and I would routinely have both of them in a public restroom for changing. The pure vitriol directed at me for doing the womens job was immense beyond measure.
On the flip side, when I would take them to the park to play, I would be acosted by nearly every mother there. There were no fathers, just mothers that would have to comment that it was great to see a father participate. I also got a lot of phone numbers that I got very embarrased about and my wife found hilarious.
TLDR:. Most american fathers do not put in much effort unless its sports related.
My kids dad (I am not bio-mom) told me straight up he only wants adult children. I pointed out to him kids ARE adults now and he has no relationship with them due to that attitude. So many fathers want to phone it in then are shocked when they have no meaningful relationship with their kids.
I always liked Ugly Kid Joe’s version of Cats In The Cradle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B32yjbCSVpU
Depends where on the political spectrum they are.
This is the real answer. The only men I know who act like it isn’t part of their job to be a dad are also super “Christian” and conservative.
In one instance I know of the wife has a college degree but the husband doesn’t. They are quite impoverished because he works and she doesn’t because “it isn’t a woman’s place to earn more than a man”. I’m not fucking kidding or editorializing.
“Yes, my self-image is worth $80,000 a year, why do you ask?”
In addition to broadly prevalent ‘traditional’ norms promoted and espoused by men in many, many parts of the US, that assert that caring for a child is innately feminine…
Tons of American women also actively promote patriarchy, they’d call these guys gay and not real men, for taking care of their kids, for being stay at home dads.
Generally it’s considered suspicious for an adult man to be alone with a child so it’s safer and more convenient for men not to be involved with their children’s lives in any solo capacity. It stems from this idea of everyone-is-pedophile-except-for-pedophiles.
This is a BS justification imo
Being alone with your own child is not considered suspicious. Hanging out alone with out a child at a playground sure. Having your own kid in your cart at the grocery store? Absolutely not
But that’s the problem. People here see grown man + child, come to a conclusion, and only accept evidence that reinforces it. It doesn’t matter if it’s your kid, there’s enough idiots that refuse to believe that that your child and you are now in danger.
Here in Poland playgrounds are often extended with a public outdoor gym or something similar. That solves all problems, making them social centers for both child-free and parents.
E.g.
With fenced playground:
And no fence anywhere
Except*
Thank you. Fixed.
Not in my experience. Men behave as if their contribution is either working a job to earn money for the family or drinking/physical violence.
Usually both, at least in my region.
yes of course they do.
Paternity leave?
When American men look after their children people call the police and accuse them of being pedophiles for daring to be in public with a child.
I have two young daughters. I brought them everywhere by myself. This never happened. Adjust your assumptions.
No they don’t
I think it is also specifically racist, implying that the black character didn’t know her father.
Buddy, that’s a white chick with the Paris Hilton build. It’s that American men are shit or that we don’t get leave from work for either mother or father to have time to spend with their new family addition.
American workers period, don’t get enough pay or government support, such as free child care, to take time out to care for their families.
So the lowest paid adult, usually the mother, is stuck with childcare duties.
Not to normalize that both parents should be working full-time either in order to support the family, and be able to invest the time into raising children.
Hell, my partner and I run a cleaning business. We both have to take clients so thst we have a enough money to get by. Plus dragging a kid around with us.
Ouch. Running a business is more than a full-time job! I’m doing that.
It is, but I will say I love it for a lot of reasons. One. I’m by myself for most jobs. Other than my partner or my kid. Which I love enough to tolerate, just kidding, (they’re great, but I’m not a people person, so it can take a toll on me to be someone to someone all the time)
I get to listen to podcast like Legends of avantris and just zone out while doing work. Hell, sometimes the places are still so clean from last time, all I gotta do is dust and wash stuff. It has ups and downs
Guy, it’s a cartoon
Now apply that same statement to what you said before.
I wasn’t going to reply because I didn’t think it was productive but I’ve had three replies totally misunderstanding what I meant by “it’s a comic”.
The person I was replying to seemed to think it was clear the american was white. As it is a comic, it is very open to interpretation.
I understand I was wrong - I saw another comic with this character being referred to as white and doing something hella racist but all of these replies are totally misunderstanding me.
And? Lots of our greatest stories are cartoons. They still can have a meaning.
I mean stonetoss makes cartoons too.
That’s not to compare the two, this cartoon isn’t racist at all from what I can tell but the defense of being a cartoon is a poor one.
Bruh what, its referring to how American fathers often dont have time/arent culturally as used to looking after the kids compared to Scandinavia.