Althouse: "More than a book, 'Lean Back (and Relax!)' is a manifesto ('MAN'-ifesto) intended to reduce gender inequality..."

March 17, 2013

"More than a book, 'Lean Back (and Relax!)' is a manifesto ('MAN'-ifesto) intended to reduce gender inequality..."

"... by encouraging men to step aside and let the ladies do more of the work. 'Lean Back' aims to help gals, finally, bring home more bacon, while guys, finally, learn to 'Lean Back (and Relax!).'"

39 comments:

madAsHell said...: Critical Gender Theory
It's all sexist until I say that it isn't.; 3/17/13, 1:28 PM
edutcher said...: Now that's sexist.; 3/17/13, 1:29 PM
tiger said...: What a load of crappy-crap-crap.; 3/17/13, 1:30 PM
dreams said...: A real go getter!; 3/17/13, 1:35 PM
Anonymous said...: Boy, the gals are really stupid. They work their tails off to "bring home more bacons", so the guys can "lean back" and relax. That's why women's life expectancy is dropping.

When the gal is old and used up raising her broods, the relaxed guy, with half of their joint assets, moves on to make a younger family where the gal works and he relaxes. Yap, it aims to help gals, especially the stupid ones.; 3/17/13, 1:37 PM
barry's blog said...: I look forward to "Sit Up Straight"

and not to be outdone "BOHICA"; 3/17/13, 1:37 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: Will women ever STFU about feminism?; 3/17/13, 1:38 PM
Synova said...: The father of a friend of mine, long time ago, was against equal rights because he'd been a missionary in Africa, somewhere, I do realize it's a big place, where the women did all the work and the men sat around being important.

I realized he was sort of missing the point because if women were equal in that culture they'd also be sitting around being important.

But he saw the campaign to enter the workplace as putting ever more burden on women and that they'd become the bread-winners in society and he didn't think that was a good thing.

Now I'm about the same age as he was then and I can't really say that he's wrong, at least not about that part of it.; 3/17/13, 1:43 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: And if a woman who works for you puts a pubic hair on your Coke, no need to remark on it, just lean back, relax, and enjoy.; 3/17/13, 1:52 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: What would we say about men if they constantly bitched that they want more stuff the way women do?

Somehow, women even think that it's a virtue when they carry on this way!

So, women really are as awful as sexist men say? They seem determined to prove it.; 3/17/13, 1:55 PM
Saint Croix said...: Ya'll need to click on the link, it's hilarious.; 3/17/13, 2:01 PM
Saint Croix said...: Or snarky, anyway.; 3/17/13, 2:08 PM
Anonymous said...: I could have written that. I followed all of those suggestions to the letter.
Now I am King of my Castle again!

Of course I live broke and alone now.; 3/17/13, 2:19 PM
Nichevo said...: Shouting Thomas said...

Will women ever STFU about feminism?

3/17/13, 1:38 PM

No, and don't ask them to. You can lie cheat steal or hurt a woman, and she'll take it, but the one thing you cannot do is ask her to shut up.; 3/17/13, 2:29 PM
Geoff Matthews said...: Because when men are really trying hard, women can't compete?
Equality through laziness?; 3/17/13, 2:37 PM
Unknown said...: What a cheat. I grew up in a world where women did all the housekeeping and child rearing, so I did that, then it changed to women doing all the bread winning, so now I'm doing that.
I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never, never, never let him forget he's a man.

What. A. Crock.

We all need to get a sense of humor.; 3/17/13, 2:45 PM
LordSomber said...: Lean Back (and Relax!)... and think of England.; 3/17/13, 2:45 PM
Sam L. said...: Synova's comment reminds me of someone's comment/part of a book describing her tears (of joy!) at seeing Russian women sweeping streets in Moscow.

But mainly, I can't take this a face value--it's pretty obviously meant as comedy.; 3/17/13, 2:48 PM
Chip S. said...: "Lean Back (and Relax!)" is already the manifesto for the
improved version of Pi Day.; 3/17/13, 2:56 PM
n.n said...: If men were women, and women were men, the confusion would be universal. Fortunately, life permits and requires our participation in a diverse set of roles that correlate with different stages and circumstances of our lives.

Apparently, the first victim of "enlightenment" was reason and reasonable. Just another path we follow to dysfunctional convergence.; 3/17/13, 3:03 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Said my n****z don't dance we just pull up our pants
And do the rockaway, now lean back, lean back, lean back, lean back.; 3/17/13, 3:04 PM
Titus said...: Women should be doing all the ironing and baking cookies and taking care of the kids as well as bringing home the bacon.

I am fine with men leaning back-

Women should just be grateful they have a man. But when their tits sag and their vagine stretches out they are on their own.

Show me a man who wants to see a set of saggy tits and huge holed vagine. What the hell are they supposed to do with that?

My dad who is 81 still compliments my mom who is 78 on having a nice pair. And she kept them that way for him. A good woman.; 3/17/13, 3:08 PM
Matt Sablan said...: Wait, I thought men were taking too long to grow up and were unwilling to marry? Can't someone just tell me what's wrong with me!?; 3/17/13, 3:45 PM
David said...: Lean back?

Better then the traditional "bend over."; 3/17/13, 3:50 PM
chuck said...: Just put the check in the mail. Thanks!; 3/17/13, 3:53 PM
Astro said...: It's the natural swing of the pendulum. It wasn't that long ago that most women stayed at home, smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, eating bon-bons and watching soap operas on TV. And once in a while running the vacuum or washing a shirt or two.

So now it's time for the guys to follow the example of the lion and let the lioness do all the work.

This is why I need a new wife/girl-friend. My beer glass is empty.; 3/17/13, 3:54 PM
jr565 said...: Way back when it was the guy telling the woman to get him a beer while he sat on the couch. Now, in the new empowerment guys are being told to sit on the couch and let the women fetch them beers?
Well fuck it then, do the dishes too while you're at it.

I'm going to be sitting here chillin' watching the game.

How does that new empowerment feel ladies?; 3/17/13, 4:08 PM
jr565 said...: Wait, If I'm sitting at home do they actually expect me to do housework?; 3/17/13, 4:09 PM
Henry said...: Shouldn't parody have a target? There's some mild kidding of Sheryl Sandberg, but every punch is pulled.

The man-parody is just unfunny boilerplate.; 3/17/13, 4:13 PM
jr565 said...: ahem, erm... now that I've actually read the linked article, it's quite obviously meant as parody.
But if women want to run with it, more power to em.; 3/17/13, 4:19 PM
Anonymous said...: throw ... gasoline ... on ... fire.; 3/17/13, 4:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Ohhhh.... I'm so going to get thrown out of the Feminist Club. Any man that ever parks slippers under a woman's bed better damn well earn his own way and provide for any minor children they have together. I would have a very hard time seeing him "lean back", while I was out earning. But hey I'm old.

Once the couple is older and kids leave the nest, they can then decide how they want to provide for themselves.; 3/17/13, 4:31 PM
David said...: Well put, Inga. My ex wife would agree. All except for the "out earning" part.; 3/17/13, 4:58 PM
JAL said...: A mocking mocker!; 3/17/13, 5:09 PM
JAL said...: Srsly guys --

You get amazons (that being one of the few platinum companies she hasn't, umm, left her mark on) like Sheryl Sandberg handing out advice to the peons and other assorted women in the workplace ...

Maxx (Devin) deserves his say.; 3/17/13, 5:15 PM
Methadras said...: Frankly, I'm stunned that there hasn't been someone who has made it their mission to eliminate these trojan horse thinkers on our culture.; 3/17/13, 6:03 PM
campy said...: The father of a friend of mine, long time ago, was against equal rights because he'd been a missionary

Is that the official missionary position?; 3/17/13, 6:38 PM
Anonymous said...: @ST

Many women think it's a virtue to demand more because the women who don't do that often get stepped on (by men), while many of the women who do get what they want (via men). And then the guys bitch and moan about this state of affairs.

You tell me why that is. My vote is that it's the old "I wouldn't want to be in a club that would have me as a member" deal. People enjoy the illusion that someone better than they are is putting them to the test. They enjoy being validated in that way - even if it's all a fairy tale.

Or they're masochists. Whatever.; 3/17/13, 11:30 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: The 1970s called. They want their jokes back.; 3/18/13, 12:42 AM