Beth muses on the question:
Wow! You are going to get bombarded with hate mail from angry women, but I suspect you already know that. This column provokes alot of discussion & cannot be commented on in a brief manner. Women get really angry for different reasons. Are you talking about a new phenomenon or one that’s been around forever? While I can, of course, speak only for myself, I have experienced that wrath in myself, and it’s not pretty. I am 50 & my husband & I have been married for 24 years. I always heard growing up that marriage is difficult & couples have to work at it. That simplistic description in no way prepared me for the realities of marriage. I can honestly say that it is not necessarily the things my husband does that piss me off so badly, rather it is the things that he doesn’t do. Men disappoint women ALOT. Men today fall short of being real men & perhaps this is part of the problem. And how did men get that way? Angry radical feminists? Perhaps. I agree with you that the anger is not a result of male oppression, although I believe many women imagine that they are oppressed by men. I have not experienced male oppression myself, however, I have experienced female oppression. I find it interesting that people actually believe that males are the only ones capable or willing to oppress others. I have never been a supporter of the radical (angry?) feminists, & I believe they have done untold damage to our society. I am a stay at home mom who never favored “day care kennels” & felt that my job at home was as important as any career woman’s job. Why have children if you’re just going to turn them over to someone else to raise? But back to the anger. On one hand I think that some women imagine they are victims of atrocities, but on the other, men do contribute to the anger by having relinquished their manhood. I think the big question may be what kind of men do we women want? There is a demand for too many varieties of men. We have a very confused society. Yes, men can make us angry, but would I be a traitor to also suggest that hormones contribute to the anger? I know I’m all over the place on this one, but obviously this is a very complicated issue. Interesting!!!!
It is a complicated issue. But the basic focus must always be placed on one’s responsibility for one’s own actions. Perhaps some of this simmering female anger has a reasonable basis, or perhaps it does not, but in any case, its basis doesn’t excuse the typical behavior inspired by it nor does its legitimacy make the persistent state of anger any healthier for the individual or those around them.