"Men On Strike" review

Submitted by Matt on Fri, 2015-07-24 03:02

Another great book review by J Steven Svoboda. This one's of Helen Smith's Men On Strike. Snag the review here. Excerpt:

'As a long-time reviewer of books about men and masculinity, I continue to marvel at the ability of new authors to come along with fresh energy and new things to say. Dr. Helen Smith, a Knoxville, Tennessee psychologist specializing in forensic issues and men’s issues, is no exception in her book Men on Strike. Smith and I would probably not completely agree on all aspects of the gender wars, but who cares—her heart is in the right place and she is full of compassion for all of us. “There truly is a war on men going on in our society, and the average man knows it full well.” It strikes me that Dr. Smith is writing for a newer phase of the men’s movement, with us already having enjoyed at least the limited success of getting our basic message across to “the average man.”

Dr. Smith cannot brook stories such as that of “father Cliff Hall, who paid his outstanding child support for his eleven-year-old son but was sentenced by a female judge to six months in jail anyway.” Much worse, exploitation of our honored service members appears to be endemic. One says, “When I was in the Marine Corps, I was sued by 11 different women for child support…. It’s a huge scam, and no one cares.” Well, thanks to authors such as Dr. Smith, not quite no one.'

Like0 Dislike0

Comments

I don't know anything about the author or her book(s). However I notice she makes a reference to Cliff Hall, the man who was supposedly paid up on child support but sent to jail anyway's. The details are taken way out of context or at least they are quite contrary to the mothers account of events.

If I remember correctly Mr. Hall was sent to jail for contempt as he walked out of the courtroom as the judge was speaking to him. He had a history of not following court orders. He had been warned previously that his behavior would not be tolerated. He had not paid his child support on time - he paid his back support of $3000 just before he entered the court, and he was causing stress on the mother by continually taking the boy out of school without notice, failing to get the boy to events that the mother had paid for, and he did not even return the boy to his mother at the agreed upon time on Christmas Day. Him walking out of court in the middle of it was the last straw.

I hope Dr. Smith does more fact-checking on other cases she references for her book.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by Kris on Fri, 2015-07-24 06:40

If the genders were switched...

Currently, the sentence of jail for not paying gets more often carried out against men than women.

Also, in this case, the error was made by his employer (and the state law makes it so that even if the employer made the mistake, the sentence is still jail).

the MOTHER says the father did not show up, but other news sourcse say the opposite.

It is POSSIBLY a case of an exasperated parent walking out of the court house.

And if that parent had been a woman, more than likely, there would have been no jail sentence.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by ThomasI on Fri, 2015-07-24 07:58

I haven't read her book, yet, but I am very familiar with Dr. Smith. (No, not the bloke from Lost in Space...)
Anyways, She also covers MGTOW, in case anyone was unaware of it.
I am spending a large amount of time talking to MGTOW chaps, right now.
It's amazing how receptive they are to those of us females that approach them with respect, understanding and with sincere questions.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by ErikaLancastor on Fri, 2015-07-24 23:14

I suppose it is one person's word against the other's, but when this specific story was a hot topic on Reddit someone posted a link to the court records. I felt the records supported the mothers version of events, that the father, Cliff Hall, got caught up in his lies and the judge was h*ving none of it and had several reasons to find the father in contempt.

I h*ve my own experiences to draw from, and it is impossible for a party to be unaware of court proceedings, once you are aware of the first motion (It is each party's responsibility to keep courts informed of residence and mailing address when there is any active parenting plan). When there is an amount owed, there is always a specific amount and a due date. It is up to the person who owes money to be sure it is paid correctly. It is not up to court clerk or the employer, as the legal obligations was on the defendant.

PS- If I remember correctly, it was the father who indicated to the media he was not present in court, so he did not know about a change, but court documents indicate he (or his lawyer) was present

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by Kris on Sun, 2015-07-26 20:40