"National Men Make Dinner Day"

That'd work, too.

My meal will consist of burgers in bags, served on TV trays - no candles. For entertainment, we will be spitting bone and gristle back into the bags. The really classy part of the meal will come when I pass gas to the tune of "Some Enchanted Evening. :-) Eat your heart out Valentino.

A couple of days ago I turned on the TV in the morning to see what the weather would be like, and a male commentator said "And this is National Men Make Dinner Day." This was followed by a woman commentator saying "Yayyyy." I thought "How stupid - how about something about men's issues instead of yet another inane insulting anti-male idea like this.

I promptly turned off the TV. I haven't gotten an HDTV yet, or even a converter box, and might just let it go off the air completely in February next year. I don't care.

I support the diversifying of what a man's role can and can't be (ie stay at home husbands shouldn't be ashamed, and there's nothing wrong with knowing how to cook).

But i dislike the rather sexist overtones at play here.

I wrote an e-mail to Ms. Sharkey:

Sandy,

Unfortunately, I found the "rules" in your website rather condescending and insulting.

The idea that you feel free to use the word "allowed" for men is incredible. Imagine a website where men are instructed to "allow" their wives to do something. That would go over real good, wouldn't it?

I understand what you're after here, but I think you're misguided in your efforts. Unless you're planning to balance this out with a National Wife Fixes The Toilet Day, or National Wife Remodels the Kitchen Day, or perhaps the more attainable National Wife Changes The Oil and Filter in the Car Day, just to name a few of the many possibilities.

Something tells me that you either very much take for granted, or simply don't know about, all the hard work your husband contributes to your household. Maybe you should ask him sometime. Assuming you're married, of course. Your website doesn't say. If you're NOT married, well, you lose tons of credibility.

The idea that men and women take each other for granted in their marriages isn't a new one. However, in our society only the woman is validated when she vents her frustration about it. Our society actually needs to listen to men more, not assume that they are automatically the slacker in the household or the one who needs to be "fixed", and value their contributions more.

Good luck.

[My name, city]

*******************

Here is her reply, received today:

hi [name],
thanks for the note! I hope you didn't lose sleep over my attempt to have a little fun! There is no need for you to participate, in fact this event is only for those who have a sense of humour.
you should try getting one sometime! It really makes for a better day
sandy

*******************

Wow, I sure am glad that she pointed out that the reason I found the website insulting was that I didn't have a sense of humor! Whew!

How about National Women Actually Pay Their Own Way and Pay for Their Man Too day.

That would allow women to know what it's like to be a man in a relationship for a day.

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!