The 'working poor,' as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society.
Barbara EhrenreichRead
Like many other women, I could not understand why every man who changed a diaper has felt impelled, in recent years, to write a book about it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the trend of men writing about their experiences with parenting, specifically changing diapers, and questions the need for excessive attention to this topic.
Barbara Ehrenreich's quote reflects her bemusement at the phenomenon of men feeling compelled to document their experiences with changing diapers. She implies that while parenting is a shared responsibility, the act of writing about it has become more of a male-centric narrative, raising questions about the motivations behind such self-documentation and the cultural perceptions of parenting roles.
Themes
ParentingGender RolesFatherhoodWritingSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a parenting workshop, a speaker might use this quote to emphasize gender roles.
More from Barbara Ehrenreich
All quotes βThe secret of the truly successful, I believe, is that they learned very early in life how not to be busy. They saw through that adage, repeated to me so often in childhood, that anything worth doing is worth doing well. The truth is, many things are worth doing only in the most slovenly, halfhearted fashion possible, and many other things are not worth doing at all.
Barbara EhrenreichRead
From the point of view of the pharmaceutical industry, the AIDS problem has already been solved. After all, we already have a drug which can be sold at the incredible price of $8,000 an annual dose, and which has the added virtue of not diminishing the market by actually curing anyone.
Barbara EhrenreichRead
Well I do think there are people who are habitually negative and depressed and take the opposite approach because they imagine the worst, and their minds become dominated by that. They let their own emotions and expectations transform their perceptions of the world.
Barbara EhrenreichRead
Some of us still get all weepy when we think about the Gaia Hypothesis, the idea that earth is a big furry goddess-creature who resembles everybody's mom in that she knows what's best for us. But if you look at the historical record - Krakatoa, Mt. Vesuvius, Hurricane Charley, poison ivy, and so forth down the ages - you have to ask yourself: Whose side is she on, anyway?
Barbara EhrenreichRead
I would never call myself a cancer survivor because I think it devalues those who do not survive. There's this whole mythology that people bravely battle their cancer and then they become survivors. Well, the ones who don't survive may be just as brave, you know, just as courageous, wonderful people.
Barbara EhrenreichRead
Similar quotes
Fatherhood is not an easy assignment, but it ranks among the most imperative ever given, in time or eternity.
Jeffrey R. HollandRead
Family dramas are tough, as a playwright. Most stories are about characters going on a trip or a new character coming to town, because that's how you learn information about them. But with family, they all know each other already. There's years of history in every interaction.
Branden Jacobs-JenkinsRead
I take a very practical view of raising children. I put a sign in each of their rooms: 'Checkout Time is 18 years.'
Erma BombeckRead
Because (grandparents) are usually free to love and guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations.
Jimmy CarterRead
Talk with your daughters, Play with your sons. You need to be a better friend to them than anyone else. This society offers lots of evil friends. Before they make those kinds of friends, they need to find their best friend in you.
Nouman Ali KhanRead
I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the future and my attachment to it. I can't imagine what kind of writer I'd be if I didn't have my kids.
Barbara KingsolverRead