“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2
The world is an interesting place. Today the “PC Police” were all over me for expressing what I would call a “traditional” viewpoint. I was trampled on like crazy. I do believe we are feminizing our men. Women who protest don’t want equality – they want to be men. They want what men have. They want to take it away from a man and be the “top dog.” Jealousy and envy are closely related. So many women are envious of what men have, they want it for themselves. They are jealous of their “power base,” or whatever definition is in vogue today (not the magazine). Me – I like being a woman. I like being around a man. Do I have gay friends? Yes; I do. Do I have more liberal friends? Yes; I do. Does that hamper my relationship? Not at all. I don’t need what my husband has, insofar as career and income, to feel I am equal to him. I do not need to usurp what he does or who he is in order for me to feel better about myself. Nor do I expect him to wear the same clothing I wear, and visa versa.
I have discovered that being a dissenting opinion in a sea of those who agree can be challenging, disheartening, brutal, or maybe even, rewarding. Today wasn’t all that rewarding. In our world right now, there is a wave of political correctness that leans so far to the left that it is almost tipping over into outright illegal civil disobedience and, even what I would dare to categorize as evil. Many say that our politics have become so virulent because no one remembers where the middle ground is anymore. I would opine that it has become a blanket over the whole of our culture. Very few people can truly discourse without becoming violent in speech or action. You know how it is when people post something on social media in all caps? That’s considered shouting in typeset. Or when someone is so angry, they start messaging you privately to continue the rant? Yeah; had to block a few of those. Or when you are sent a text message in all caps..over and over again?? Yeah; that has happened, too.
My kids tell me I am an old-fashioned parent. That I do not parent like other parents. And I am comforted by that. I don’t want to raise my kids the way the world is raising kids. It scares me. I have seen teenagers up close and personal the last few years and I must say, I am concerned. The kids that have gravitated around us are a little different. They think and believe a little differently. They have faith, most of them. They have something that is central to their lives and they are clinging to it. Even amongst all the chaos in our modern world. They are choosing a different way and it does give me hope.
The group that scares me are the 20- and 30-somethings raising kids. Wow. That is primarily who jumped all over me today on a post on social media. And I realized that they operate within a “real housewives” mentality wherein their conscious is formed by the media. They don’t read or research. They don’t want to offend anyone (which is commendable, when done with a well-founded moral compass) and they go to great lengths to denounce anyone they feel is offensive to their mindset. And they get nasty so quickly. Their grammar is abhorrent, which is neither here nor there to most people, but to someone who tries very hard to write and express herself well and in a coherent way, I find grammar and spelling errors to be especially heinous when you are attacking someone. At least spell what you are mad about correctly. At least express yourself using a vocabulary that is larger than profane words.
I believe it is beyond time where we stand up for what we believe. In the marketplace, at our jobs, in our government, schools, and most especially online, in social media. I am getting tired of being the moral minority. Because we aren’t. We truly are not. We are just quieter, and far more polite and giving. Christ warned us that the world would hate us, but that it first hated Him. The world hated Him so much, they killed Him. On a Cross, horribly hanging there for three hours, for me. And I am tired of not saying anything, worrying I will offend someone. Or of speaking too quietly. I am getting more angry each day and through each incident I experience. My country, my world is going to hell in a handbasket, as my grandma would say, and it is time we all stopped allowing it to happen.
Today, I espoused traditional roles for men. Not that women need to be home or “barefoot and pregnant” – we didn’t get that far. It was about clothing choices. I was expressing the thought that boys ought not to wear leggings. I think they are fine for little babies and toddlers, but school-aged boys should be wearing pants. Trousers. Jeans. Shorts. But not leggings. My HS senior son said some boys wear them at this campus where he attends special classes, but not the general HS population. I said perhaps they were dancers. (Most ballet dancers, male or female, wear leggings). He said they were not; they just wear them. And he said most guys wear jeans. Up here, most males also wear boots – hiking or snow, not cowboy so much. It’s the weather. I see lots of little baby boys, toddlers, wearing leggings with snow boots and they are cute. But I don’t think grown boys and men should wear them as general clothing. And then there are meggings, which are leggings for men. Oh joy.
Okay, so I am just not all that impressed with the idea of men wearing leggings. I also do not appreciate gender-fluid bathrooms, either. I believe that men should look and act like men and women should look and act like women. It disturbs me to hear mothers say that they are not going to allow some stretchy cotton fabric determine whether their kids are happy or not. And that is okay, I guess. Heaven forbid we tell kids what they can and cannot do, or wear!
To me, we are feminizing our men, starting with putting our boys in leggings past the toddler stage. We are neutering men and causing there to be an absence of fathers in families and men who take responsibility for their actions. Wearing jeans or “meggings” is a choice for men to make. As a woman, I do not want to see my sons or husband wearing leggings. I don’t want my grandson to wear them, either. I just don’t see that it is appropriate. One woman today said, “But in history, men wore leggings.” And I agreed…medieval styles had men wear “hose.” But this is 2017. We also now have bathrooms and drive cars. But leggings for boys and men?? Not for me.
We don’t want our daughters exposing their bodies for the world to gawk at; I think we should use the same standard for our boys. I don’t want to change the world; I want to fix it. We are spiraling downward so fast, it is hard to comprehend. We need to stop accepting things because some media dude says it is okay. We need to question everything. We need to judge what is right and wrong using our faith as a yardstick. Our faith has told us how we are to conduct ourselves, through the Apostles:
” Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.” Philippians 1:27-28
And all of Titus 2:
“But as for you, speak the things that are consistent with sound doctrine. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance. Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good. In this way they can train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be discredited. In the same way, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed to have nothing bad to say about us. Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not stealing from them, but showing all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the teaching about God our Savior. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Speak these things as you encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”
Somehow belittling and berating people, thwarting authority, civil disobedience that flouts the Rule of Law, and civic discourse that is rude and angry…these things are not of God. And the words we use mean something. The way we impart ideas means something. The impressions we give mean something. The clothing we wear says something about the person we are. What does it say about you? I realize that an online discussion about leggings is not that earth-shattering. But it is an example or symptom of greater issues we are facing. We need to start somewhere and take a stand. For me, I still say boys should wear pants and not leggings.
kaiserswest 