“Social spending” never seems to appeal—could we call it “policies that make life not miserable for women and small children, that are the norm in other countries"?
>”It’s hard to capture all this in a headline. Maybe “1 in 4 four mothers in U.S. return to work within two weeks of birth, new law removes choice between caring for baby and financial ruin.” Or, “1 in 5 retirees forced out of work to care for sick loved ones, linked to desperation and unnecessary hardship.”
>Or maybe just: “Americans might see baby’s first smile, or hold ailing parent’s hand, if paid leave pushed through.”
I recognize your skill in identifying so many problems that plague our society. I only wish that you were a top advisor to all the decision makers, or better yet, that you were the one in charge. Wouldn’t that be amazing?!!!
This is such a thorough and thoughtful piece -- not just about the tragedy of our mindsets around how we prioritize the needs of families, but also about the ways the media is complicit in keeping these mindsets strong. I love that you point out how the coverage keeps leading with the so-called "price tag" on these basic human-rights policies (which is how they *should* be framed), but doesn't compare them with say, military spending or the cost of tax cuts on the super-rich, is just lazy journalism. We should be expecting much, much more from newsrooms, and I honestly think people would appreciate the effort at portraying the issues in all their complexity. The other thing I think that's underneath so much of the disdain for family support policies is the fact that they are largely written by -- let's say it together everyone! -- men who have had other people do the caregiving for them for most of their lives. When caregiving is largely invisible to you, why would you prioritize it as national policy? When the people doing that caregiving -- majority women of color -- are largely seen through the lens of systemic prejudices, why would you prioritize their needs? I appreciate your comparisons to other countries: there's so much within the histories of individualism and racism in the U.S. that explains our aversion to social welfare.
Thanks for breaking the BBB down in a meaningful way. So sad that our military budget sailed through but essential support to women/families gets stalled or axed. Sigh.
One weird trick to ensure that Americans get to hold their babies
I loved this:
>”It’s hard to capture all this in a headline. Maybe “1 in 4 four mothers in U.S. return to work within two weeks of birth, new law removes choice between caring for baby and financial ruin.” Or, “1 in 5 retirees forced out of work to care for sick loved ones, linked to desperation and unnecessary hardship.”
>Or maybe just: “Americans might see baby’s first smile, or hold ailing parent’s hand, if paid leave pushed through.”
I recognize your skill in identifying so many problems that plague our society. I only wish that you were a top advisor to all the decision makers, or better yet, that you were the one in charge. Wouldn’t that be amazing?!!!
This is such a thorough and thoughtful piece -- not just about the tragedy of our mindsets around how we prioritize the needs of families, but also about the ways the media is complicit in keeping these mindsets strong. I love that you point out how the coverage keeps leading with the so-called "price tag" on these basic human-rights policies (which is how they *should* be framed), but doesn't compare them with say, military spending or the cost of tax cuts on the super-rich, is just lazy journalism. We should be expecting much, much more from newsrooms, and I honestly think people would appreciate the effort at portraying the issues in all their complexity. The other thing I think that's underneath so much of the disdain for family support policies is the fact that they are largely written by -- let's say it together everyone! -- men who have had other people do the caregiving for them for most of their lives. When caregiving is largely invisible to you, why would you prioritize it as national policy? When the people doing that caregiving -- majority women of color -- are largely seen through the lens of systemic prejudices, why would you prioritize their needs? I appreciate your comparisons to other countries: there's so much within the histories of individualism and racism in the U.S. that explains our aversion to social welfare.
Thanks for breaking the BBB down in a meaningful way. So sad that our military budget sailed through but essential support to women/families gets stalled or axed. Sigh.