The boys are not all right, part 2

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The reasons: –
1. The manufacturing sector has lost more than 5 million jobs since 2000. Traditionally, more than two-thirds of manufacturing workers are men.

2. Research shows that one significant factor women look for in a partner is a steady job. As men’s unemployment has risen so their romantic prospects have declined. Between 1960 to 2010 adults without a college degree who marry plummeted from about 70% to about 45%.

3. Many boys are being brought up by their mothers only, and are thus deprived, for better or worse, of a male to look up to and emulate.

4. Boys now go to college at lower rates that women, and unsurprisingly, earn less when they seek jobs. All too many seem nihilistic, depressed, unfocused, and feel failures before they have even started.

Comment: my old college, once accepting young men only, now has a majority of women students, and very articulate and confident they seem to be. (2 Mar 2022)

The boys are not all right, part 1

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The following is part 1 of a précis of an article in the Washington Post of February 9:

“The data are clear. Boys are more than twice as likely as girls to be diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention); are five times as likely to spend time in juvenile detention, and are less likely to finish high school.

It doesn’t get better when boys become adults. Men now make up only 40.5% of college students. Male community college enrollment declined by 14.7% in 2020 alone, compared with 6.8% for women. Median wages for men have declined since 1990 in real terms. Roughly one third of men are either unemployed or out of the workforce. More US men aged 18 to 34 are now living with their parents than with romantic partners.

Tomorrow: Why has this happened?

Punishing Russia

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Having ruled out the direct use of military force, the U.S. and its allies now must decide how to respond to this flagrant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. One tool among many that should be considered is to attempt to strip Russia of its seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Russia sits in one of the five permanent seats on the Security Council, and in theory could veto such a move, as well as block any attempt by the General Assembly to remove Russia from the UN altogether. But there has always been some question about the legal process by which the USSR’s seat was transferred to Russia after the Soviet Union’s collapse. The constituent republics of the USSR declared in 1991 that the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and with it should have gone the legal right of any of those entities, including Russia, to sit on the Council.

Nor was there a formal process to admit Russia into the U.N. after the USSR’s demise. The Security Council seat was granted via a decision from the UN’s legal counsel with no action requested from the General Assembly. That edict could be revoked, and the U.S. could demand a vote in the General Assembly on Russia’s Security Council membership. Would such a maneuver save Kyiv? No, but Moscow must be besieged on all fronts if there is any hope of rescuing Ukrainians from a Russian occupation. The worst crisis in post-war Europe demands nothing less than concerted, dramatic action aimed at Moscow’s total isolation, and the time to start is now. (The Week, 25 Feb 2022)

Comment: Fearsome backlash! The European Broadcasting Union announced Friday that “no Russian act will participate” in the annual song competition in light of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The announcement said this decision was made after a recommendation from the Eurovision Song Contest’s governing body and Reference Group.

“The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s contest would bring the competition into disrepute,” the EBU said. “Before making this decision the EBU took time to consult widely among its membership.”

Putin is reportedly shaken and deeply disturbed by this response.

Further comment: the above is acknowledged to be political (no-go for Epicureans!) but what Putin is doing is seriously disturbing to the peace of mind of millions, not to mention their lives. This, in my opinion, deserves Epicurean attention.

Putin

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Many years ago I was fortunate enough to have a college tutor who was an expert on Russian history. I spent many hours under his guidance. My knowledge has dimmed since then as I have concentrated on things like washing the dishes and putting out the trash for collection, but what I do know is that Putin’s long ramble about Russian history, “justifying” his assault on Ukraine, was riddled with straight lies and distortions. Let no one believe the monster.

Too tender by half

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Georgetown Law students recently requested a designated place to “break down and cry” after a lecturer questioned why President Biden has vowed to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. In a meeting with the school’s dean, Black students said the suspension of lecturer Ilya Shapiro was insufficient, and that “reparations should include a crying center”.

My comment: These are law students who might well, and quite soon, appear in a Court of Law to partake in the trial of a rapist, a murderer or other violent lawbreaker. How will the late students cope? Burst into tears at the cross-examination, or maybe faint when the details are revéaled. Poor didums! I suggest they chose the wrong course at Georgetown. They should change prospective careers – what about pre-school teaching? First year?