Saturday, July 28, 2012

On Amazon Mom and Gay Marriage

The name "Amazon Mom" has bothered me for a while, and I've mentioned it a lot on the blog. I cringe every time I see it, and especially when I get emails like this one:

Amazon Mom


Because although I could definitely use some toning, I'm not a busy mom. 


I love Amazon. I'm a Prime member and I even use their credit card. But every time I use the "Amazon Mom" discount I feel like a traitor to the cause. Basically, I'm a member of a shopping club that ignores fatherhood, because it saves me a couple of bucks on diapers.

Luckily, news yesterday will stop me from feeling guilty about being a member or even about shopping at Amazon: Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, and his wife donated $2.5M to protect gay marriage in Washington.

Sure, I believe fatherhood shouldn't be ignored by corporations, because that helps sustain a view of society comprised of women who do parenting and men who happen to have kids (and sometimes help Mom), and that view may in turn convince men they don't need to step up, which is a big problem for society. But the big picture is that men, whether they have children or not, are not second-class citizens, and we shouldn't confuse the struggles of stay-at-home-dads with the idea that we're somehow victims here. No matter what, men still do better than women, and much better than gays, lesbians, and transgendered people.

Bezos' donation puts things in perspective. I have it good. I have some problems as a stay-at-home-dad in a changing society, but my marriage is not threatened and my civil rights are guaranteed. My morals are not questioned and my kids are not bullied because of whom I have chosen to love.

"Amazon Mom" annoys me, but it's just a name. Yesterday's donation protects families in Washington while risking the wrath of shopping bigots nationwide. Congratulations, Amazon, all is forgiven.





And while we're here, nice one, Target.

Target Gay Marriage

5 comments:

  1. Now they are just messing with your head...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. And it's wrong that they get away without charging sales tax, but I'm happy as a consumer. It's all so confusing...

      Delete
  2. Good for you. It takes a big mom - I mean man - to step up and consider what's really important here.

    Advertising campaigns and marketing slogans - while more prominent and insidious and effective today than ever before - are still a small piece of the pie when it comes to the real evils of the world. Fighting against absentee parenting and the troubles that come with it is a lot more important than worrying about which company is slighting dads role as a 21st century parent.

    But again, good on ya for doing something. I prefer to be a good dad to my kid and basically sit on my ass the rest of the time. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks (I think).

      It's all about what moves you, in the end. I've had comments here (or on the Facebook page? Don't remember) where dads said any of this stuff is meaningless, because the only thing dads should care about is equal rights for fathers after a divorce. They may be right and unequal custody is the most important thing, but it means nothing to me, because neither of us is planning a divorce (to my knowledge), so I'm not going to write about it.

      You might find something in the future that will make you want to scream about injustice and hypocrisy, and I'm sure it won't stop you from being a good dad. Trust me, I have time to be a good-ish dad, to complain, AND to sit on my ass. Sometimes I do all three at the same time.

      Delete
  3. my husband was always cheating on me and even spends nights out. sometimes he even leave for the entire week end, pretending that he has work, but i know he just go meet women, my life was lame until i asked robinsonbuckler@yahoo.com to cast a spell for me. so that my husband can be a good man and after his spell, my husband changed automatically, he now spends much more time with me and the kids and we're a family again, call him +19715126745 him
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    ReplyDelete

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