My sister Debbie and myself were born in the same hospital in Painesville, Ohio, Debbie, two and a half years before me. The hospital was pretty old then. In time, the decision was made to build a new hospital to replace the old hospital. They worked for several years to raise the money. When they got to the point that they could start making plans, they got the best architects they could find and set to work. The primary architect, being a man, felt he needed some women on his team to properly decorate the new facility. He built hospitals, but he knew only a woman could really decorate.

          So, he assembled a team, finding women in the area with good eyes and good ideas. He only needed a small team and he had a lot of women to choose from. Marsha was called one day in the early 2000s and asked to be on the team. And so, Tri-Pointe Medical Center in Lake County, Ohio, has a lot of ‘Marsha’ influence. Unfortunately for the hospital, the décor was the best part of the place. It came to be known as Die-Pointe, a name the place earned. It took a few years for them to iron out the kinks.

          It has been my experience that women are much better at some things than men are and men, generally, realize this fact. It has also been my experience that women tend to think that they know more about everything than men do. This is not an attack on women, so please don’t misunderstand. It is just a fact of life.

          For instance, how often do men tell their wives how to dress for church? Unless you have an unusual marriage, very rarely. Wives, on the other hand, consider it their obligation to dress their husbands. Marsha will say, “Why don’t you wear the red tie with that shirt? It really goes well!” Or, sometimes she will day, “Oh, that blue checked shirt really brings out the blue in your eyes!” Now, if I say, “Wouldn’t a white top go better with that skirt?” all I will get is a pity look. And, if I say, “What is wrong with your hair?” the day is ruined for both of us. Different ways of looking at things, and it starts on the day you get married. One of the things I tell young husbands to be is that to you it is the day you are getting married, to her it is her wedding day. You, Bubba, are just along for the ride.

          I was reminded of this last Wednesday. I was at Parkview Hospital for about seven hours. Not being the patient, I spent most of that time in two different waiting rooms. I had a book in the car I could have brought it, as I usually do in this situation, but I figured I would be fine leafing through magazines or reading the newspaper. I miscalculated, though. Newspapers no longer seem to exist, at least at Parkview. And, evidently, the reading material is chosen by the receptionists.

               A lot of magazines were scattered around on a lot of small tables. Up to date editions of Better Homes and Garden, People, The Perfect Wedding and a wide assortment of such magazines. Hundreds of such magazines. Stacks of such magazines. I won’t read People because I don’t care what the Kardashians are doing this week. The other magazines are full of articles that of are no interest. In one waiting room I found a magazine called Golf, which could, possibly, be for men, but it had a female golfer on the front and the primary article was concerned with the upcoming LPGA season for 2015. In the other waiting room, I found a magazine called Muscle Truck. It took me five minutes to leaf through that one. Not having a truck, much less one with muscles, it held little interest. All that was left with was TV, and daytime TV is for women. I wound sitting and watching another man sleep in his chair.

               Most of you women who are reading this think I am being silly. I am not. Society is doing this to us. Remember “Everyone Loves Raymond”? It was funny because Raymond and his brother were idiots and their father was a crotchety old fool. Raymond’s wife and his mother were pretty smart cookies. “Home Improvement” was a well loved show. Tim had a television show, along with his friend, Al, which was a home improvement show. Tim was an accident prone, weird thinking lug, Al was socially insecure, Tim’s three sons were miniature versions of him, only without the accidents, mostly. The only competent characters on the show were Tim’s wife, Tim’s female assistant on his show and Wilson, the man next door who never showed his face. This is the formula for comedy. Weak men, strong women. It started out differently. “I Love Lucy” was the weak woman, but even then, she was surrounded by weak men. “The Cosby Show” portrayed a strong man, a strong woman and normal kids. The man could be goofy, the wife could sometimes be goofier and the kids were kids. Mom and Dad were successful in their careers and the kids grew up to be good. The biggest gripe against “The Cosby Show” was that it was too unrealistic.

               In America, it seems that everything around us is attacking the family, even the shows we watch and the things we read. Currently, the favorite target is the husband/dad figure. If the intent is to be funny, then the husband/dad figure is an idiot. If the intent is to be provocative and sensational, then the man is a brutish pervert. I don’t watch current TV at all anymore, and haven’t for years. But what television show that airs now has the husband/dad figure as the head of a family that is ‘normal,’ that works through its problems? I imagine there are very few, if any at all. I also imagine that there are no shows about a family that goes to church and is led in prayer at the dining room table before meals by the husband/dad.

          For some reason, parents who exercise discipline and control in a family are harsh and unloving. The children are therefore abused children. The parents are out of control. Parents have to learn to put their children into ‘time-outs.’ While at school the children cannot be punished, either. There are no limits for a child.

               The attack on men in our society, and therefore, on the family, has become so common and so ingrained in us that we do not recognize it as a problem. It goes much further than not having men’s magazines in waiting rooms, but that is a symptom. The lady buying magazines could have provided a ‘Field and Stream’ which would have been nice, but that panders to the thuggish nature of men, glorifying the killing of poor, defenseless woodland creatures. A ‘Sports Illustrated’ would have been welcomed, but every year they put out a swimsuit edition, which panders to the sexual, perverted nature of men. Women, of course, are free to read ‘People’ and ‘Cosmopolitan,’ but women have good thoughts. Not having any men’s magazines is perfectly acceptable. No one should raise a thought about it.

          Of course, I am overreacting. Foolish of me to quibble over such minor things. I should take my outdated ideas, retreat to my ‘man cave’ and watch NASCAR.  Meanwhile, our families fall apart, discipline becomes unlawful and society pays a price.

          It is a new day out there. But, is it a better day?