Thoughts on the ‘Father Crisis’

In the US, at least, there seems to be a crisis which I call the ‘Father Crisis’.  Basically, this is an absence of a father image.  Not only that, there is a fear of the father that is ridiculous.  This has gone to the point that there seems to be social movements to undermine the father, his image, and his influence in society.  There seems to be a movement to feminize the male, as well, and to turn little boys into little girls.  I’m not the only person who has noticed this.

Not only was the image of the father degraded but, with him, the image of authority.  This is because the image of the father and authority are intimately bound together.  Since the fall of the father there seems to be an absence of authority and authority images.  This, I feel, has led to great social crisis in the US.

I have often suspected one aspect of this fear is the result of the wars that took place in the 1900’s.  Probably more so than the wars were the weapons that were created, as well as the horror of modern warfare.  These wars, with their weapons, were so terrifying and horrifying that they have left quite an image, I think, on many of us.  I often feel that, because wars were viewed as ‘high cause’, this associated the image of authority – the father – with these wars quite extensively.  As a result, the image of war, death, and destruction would be associated with authority in the image of the father in the last 100 or so years.  Because of this, when people became disgusted with the wars they ended up becoming disgusted with the image of the father.

This disgust toward war and, subsequently, the father took place in the 60’s.  It was here that we see the attack on the image of authority – the father – demonstrated very clearly.  I tend to feel that the fear of the father in the US has its real origins and probably owes a lot of influence to the Vietnam war and cold war (with its threat of nuclear annihilation).  There seems to of been an association:  annihilation-death-horror-war-weapons-government-authority-father-male (white American, especially).  To attack one is to attack all.  It seems to me that, in the 60’s and 70’s, there was more a fear of the father image than the fear of the Soviet Union.  The fear of nuclear attack and ‘fathers wrath’ were equated. 

This started a whole trend of rebellion in society, displayed in the youth, movies, music, etc.  Being brought up after this era it seemed to me that everything was about ‘rebellion’ in some form or another.  Rebellion against society, authority, the father, tradition, morality . . . everything that could be rebelled against.  It’s ridiculous . . . and it’s undermining.

Things like this also started a mood in the country that authority was threatening everyone and that we need to be protected from authority.  Sometimes people act like authority is trying to hurt them.  It created a paranoia about authority and the father that exists to this day.  Authority is plotting against us!

Eventually, the disgust toward the wars ended up extending into the problems of the times.  During the 60’s practically any social, legal, or political problem became associated with authority, generally in the image of the white American male, who was typically blamed for it in some way.  This just made the image of the father appear worse.  Authority – the male or father – was blamed for almost everything it seems.  The civil rights movement also made the father look bad as if we were these evil people plotting against everyone.   

Lawsuits began to flourish in this anti-authority era and still do.  They have been exploited so much that a person could be sued for practically anything.  A big part of the lawsuits was to make any display of authority as bad.  It’s now gotten so bad that it’s a crime not only to punish criminals but even to punish your own kids!  Any display of ‘fatherly authority’ has become a crime in this country . . . the fear of ‘fathers wrath’ . . . God help us all! 

During the 60’s a movement appeared that basically preyed upon the degrading image of authority and the father.  This is feminism.  This pursued the degradation of the father image (and, eventually, the motherly image) and has caused a degradation of sexual identities in this country, among other things.

Through the effects of the 60’s, civil rights, lawsuits, and feminism it seems, sometimes, that it’s become a crime for a male to be a male.  Not only that, any male-like things are now looked down upon oftentimes.  Anything relating with male-like aggression, warlike tendencies (such as playing with guns), hunting, etc. is often condemned.  I’ve seen people panic because someone bought a gun!  In addition, there’s often a tendency to ‘feminize’ the male nowadays, trying to make him ‘sensitive’ and ‘emotional’.

Another factor in the degradation of the father and the male is how the males use has been degraded.  With all the machines and such the male is made almost useless in many ways.  We’ve become an appendage to a machine.  This has decreased the male’s worth and meaning in society. 

Since the father has been degraded we’ve seen in the US a fall of discipline, morality, respect, and belief.  Not only that, it seems there is a general sense of a lack of direction. 

Is it any wonder?

More than once have I said that the real crisis of the US in the past 50 years is really the loss of the father image, the ‘father crisis’. 

This entry was posted in Historical stuff, Modern life and society, The male and female, The military and war, The U.S. and American society and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

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