The New York Times has a maddening story about men who won't take jobs that are "beneath them" - and end up jobless for years.

Folks, I'm not all that old - I'm still a long way from the big "five oh" - but I was taught that a real man would take a job (any job) to help feed and support his family. The concept of "demeaning" or "beneath me" wasn't mentioned, let alone considered. You had responsibilities, and you did what it took to meet them.

I know it's an old fashioned point of view, and I'm sure the psychologists would say something about it being bad for one's self-esteem, but part of being a man is doing what needs to be done regardless of your feelings. If that means taking a job that is below your self-imposed social status, that's what you do; if it means taking two or three such jobs, then that's what you do.

Apparently these "men" never learned that. Perhaps it's time that someone knocked the concept through their thickened skulls?

-=[ Grant ]=-