When we guys are confronted with unexplained female emotional outbursts, we are usually quick to resort to the label 'crazy', adding a few other attributes after that word. But often, the explanation for these explosions is latent ANGER, anger not tied to any recent words or action that can be identified.
I don't need to catalog the centuries of discrimination and restrictions women have undergone; most of us know, know very well. And while the position of women legally is better than perhaps ever before--the ATTITUDES inbred by all those centuries mean that there is still a lot of unfairness in their roles and responsibilites.
NOW..we know, all of us, that women are still expected to shoulder most of the housework, still have to care for the children, largely unaided...and at the same time, in recent decades, hold down a demanding job!
Who is blamed if dinner isn't ready? Who do we look to when the children don't behave? And the exhaustion from all these demands often means women's career paths are still restricted.
We all know this, but we forget that women have one other UNSPOKEN role: they are expected to not lose their temper about these issues, because they still are looked upon as the one who must resolve family difficulties and 'keep peace.' Strong social disapproval follows women expressing their anger in most situations.
Yes, I know men also suffer some of the same unfairness...but emphasize SOME...
Men can, generally, EXPRESS anger without social disapproval, especially within the family (short of violence or abuse, of course.）
But we have to recognize that women harbor a MUCH larger reservoir of LATENT anger, and when unduly stressed or provoked, they will 'take out' this anger on whoever is nearest, often their husband or partner, at times others.
They aren't 'crazy', they have just lost control of that hidden anger, usually briefly.
I'm not minimizing the frustrations men face today, nor denying this situation IS changing, nor justifyig women losing their self-control. Sure, it's unfair to blame people near them for centuries of mistratment.
Of course women are not justified in striking out at others, usually us men. They should, naturally, understand WE aren't the cause of past discrimination!
But it's 'unfair' that there are earthquakes, too. But your calling them unfair isn't going to stop them from occurring. There are fault lines in the earth's crust that make earthquakes happen.
There are also fault lines underlying our society that are the root cause of what seem like unjustified and unprovoked attacks, often on us men, that seem totally out of proportion to anything we've said or done...
WE as men need to help them more with the children and household chores, help them manage the household, share their burdens to a MUCH greater extent than most of us do now.
We as men have to conclude that the master of us all, Dame History, has placed us in the role of having to accept and understand that our companions are going to at times do things in anger. more readily than most of us are won't to do.
And, instead of labeling women as 'crazy', we have to do our best to STOP DOING the things that make their latent anger overflow and ignite!
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