In favor of men's spaces, labor gains for the disabled, conserving liberalism, and cake!
RWL #369
Greetings from the University of New Hampshire! There has been a whole lot-a eating going on these last couple of days, and it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet! Last night I attended the annual Thanksgiving dinner for my men’s group, the Shankhassic Club. We took over the back room at Clark’s in downtown Durham, just a stone’s throw from UNH campus. “Downtown” Durham is about two blocks - you could conceivably hold your breath as you drove around the whole thing and headed back out of town. I’ve been a member of the club for a few years, but only recently joined the board and started getting more involved. I was talking about the club to some female colleagues, letting them know their husbands were invited to participate, and one of them said knowingly something like, “So this club is all about networking?” I was taken aback a bit, because it’s not at all what this club is about. It’s really about fellowship among fellows. The club was founded by a group of local guys who had known each other mostly through their children’s activities, and as the children matured, the guys realized they wanted to still have occasions to spend time together, so they formed the club. I came along several years later, long after my own kids were past the age when your social life largely rotates around their soccer games and Brownie meetings. I could see where “men’s club” would bring up images of good old boy organizations that existed primarily as mechanisms to promote an elite, and it’s not unjustified to seek to break those down. But I do think men need spaces to be men and be with men. If those spaces are good, it can help men be better men. There is plenty of evidence that as men age, they have fewer friends and fewer social connections. Unmarried men are more likely to develop health conditions. There is very little more dangerous than a disaffected, socially unconnected man. Our prisons and graveyards are full of them. I don’t think anyone in our club is at the margin of tipping over into antisocial behavior as most of our members are civically engaged, employed, and married. But even still, it’s good to have an outlet that is just men. And it would be good for more men to have the opportunity for fellowship with other men.
I have spent most of my professional life prior to coming to UNH working with women (despite being in the Army, most of my teams were made up of women - that’s the nature of healthcare), and since coming to UNH, I teach almost exclusively young women. I can help them a lot, but I can also see how they really look to the female faculty and alumni as role models. I am re-reading Kathy Kram’s classic Mentoring at Work and she gives numerous examples of women who appreciated the mentorship of men, but longed for a woman to serve as a role model because there are differences between how men and women behave and are perceived in the workplace, even today. It has me thinking about how to make sure I am connecting my students with female role models going forward. I think women’s spaces have generally been respected, though they have been recently challenged. I think it’s important to keep those spaces safe as well.
Speaking of fabulous women, we celebrated the wife’s birthday this past weekend. When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted, she sent me this recipe for Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Buttercream. It was amazing. It also had a whole cow’s worth of butter in it. So not something you want to be making all the time, but wow! Worthy of a special occasion. And my wife’s birthday is certainly a special occasion.
As usual, willing good for all of you, and see you Sunday with a new essay!
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Read
What: WSJ, Labor Shortages, Remote Work Fuel Job Gains for Workers With Disabilities
Why: Good news for our fellow Americans with disabilities:
Nearly 1.8 million people with a disability have joined the labor force since just before the pandemic hit the U.S., a 28% increase, according to the Labor Department. The country’s total workforce grew 1% in the same period.
The surge occurred as increased remote-work opportunities opened virtual doors to many who would have difficulty taking an in-person job and as pandemic-era labor shortages prompted employers to hire more workers with disabilities.
It’s one thing to choose not to work, it’s another not to be able to choose to work. Work is essential for living a meaningful life.
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Watch
What: Bari Weiss, The Last Line of Defense (39 min)
Why: The Federalist Society invited Bari Weiss to speak. Weiss gives a whole list of reasons why that is odd - she’s not a lawyer, not conservative, etc. - and yet she proceeds to give a classically liberal speech.
When someone says they are a conservative, I always wonder, what is it they are trying to conserve? I find it ironic that despite her protestations, I think Weiss is becoming a conservative. She’s trying to conserve classical liberalism. Classical liberalism is the foundational philosophy of America. It embraces the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s where the American term, “liberal” sprang from, but people who call themselves liberals in America today are mostly Progressives, not classical liberals. Likewise, in recent years people who call themselves conservatives are not really conservative, but populist. Populists burn things down in my reading of history, they don’t conserve.
It’s funny that I think today, to be a classical liberal in America, you are a conservative. So Weiss might need to think about her identity.
But her speech is all about conserving the classical liberal foundations of America.
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Listen
What: Flourishing in the World, Making Better Humans with Coach Marc Hubbard (57 min)
Why: In case you missed it, my latest episode for the new Flourishing in the World podcast is up. I confess, although I know Marc through casual neighborhood acquaintance, I had never heard him talk about his philosophy of coaching. I was so pleased when he began talking about how he cares about the whole player, not just winning. And apparently this philosophy seems to work pretty darn well, given Marc’s rather remarkable transformation of the team and sustained high level of performance. They are headed to the NCAA tournament again. Even if you’re not into sports, this is worth listening to as a lesson in leadership.