Man Flu
Anyone who has ever been in a relationship with a man knows what said man is like when he is sick, and it is not pretty. We try to be a good partner, we try to take care of our men, but they make it so incredibly difficult. Even Tammy Wynette likely had a disclaimer to "Stand by your man" saying except when he is sick.
It is so difficult to be patient with a sick man. One of the reasons is that a woman can have her nose running like a faucet, a fever that any health website would recommend hospitalization, and yet still manages to take care of children, go to work, do errands, clean house, etc, because she knows that this will pass. We know that we all get sick and then just as quickly we get well. It is basically called life. The other thing that women accept is that once every 28 days or so, we have a visit from Auntie Flo and we feel awful. Some feel awful for a week or more. We know that society doesn't allow us to take a week off every four so we just have learned to suck it up. It is called life.
Most of us know that old adage that if you do nothing, your cold or flu will likely last a week. If you seek medical attention and follow all recommendations, you will be sick for 7 days.
But, it seems at the slightest hint of a sniffle, a man is forced into bed and left completely helpless until he is 100% well. It is so much more hard on the one trying to take care of this male who is acting like a baby. We objectively see that they have few or minor symptoms yet they act like everyone fiber of their being is affected and there is nothing we can do to make things better except respond to their constant requests of reassurance.
At my house, the worst thing to contend with is what I call "Sick Andrew Voice". It doesn't matter what is his ailment, from a common cold to digestive distress to a broken ankle, I am subjected to the particularly annoying "Sick Andrew Voice". I don't mind taking care of him, but I wish he would just stop talking. Text me if you need anything, just don't talk.
Last week, a Canadian medical researcher (a male) published an article citing research that men are suffering considerably when they have the "man flu". It makes you wonder, of all the things to research why would anyone choose the "man flu". Was the cure for cancer taken?
Research costs considerable amounts of public funding usually. Was a public grant used to confirm this? Wouldn't public money be better served researching practically anything else? Instead of trying to come up with fake evidence that justifies a man behaving like a baby, wouldn't it better to invest that time and money into, I don't know, actual babies? Think how much good could be done in the world with that time and money. It might solve an actual problem.
There is only word appropriate for a sick man who has a partner to take care of him. That word is lucky.
Common sense tells us that when we have a minor ailment that it will pass in a few hours or a couple of days at most.
Now, we have labelled and legitimized the Man Flu. All kidding aside, this is a regressive step. Unfortunately, this tells me that we are still living in a patriarchal society.
It is so difficult to be patient with a sick man. One of the reasons is that a woman can have her nose running like a faucet, a fever that any health website would recommend hospitalization, and yet still manages to take care of children, go to work, do errands, clean house, etc, because she knows that this will pass. We know that we all get sick and then just as quickly we get well. It is basically called life. The other thing that women accept is that once every 28 days or so, we have a visit from Auntie Flo and we feel awful. Some feel awful for a week or more. We know that society doesn't allow us to take a week off every four so we just have learned to suck it up. It is called life.
Most of us know that old adage that if you do nothing, your cold or flu will likely last a week. If you seek medical attention and follow all recommendations, you will be sick for 7 days.
But, it seems at the slightest hint of a sniffle, a man is forced into bed and left completely helpless until he is 100% well. It is so much more hard on the one trying to take care of this male who is acting like a baby. We objectively see that they have few or minor symptoms yet they act like everyone fiber of their being is affected and there is nothing we can do to make things better except respond to their constant requests of reassurance.
At my house, the worst thing to contend with is what I call "Sick Andrew Voice". It doesn't matter what is his ailment, from a common cold to digestive distress to a broken ankle, I am subjected to the particularly annoying "Sick Andrew Voice". I don't mind taking care of him, but I wish he would just stop talking. Text me if you need anything, just don't talk.
Last week, a Canadian medical researcher (a male) published an article citing research that men are suffering considerably when they have the "man flu". It makes you wonder, of all the things to research why would anyone choose the "man flu". Was the cure for cancer taken?
Research costs considerable amounts of public funding usually. Was a public grant used to confirm this? Wouldn't public money be better served researching practically anything else? Instead of trying to come up with fake evidence that justifies a man behaving like a baby, wouldn't it better to invest that time and money into, I don't know, actual babies? Think how much good could be done in the world with that time and money. It might solve an actual problem.
There is only word appropriate for a sick man who has a partner to take care of him. That word is lucky.
Common sense tells us that when we have a minor ailment that it will pass in a few hours or a couple of days at most.
Now, we have labelled and legitimized the Man Flu. All kidding aside, this is a regressive step. Unfortunately, this tells me that we are still living in a patriarchal society.
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