specialagency.net: more on the nannies and the serfs.

February 10, 2004

more on the nannies and the serfs.

And the feminists, of course. I finally read the whole Flanagan article (the article itself won't be available on the web for a while yet, sorry), and there was little frothing at the mouth, but there was a good amount of throwing up my hands in disgust. And, having coherent thoughts to organize this time, I actually wrote and sent a letter to the editor. If they don't print it, I'll reproduce it here. To give you a hint, though, here's what I used for an outline:

is exploitation really necessary to process? nannies aren't by necessity illegal immigrants, but you'd never know that from this article.
if you want someone to clean your house, you don't hire a nanny.
(main point) where are the men in this? why does she treat childcare like an exclusively female problem?

What I didn't get in to in the letter was the whole problem of attitude. Now, clearly some large portion of my problem with Caitlin Flanagan is envy--I don't think it's any secret that I'd throw over both grad school and the magazine in order to have a job like hers--but an equally large part of my problem is her attitude. In both the nanny article and the housewife article, the strongest impression I'm left with is that she doesn't approve of any choice women have open to them. Work and don't have kids? Not good enough, you're missing out. Don't work and stay at home with your kids? Not good enough, you'll just get depressed. Work and leave your kids with a care provider? Not good enough, you'll be heartbroken over being separated from your kids. Work and send the kids to day care? Not good enough, everyone knows that only losers use day care. Work (or don't work) and have a nanny? Not good enough, you're contributing to the oppression of illegal immigrants, and female illegal immigrants at that, so you're multiply selling out your feminist ideals.

After a while, it starts to feel lazy. It's very easy to criticize everything, especially when you're analyzing a complicated and difficult situation. I just wish she offered something more constructive in return for all the snide negativity.

Posted by Susan at February 10, 2004 07:49 PM

Comments

An atypical but interesting situation:

Some local friends of mine have a nanny -- I think she's here legally, but I don't think she's a citizen -- who insists on doing their cleaning for them. They have a housekeeper who comes in to do the cleaning; they tell the nanny there's no need for her to clean, that she can relax on the couch when the kid is asleep; but she gets bored, and then she goes and does dishes or laundry or whatnot. (I said "You should introduce her to the miracle of TiVo." They said "She doesn't like TV.")

Posted by: Jed at February 12, 2004 04:26 PM

I guess I find that unsurprising. The bit about housekeepers comes from a section of the Atlantic article where Flanagan says something about hiring a nanny because, even though she loved actually taking care of her infant twins, she hated always having to wipe the kitchen counters and take the garbage out and do the laundry. I wish the article were online already, so that there would be some more context to my ranting.

Additional context, probably, would come from the fact that I had several friends with nannies when I was growing up, but the nannies were always college-aged women from either Europe or (oddly enough) the Midwest, taking year-long live-in nanny positions. Two European graduate students in my department worked as nannies in similar situations when they were undergrads. So the whole question of "nannies" has a different set of associations for me than it would for someone whose main experience was that nannies were underpaid illegal immigrants.

Posted by: Susan at February 12, 2004 05:06 PM

Hello guys, i have to say this.. My boyfriend has tried some penis enlargement pills and he's a new person since than.The confidence..., the courage!i love it and i love you... i love the world

Posted by: penis enlargement at March 2, 2004 02:10 PM

I have found a great online store to buy

Generic Viagra online
Buy generic Cialis
Generic Lipitor

Posted by: Generic Viagra online at July 14, 2004 12:32 PM

4654Hey I have found the best pharmaceutical sites, take a look here!
http://www.buy36hourcialis.com
http://www.cialis-viagra.info/vioxx.html
http://www.levitra.africanviagra.com http://www.buy-cialis-247.com
http://www.buy-viagra-247.com

Posted by: Order cialis at August 30, 2004 09:20 AM

nice sitee!!!

Posted by: penis enlargement at September 1, 2004 10:53 AM

Please check out some information about casinos http://www.kinggimp.org/ casinos video poker http://www.s-sites.net/ video poker diet pills http://www.kyfarmhouse.org/ diet pills tramadol online http://www.montaguefineart.com/ tramadol online phentermine online http://www.penelopeschenk.com/ phentermine online online poker http://www.tokyojoes.info/ online poker online poker game http://www.nabpak.org/ online poker game online poker http://www.online-poker-555.com/ online poker casino http://casino.blackjack-123.com/ casino blackjack http://www.blackjack-123.com/ blackjack cheap tramadol http://www.myrtlejones.com/ cheap tramadol poker http://www.longslabofjoy.com/ poker order phentermine http://www.nikkiwilliams.info/ order phentermine phentermine http://www.phentermine-online-sale.net/ phentermine online casinos http://www.stfc-isc.org/ online casinos ...

Posted by: cheap tramadol at September 16, 2004 12:56 AM

Buy Viagra

Posted by: viagra at September 22, 2004 11:49 AM

Buy Cialis

Posted by: cialis at September 22, 2004 12:39 PM

Buy Cialis

Posted by: cialis at September 23, 2004 05:52 PM

Fast cash advance loan and pay day online loans. Information about Florida payday loans, California fast payday loan advances, and Texas short term loans.

Posted by: payday loans at October 3, 2004 02:55 PM

Posted by: for that at October 5, 2004 06:09 PM

I am not one of those who think that the people are never in the wrong. They have been so, frequently and outrageously, both in other countries and in this. But I do say, that in all disputes between them and their rulers, the presumption is at least upon a par in favour of the people.

Posted by: vimax extender at October 7, 2004 03:00 PM

Nice site yo got here! I really like it!

Posted by: penis extender at October 13, 2004 12:53 PM

There can be no other truth to take off from than this: I think, therefore, I exist. There we have the absolute truth of consciousness becoming aware of itself.

Posted by: penis enlargement at October 15, 2004 04:52 AM

There is no great genius without some touch of madness.

Posted by: penis enlargement at October 15, 2004 04:53 AM