Consider the following fictional Memo sent from the Chief Executive Officer of a major corporation to staff company wide:
Starting today, I will arbitrarily pick 50% of staff at this company (who will just happen to be composed of a majority of women) and those selected will no longer be allowed to have company-provided health insurance.
For those that are no longer allowed to have health insurance, you will be removed from the company staff directory and you will now appear under a subsection called “contributors”, even though you are expected to continue to perform at staff levels.
Because you will no longer have health insurance, any illness you contract may place those of us who do have health insurance (staff) at additional risk of contagious illness, and therefore $500 will be deducted from your paycheck to help subsidize our health care premiums.
In addition, contributors may no longer use the company gym, lounge, and other benefits given to staff.
Five months later, because of the lack of health insurance, five contributors go to the CEO and say they cannot work because they are sick. The CEO calls them deadbeats and reminds them that they have to work because the CEO needs to take $500 out of their pay to help make sure staff have access to health insurance and company benefits.
If these contributors still are not able to work, they will be terminated, imprisoned, and their pictures will be posted in the company staff newsletter.
The CEO will use the Staff’s children – those poor hungry children of staff – to elicit an emotional response from the public to focus outrage at contributors.
In reading the first scenario above, it should be clear to anyone the unfairness of this system and if this were to happen at any corporation, school, university, or other organization, the federal government and the media would have agents/reporters at their doors and the CEO in court. The contributors of this company would revolt and the company’s financial prospects would be dim.
Now let’s consider this:
“Starting today, I, as a Judge, will arbitrarily pick 50% of a child’s parents (who will just happen to be composed of a majority of men) and those selected will no longer be allowed to have equal access and parentage to their child.
For those that no longer have equal access to your child, you are now called the non-custodial parent even though you are expected to perform at custodial parent levels.
The custodial parent will need financial help in caring for the child you no longer have access to, so $500 will be deducted from your bank account and put into a system that helps cover these expenses for custodial parents.
In addition, non-custodial parents will no longer have access to state medical insurance, educational assistance, job assistance, food assistance, housing assistance, and tax credits offered by the State.”
Five months later, five non-custodial parents go to the State and say they can no longer work because they are sick and need help. The State calls them deadbeats and reminds them that they have to work anyway because the State needs to deduct $500 a month from their bank accounts so that custodial parents and their children have access to State benefits.
If the non-custodial parents are still unable to work, they will be imprisoned and their pictures will be published on government supported websites.
It this second scenario, there is no outrage, no closure of the state, no lawsuits, and no federal agents or media reporters coming to your aid.
The State will use custodial parents’ children – those poor hungry children of custodial parents – to elicit an emotional response from the public to focus outrage at non-custodial parents.
In scenario one, thousands of groups would come to the aid of the contributors to call out the CEO for his/her divisive policies – policies that actually led to the problem in the first place.
In scenario two, one or two groups would come to the aid of non-custodial parents to call out the State for their divisive policies.
The point of this article is to get fathers and their families to realize that although much progress has been made in Fathers’ Rights, much more needs to be accomplished. In addition to supporting A Voice For Men, please connect with your local Fathers’ Rights group and ask how you can get involved.
If you can’t find a local group for Fathers’ Rights, start one.
