Real Life Stories - Entries for October 2009

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As I have written many times, most women do not want a wimp for a husband. There is a difference between being submissive顺从 — willing to obey and being a wimp. A woman wants a man who can be strong when he has to be but still recognizes his place within the marriage. A common hesitation from women about this lifestyle is that they are afraid that if they dominate, discipline and control their husbands behind closed doors, their men will become wimps. Your story is just another example that this is not the case, and in fact it is often the opposite. Often the macho male who walks and talks like he is in charge will be the first one to mistreat his wife. It is the submissive顺从 — willing to obey male who reveres women and who worships崇拜侍奉 — adoring service women that is more likely to stand up for women.

The show “Everybody Loves Raymond” is all about stereotypes of what many people perceive to be a typical American marriage. I once read where the episodes of that show came from actual experiences that the various writers observed within their own marriages and families. That is why it was such a big hit, because the viewers could relate to the lazy, wimpy husband, the interfering mother-in-law, the crude father-in-law, and the dominant wife. Debra is a Dom as she is the smart one and she runs the house. But the exaggeration of the stereotypes of Ray and his family is what made the show funny, kind of a play on the one sane person surrounded by crazy people theme. Debra is the sane one.