Leadership
Posted by: tony on 11/01/2007 01:05 AM
Updated by: tony on 11/01/2007 01:05 AM
|
Expires: 12/02/2007 12:00 AM
|
Radical Catholic Mom has a problem with "leadership" as it relates to masculinity. She says:
To my male readers, I AM sorry that I equated masculinity with machismo and negativity. Here is where you can educate me. What do YOU my male readers think makes a truly masculine man?
I have to tell you right up front: When I start hearing words like "power" "leadership" etc, I cringe. So to help me out, I need you to define what you think those mean in terms of the household relationships.
A good description of masculinity and leadership in terms of a household relationship track closely to Peter Leeson's essay An-arrgh-chy: The Law and Economics of Pirate Organization (PDF). To sidetrack, one would think that an economics paper would be dry as a bone, but it was a facinating read for me, especially after watching Pirates of the Carribean.
The paper outlines the role of the Quartermaster and the Captain.
For the Punishment of small Offences . . . there is a principal Officer among the Pyrates, called the Quarter-Master, of the Men's own choosing, who claims all Authority this Way, (excepting in Time of Battle:) If they disobey his Command, are quarrelsome and mutinous with one another, misuse Prisoners, plunder beyond his Order, and in particular, if they be negligent of their Arms, which he musters at Discretion, he punishes at his own dare without incurring the Lash from all the Ship's Company: In short, this Officer is Trustee for the whole, is the first on board any Prize, separating for the Company's Use, what he pleases, and returning what he thinks fit to the Owners, excepting Gold and Silver, which they have voted not returnable (Johnson 1726-1728: 213).
The Quartermaster deals with the men on a day to day basis. He is democratically elected, he decides how the men are punished for offenses, how the money is divvied up, and which jobs were assigned to whom.
However, the captain had full authority in times of battle. He gave the commands, assigned battle stations, and fought alongside his men.
This would describe my idea of leadership with regard to household relationships. I would consider myself the "captain" of my "ship". My wife would be the "quartermaster". She gives assignments "aboard ship", she divvies up our "treasure" and she and I decide how our "pirates" are disciplined.
However, in the case of a crisis (as in a natural disaster, fire, flood, etc.) I would expect to be obeyed immediately and completely by all members of my "ship". I would be in front of them, facing the danger first and doing my utmost to protect them.
Once the crisis was over, the authority would revert back to the "quartermaster".
That is the essence of leadership to me. The analogy is somewhat simplistic, but I hope the generalities are easy to grasp. Basically, I believe every household need to have a designated leader, and the most natural person in the household to do this is the dad by virtue of how he is wired.
However, men are not tyrants. They are called by St. Paul in the next line of that offensive statement to "...love your wives, as Christ loves his Church and died for her...". Men who are abusive to their wives are simply bullies, and should be taken behind the woodshed and be horsewhipped.
So go ahead on over to Radical Catholic Mom's blog and give her your comments about masculinity as it relates to household leadership.
|
