Conform or Your Good Deeds are Invalid
There is an incredible story out of Denver about a coffee shop that is yet another example of the intolerance of the left. If your ideology does not match theirs, all else is irrelevant.
Jamie Sanchez has had a passion for helping the homeless for most of his life. He has a ministry called “Recycling God’s Love” to help the homeless. Who can disagree that helping the homeless is a good and helpful thing, especially in a city that has
struggled with this after that state’s move toward drug legalization?
He was on the verge of opening a coffee store to help fund his ministry when the LGBTQ radicals attacked. They began protesting his business.
“It was really strange, actually, because we all of a sudden started getting like messages on Instagram about how we hate gay people and just like random comments like that . . . And come to find out there was like an organized group ready to protest the opening of our café before we even opened. We did some digging, and we found out it was strictly because we were Christian,” Sanchez told Fox News Digital.
Men, Women, Dating, and Marriage
I’ve recently read several articles about dating, marriage, and parenthood. Almost all were written by secular psychologists, sociologists, or cultural observers. Topics have covered everything from what romantic comedies do to
expectations, complaints about the marriage pool, modern dating, and masculinity issues.
As I have often written, the decline of marriage has huge ramifications for adults, children, taxpayers, and society. The following are some fascinating tidbits (and some generalizations) that stood out to me.
– For the first time in 50 years, women under 35 are more likely to live with their parents than with a spouse.
– More than half of all women on dating apps set their filters to eliminate men who are 6 feet tall or shorter.
– Women’s income and education levels have risen significantly, whereas men’s levels have stagnated.
– Women still want economic security from a man.
– One man online summed it up: “Dating for men is like paying for a job interview.”
– When women date “down,” many men feel emasculated, creating insecurity and resentment among some men.
– Marriage plays a larger role in happiness than income.
– A 2022 Pew Research study found that 63% of men under 30 are single, up from 51% in 2019.
– The percentage of single men actively seeking relationships or casual dates dropped from 61% to 50% in the same (2022-2019) period.
– One perception (which may not even be true) is that 80% of women chase the top 20% of men — those with looks, status, confidence, and money
— leaving the remaining 80% of men invisible, friend-zoned, or outright rejected.
– Strongly pursuing the myth of “finding your soulmate” can lead to dysfunctional behaviors and less relationship success.
– Suicide rates among men under 30 have risen by 40% since 2010, now four times higher than among young women.
– A significant portion of young men have a “couch problem” with video games, pornography, or a low level of work.
– Those who see its virtues are warning that traditional manhood and masculinity are in trouble.
Fatherhood and Purpose
Going along with the item above,
research has found that married fathers earn more money than unmarried, single, or fatherless males. Men need a purpose, and while economic success, providing for a spouse are noble and important, there is evidence that engaged fatherhood not only greatly benefits children, but it also changes men for the better.
Many years ago, I met an incredible leader in the fatherhood movement named Charles Ballard. He gave a presentation at a fatherhood conference I attended with excitement to hear from a hero in that effort, Robert Woodsen, with the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise.
Unlike other speakers, Ballard did not present research and data on fatherhood; he spoke about the unique work he had done to reconnect unmarried fathers to their children and their children’s mothers in the inner city of Cleveland.
Ballard rejected a lot of the common economic theory that stability came from economic conditions that advocates of the welfare state adopt. Through home visits, counseling, church, and parenting programs, he prioritized unmarried fathers reconnecting with their children.
The results were amazing. He helped over 2,000 men re-enter their children’s lives. When the program began, only 12% of the men were employed full-time. After reconnecting with their children and becoming active fathers, 62% had secured full-time employment, and more than 95% began contributing financially to their children’s care.
I don’t recall the statistics, but Ballard commented that many men in the program even went on to marry the mother of their child.
Purpose is a powerful motivator.
A Dangerous Pick
Last week, US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson spoke to an audience in Indianapolis about her life and racial issues. The article I read about this was rather glowing in its description of the audience’s enthusiasm.
There’s nothing wrong with this, but I did notice that the article never referenced any legal decisions, precedents, or legal opinions. Often, when I have read similar stories of Justices, there seem to be references to decisions and legal arguments that I, or the average non-lawyer reader, may struggle to understand. I think expecting deep legal analysis from this Justice will be disappointing.
Justice Brown recently shocked people by confirming what they worried might be the case from her tenure on the court so far. Justice Brown told ABC News regarding her role and rulings, “I just feel that I have a wonderful opportunity to tell people my opinions, how I feel about the issues, and that’s what I try to do.”
As Jonathan Turley, Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, observed, “The controversial position of Jackson on the Court is not due to her liberal views. We have had many such liberal jurists. The difference is how Jackson views her role as a justice. . . Most judges and justices are acutely aware of that danger and struggle to confine their rulings to the merits of disputes, avoiding political questions or commentary. The “opportunity to tell people how I feel” can become a slippery slope where opinions become more like judicial op-eds. The Court is not a cable show.”
The role of a justice is to rule on deep constitutional questions raised by lower court rulings. It is not to be a political commentator.
In Their Own Words:
“The loveliest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he does not exist.” – C.P. Baudelaire, The Generous Gambler, 1864
