George,
Surely this cannot be a serious column. Not only is the format,
of Furedi as agony aunt simply bizare, but the politics that lie
behind it (which is the real point) are beyond comprehension. That we
live in a world where one can wander up to the employer and quietly
explain that it is inefficient in the long term to make him work long
hours is beyond comprehension. And if that isn't possible the
problem is some psychobabble about inner unfullfillment. The whole
point of the family in bourgeois society should ideally be one that
puts up with the worker's long hours and difficult conditions and to
selflessly (and at little or no cost to capitalism) maintain and
reporduce the worker.
As a Marxist, one is reminded of the great stuggle for the eight hour
day - which was not fought by careful explaination to bosses - but
on the streets, with the support of Marx and Engels. And didn't Karl
have a theory of alienation which was a little more scientific than
the ideology of the workaholic. But then LM isn't Living Marxism any
more. And like the ex-Marxism Today lot they do seem to be moving on
a slow drift to the right. If it is - as I initially hoped - merely a
hoax then my apologies to Furedi but the fact that it is believable
is worrying enough.
John Walker
> COLUMN: HOW TO SUSTAIN A MARRIAGE
> IN AN AGE OF DECLINING EXPECTATIONS
>
> BY DR. FRANK FUREDI (TENURED SOCIOLOGIST)
>
> Q: My husband is simply never home. He works until at least 9:00 P.M.
> - and for six hours or so on either Saturday or Sunday - because he
> says it's expected. Even though I have some household help, it's a
> tremendous strain on me to raise two daughters, ages 1 1/2 and 4,
> without a father around. On a recent Sunday, I was running a
> 102-degree fever, and he still went to the office. How can I cope with
> this?
>
> A: You could tell him, quite seriously, that unless he can create more
> time to be a husband and father, you and the children will be forced
> to fire him. He needs to find a way to make clear to his employer
> that, while he's willing to work overtime in emergencies, this
> round-the-clock face time must end. Apart from what it's doing to his
> family, his schedule is going to burn him out - if it hasn't already -
> and make him a much less effective employee. Of course, the
> possibility exists that even if his boss weren't pressuring him to put
> in long hours, he would do so anyway because he's a workaholic. In
> that case, you both need to figure out what he's trying to escape from
> - like other addicts, workaholics are hiding from inner turmoil. It
> could be the responsibilities of parenting two preschool-age children.
> Clearly, it's time for a frank discussion of what each of you expects
> from your marriage and what is missing. If that gets you nowhere, I'd
> strongly suggest he carve out time in his schedule for marriage
> counseling. Should you keep going on the way you're going, I foresee
> disaster.
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