Some of the men who read this site have expressed some disappointment about how spare we are about giving out advice and direction. I’ve thought about it as well, but there’s no easy solution to this.
The problem is that it’s very easy to give people advice, but it’s actually very, very difficult to give people good advice. There are a few reasons for this:
First, no two humans are alike, and this means that any general advice has to take a very wide cross-section of the population into consideration. This requires not only wisdom and experience, but a solid understanding of statistics and generalities as well.
Secondly, what if I’m wrong? This is a real moral dilemma. The last thing I want to do is lead someone down the primrose path, which I, personally, have trod like a lamb to the slaughter. Seeing a brother go down because of my advice would both pain and humiliate me.
Finally, there’s the issue of humility. I’m not sure I’m sufficiently wise to offer any ironclad maxims for the younger generation. Some might say that one should have some “self-esteem,” but what is that but another word for pride? Sins such as pride are not so only because they are ridiculous and offensive, but also because they have proven to be harmful to both the sinner and society in general.
However, there are some good ideas out there that are worth sharing, and I’d like to offer one for enterprising men to consider:
Start a maid business.
One thing that has been brought up over and again here is is that it isn’t all that difficult to keep house these days, what with modern appliances and all. This is true — without children keeping house is a pretty simple affair. Even with them it isn’t anywhere near as difficult as it used to be. Still, a lot of guys can’t be bothered, and a lot of these men are single. However, an amazing fact is that most maids are employed by wives (or so they call themselves) who simply can’t be bothered. Not all that many men actually contract housekeeping services because they simply haven’t grown accustomed to the idea.
This is an opportunity that is ripe for the picking. When men go into any business that is traditionally the provenance of women, they generally clean up. Think of the wholesale replacement of wifely industry by the industrialization of spinning, weaving, etc. There are legions of men who have made fortunes by taking advantage of the inefficiency of the housewife of yore. Wives no longer sew, mend or spin, but rather shop and enrich the men who have made their jobs redundant. These days, wives don’t even cook, instead simply opening boxes and reading instructions written at the elementary school level. Put two cups of mix in bowl, add egg and milk, stir with fork… That’s it.
Given modern social norms, it’s time to eliminate the wife from the household picture altogether. And considering the fact that modern appliances make a good scrubdown little more than an afterthought, the amount of labor required to keep a place in good shape is minimal. So, even paying a higher than average hourly fee – say $20/hr – for low-skill work such as housekeeping is reasonable. For your typical childless man, two hours a week is probably more than enough to take care of the details he’d rather not bother with. Add ten bucks for transportation/gas money and that comes out to only $50/week. For that, a man could have a thoroughly clean domicile without any of the trouble that comes along with a girlfriend/wife performing such basic labor, who would surely complain and make compensatory demands anyway. Sure, he’d have to wash his dishes and buy groceries, but scrubbing the bathroom and kitchen, doing the windows and mopping and vacuuming would all be taken care of. Also, the woman (or man) doing the work would be discreet, respectful and fast.
If I were to start this kind of business, I would market exclusively to men — women are always intrigued by what men are doing and would find it on their own, so female clients would appear without any extra effort. I would treat employees with the humanity and consideration that men generally bring to the table regarding employees, and exercise quality control based on my male clients’ feedback (women are prone to complaining and petty retribution, so I’d place less weight on their opinions). Furthermore, I’d challenge the female-run maid services, which comprise the majority, head-on and beat them badly and without mercy.
It’s an idea whose time has come. Men can take care of themselves, but sometimes time is important, and men would quickly learn to use such a service if they found it trustworthy and convenient. However, I would never, ever get involved with the “naughty maid” prostitution outfits which offer men young, topless maids or the like for an elevated fee. That’s pimping, which is a very low occupation, and young, good-looking women are the lousiest housekeepers of all. Never, ever hire a woman who persuades men to buy her trinkets on the strength of her physical assets for such an occupation — it is an invitation for trouble. In fact, if you must hire this kind of woman, never forget that she is a prostitute, and is only useful as such or as a front for some deceptive effort (e.g. blackmail).
So, take it or leave it. Personally, I think some smart man will take it up and make a killing. Some are probably already doing so. It might take a slight cultural change to convince more men to use it, but nothing a clever marketer can’t easily deal with. In the long run, it would be good for not only men, but needy, less attractive and older women as well.
Although it shouldn’t need to be mentioned because men are generally decent human beings, there are a lot of feminists out there who might suggest that this kind of business would be about “objectification” or some similar garbage, so I will add that there would be absolutely no need to tolerate abusive clients. A simple and straightforward business offering good service for decent wages could do very well in the current climate — if the feminists don’t tax it out of existence, of course.
