Ask Amy: Mom’s addiction and abuse roils household
— Wondering
Dear Wondering: Nope — you’re good. Pack your stuff, make sure you get tested — and enjoy your new life.
Dear Amy: As a man, I have always been intrigued by how women’s emotions and reactions differ from men’s. I believe the psychologies of both sexes play equal roles in the wonderful dynamism that makes the world go ’round.
In the context of the women’s movement that has been occurring over the last several decades, I often wonder how contemporary women respond to so-called stereotypical female behavior as often portrayed in movies and TV dramas.
When a woman bursts into tears, can’t make up her mind, succumbs to a sweet-talking man, etc., does a contemporary woman say, “Come on, girl, buck up! Get a hold of yourself!” Or does she say, “Gee, I can see why she feels that way. I’d probably react the same way.”
— R
Dear R: It is important to remember that most earlier media was created by men, and so the distance between “Alice” on “The Honeymooners” and the female characters realized by Shonda Rhimes or Phoebe Waller-Bridge shows what a long way depictions of the female experience have come.
So yes, I’m more in the “buck up!” category, but I believe that most of us (women and men) experience our emotional lives along a wide spectrum.
========
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
