During this MCO period, quite a few people have been applauding men who are doing their own household chores. But why?
Cooking and cleaning are basic chores EVERYONE should know, regardless of your gender.
All the unnecessary applause for men doing basic things like sweeping and washing the dishes seem to be insulting to the male sex. This very appreciation simply shows that many men did not participate in household chores previously. Which is why it is such an “honour” to have them mop the floor?
The problem with this is the intent behind the appreciation. Thanking someone for helping you with a chore is different from thanking them for doing a cleaning up after themselves, because they are men. This insinuates that men technically do not have to do anything at all around the house. It sends out a wrong message to young boys.
Thanking someone for helping you with a chore is different than thanking them for cleaning up after themselves, because they are men.
This might feed into that mindset that, “Well, I technically do not have to clean up. But I am a good son if I help my mother with these chores. After all, it is her job!”
If there is one important lesson this pandemic has taught us, it’s that our ‘normal’ was messed up and we have to do better.
Let’s look at the bigger picture here. Why are we thanking people for doing something that is the basics of surviving? Do we now start thanking people for not killing others?
If this hadn’t occurred to you before, that’s fine. We are all learning. The lesson here is to be mindful when we thank someone or else, it would have an entirely different message all together.
The next time you catch yourself thanking someone for being a basic decent human being, ask yourself about your standards. Look inwards, the answer will be there.
I reiterate that it is not wrong to thank people who help you. Sure, it’s good manners. But we just need to be mindful of our intention when we thank people. Remember, it is the smallest things that make the biggest impact.
We do not want to be inherently saying, “Domestic chores are a woman’s job and now that you, a man, is doing it, you are my hero!”
This pandemic has been a huge eye opener for all of us. Perhaps it’s is time for us to look inwards to see what can we do to make the world a better place to live in. You would be surprised to see how much you can grow and how this would bring positive changes to the ones around you.
