Week 3, Column 3 - "Parental Pity Party"
SPEAKER - Written by Ross Douthat
- a father guilty of "bragging" about the troubles of parenthood
- "financially secure and happily married"
- Catholic
- believes parenting is "tough, necessary, and praiseworthy"
OCCASION - more and more modern parents complaining about parenthood on social media
AUDIENCE - parents
- people who don't want to have kids
PURPOSE - explain to complaining parents and people fearing parenthood that it's better than it is now made out to be
SUBJECT - parenthood mixing with social media, creating a bad look
TONE - reflective, humorous at times, casual
Ross Douthat's article Parental Pity Party explains the new outlook on parenthood. Many modern moms and dads post pictures or statuses highlighting their troubles with their children. What these parents fail to realize is the subtle judgemental tone and bragging behind their posts. Being a parent guilty of this, Douthat wrote his article to encourage parents to stop this and help people fearing parenthood realize that it's more glorious than it now seems. This purpose is stated very clearly when Douthat writes, "Better for parents to be cheerful warriors to emphasize the joy rather than the misery, while also extending tolerance and understanding -- rather than judgement infused with envy -- to friends and neighbors who choose a different path. Which is what I pledge to do from here on out." This bold statement practically screams at parents to stop their actions for society's sake. It also helps them realize that their children are not annoying, strenuous tasks needing to be completed (although I'm sure some would disagree) but rather glorious gifts. His purpose is so strong throughout that I'm sure many of the parents that read this article reevaluated their obnoxious posts and maybe even apologized.
LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/opinion/sunday/douthat-parental-pity-party.html?ref=rossdouthat
- a father guilty of "bragging" about the troubles of parenthood
- "financially secure and happily married"
- Catholic
- believes parenting is "tough, necessary, and praiseworthy"
OCCASION - more and more modern parents complaining about parenthood on social media
AUDIENCE - parents
- people who don't want to have kids
PURPOSE - explain to complaining parents and people fearing parenthood that it's better than it is now made out to be
SUBJECT - parenthood mixing with social media, creating a bad look
TONE - reflective, humorous at times, casual
Ross Douthat's article Parental Pity Party explains the new outlook on parenthood. Many modern moms and dads post pictures or statuses highlighting their troubles with their children. What these parents fail to realize is the subtle judgemental tone and bragging behind their posts. Being a parent guilty of this, Douthat wrote his article to encourage parents to stop this and help people fearing parenthood realize that it's more glorious than it now seems. This purpose is stated very clearly when Douthat writes, "Better for parents to be cheerful warriors to emphasize the joy rather than the misery, while also extending tolerance and understanding -- rather than judgement infused with envy -- to friends and neighbors who choose a different path. Which is what I pledge to do from here on out." This bold statement practically screams at parents to stop their actions for society's sake. It also helps them realize that their children are not annoying, strenuous tasks needing to be completed (although I'm sure some would disagree) but rather glorious gifts. His purpose is so strong throughout that I'm sure many of the parents that read this article reevaluated their obnoxious posts and maybe even apologized.
LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/opinion/sunday/douthat-parental-pity-party.html?ref=rossdouthat