Of Obama, Hot Mics, And Having A Healthy Fear Of Your Spouse.

There are a multitude of perfectly acceptable gender double standards in society. Nightclubs can hold Ladies' Night, but Men's Night prolly wouldn't fly. Women can let the door fling in each other's faces, but men are expected to hold the door when a woman is behind him. Women go to the bathroom in packs, but two dudes leaving the table to go "freshen up" isn't exactly a normal occurrence.

On that same note, it's perfectly fine for men to have a "healthy fear" of their wives. We hear their voices in the back of our heads when we're eating, drinking, watching or doing something we prolly shouldn't. This is an accepted norm, since women are considered the "backbone" and "conscience" of any marriage. Of course, if a woman told someone she was "scared" of her husband, the connotation would be quite different. I'm guessing a call to the authorities might be somewhere in that woman's future.

Anyways, I thought about gender double standards reading some of the assorted commentary around the web about President Obama's "hot mic" incident at the UN this week.

President Obama said on an open microphone at the U.N. General Assembly Monday that he quit smoking six years ago "because I'm scared of my wife."

"I hope you quit smoking," he told a fellow attendee, according to audio played Monday by CNN.


After the man said he smokes "sometimes," Obama said he chews Nicorette nicotine gum and that "I haven't had a cigarette in probably six years."

He then jokes: "That' because I'm scared of my wife."

Michelle Obama previously said that Obama quit smoking sometime around 2010.

Here's the audio.



Predictably, some on the right are using this to make jokes about the President's lack of testicular fortitude, and questioning how a man could actually run the real world if he can't even run his own household. Some even mused that a man who is scared of his wife is the end game of the "Wussification of American Men". I'm not gonna link to such foolishness, if you're so inclined, go find it yourself.

Naturally, I find this to be total and complete bullsh*t. And yes, I have what I would consider a "healthy fear" of my wife. I think this "healthy fear", when combined with my own conscience (among other things) keeps me steered clear of a fair amount of potential trouble. And I'm fairly sure that's all the President was doing here. Relaying that he's decided to quit smoking (among other reasons) because he simply doesn't wanna have to face the wrath of Michelle if he comes back in the White House smelling like Newports.[1]

I think most (presumably happy) married men understand this. Unless they're Conservatives.

Question: Is it fine to have a "healthy fear" of your spouse? Are there some socially accepted double standards that really bug you?!?

[1] Yeah, I know the POTUS prolly didn't smoke Menthols. Whatever, it was a good punchline.