Did you see the Colorado balloon incident last week? Who do you suppose wrangled the family into that unfortunate endeavor?
Considering what we have seen about his personality and behavior on the other shows we saw (ie. Wife Swap), I would have to say him.
That said, I have seen both sides.. The male approach to dominating the relationship is by physical force. The female’s approach is more subtle and varied. It tends to involve manipulation, subverting anything other than what she wants and by nagging the guy till he gives in just to get some peace. For all we know in the ‘balloon boy’s family, there is an ongoing power struggle with both sides applying their own coercive tactics, though I would have to say that he is a bit psycho.
In terms of the court system, there is definitely a bias that favors the women. Particularly with the use of alimony. The intent of alimony is to keep the now ex-wife in the style that she has become accustomed to. This is a throwback to the times when women weren’t expected to work and weren’t allowed any decent paying jobs. I have also heard of child support being twisted to augment alimony. $30,000/month per child? From the opposite side, if the man has custody, it is nearly impossible to enforce child support on the women. The state doesn’t move, though the state will willing garnish a man’s salary if the women has child support.
In all, it is hard to say which sex abuses the relationship more. I think the states should take a sex neutral position with respect to custody, and alimony should now be eliminated. Either sex basically has equal right to employment and lifestyle is a choice often enabled by ones own earning power and should not be ‘guaranteed’.
