Marlo Expectations

From Huff Po, Marlo Thomas laments the integration of Take Our Daughters to Work Day - because they now must take sons too. I hope this woman isn't paid for her silliness. (If you wish to make a tax deductible donation in order for the Foundation to continue its work, or buy a t-shirt, please make checks payable to: Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Foundation, 209 East Fearing Street, Suite 1, Elizabeth City, NC 27909.)

Marlo says "Like a lot of women my age, it reminded me of the low expectations that were thrust on us when we were growing up. I'll never forget struggling with a math problem when I was in the 7th grade at Marymount, and complaining to the math nun about it. "Don't worry, dear," she said to me. "You won't need it."

As the daughter of a millionaire, and preppy in a private Catholic prep school rubbing elbows with other Los Angeles bratpackers, perhaps the math nun knew Marlo would never have to work like other women folk. How much math do you need being That Girl! or a "social activist."

We should be so lucky to have a math nun and the struggle of a math problem as a memory we'll never forget.

Michelle Obama hosted 200 children of White House employees. Michelle doing her part so low expectations are not thrust upon today's boys and girls. And can you say p-h-o-t-o op.

Marlo hasn't a clue that millions of women cannot take their daughters (or sons) to work. Or that the majority of kids who are taken to work are not minimum wage worker kids but are kids who come from homes where self-confidence, education, knowledge, and skills for success are a given.

And to think I used to listen to Marlo and Phil. Eeek.

I had a chuckle as one respondent to Marlo commented: "This program should be called "Take our [privileged] daughters to the white-collar business office to teach them how to kiss ass and exploit the poor." Even the majority of the huffpo posters seemed irritated with her pettiness. Has the "women's movement" finally petered out (pun intended).

As for St. Jude's, the hospital founded by Danny Thomas, I supported that for many years, crying in every commercial, but stopped after finding much of the clinical staff is low paid while the topcats make almost a million a year, that St. Jude insinuates credit for medical discoveries not theirs, that they have 2 billion in assets for a 56 bed hospital, and a good deal of money goes to research and programs that I question the efficacy of (research often funded by pharmaceutical giants and government grants), and that they take in almost a billion annually from corporate and individual donations and grants - yet have received low ratings at Charity Navigator; I heard they amended a few practices to raise their rating again. And though St. Jude's has done a lot of good for some children, fact is their giant fundraising footprint has drained away donations from other hospitals that treat childhood cancer but don't have the high profile of St. Jude. St. Jude's will not take kids who have been treated with chemo or radiation at other institutes, and turns away kids who fail to meet other St. Jude criteria. (Thirty years ago we had a daughter diagnosed with brain cancer at Denver Children's, her treatment could not have been better anywhere else.) A pediatric oncologist told me once that although we've improved the methodology, the equipment, and the survival rates - we still basically use the same old cancer treatments of "cut, burn, and poison."

Not that any of that is Marlo's fault. The nuns didn't teach her math and she never had a kid of her own to take anywhere.