All Comments on 'The Domestic Equality War Pt. 01'

Now there's no more Oak oppression

For they passed a noble law

And the trees are all kept equal

By hatchet, axe and saw!

The Trees - Rush (1978)

Not sure why he married her in the first place but I like where he's headed.

Hmmmm how will they resolve this issue?

pretty good. nails it on so many fronts

NOW THIS IS A MOTHERFUCKING STORY!!!!

My heart is beating, I'm on the edge of my seat. I can't hear anything that's going on around me. THIS is why I come here

Long winded and not going anywhere quick.

Becoming quite boring 😴

YES! YES! YES!

GIVE ME MORE!!!!

Man, this is such a refreshing start. I LOVE these stories that deal with emotional differences! I love good cheating/BTB/Life well lived stories too, but as the description goes, not every marriage fallen off the rails story needs a designated third party.

Fucking 5-stars, dewd!!

-JMFC

Wow. This is a very intense and amazing story. Well thought out with such fresh dialogue. I can not see this ending well for either of them, but I am very interested to see where the author is taking us. Well done.

Remarkable. All the tension and struggle without cheating. Exceptionally realistic and totally engrossing. An easy 5 stars.

Decent writing

Tense and cutting.

A God damn it I dispise ocd houses.

Why are they even married?

Enjoying it

I assume this is setting the stage by detailing the “real-politic” underlying what will evolve from a stilted discourse into an actual conflagration. Waiting.

Equal is half and half.

Commitment is 100 percent.

Be not confused

I normally pass on any stories with a part number on them as I am not likely to catch the whole story and my memory skills are not up to the task of serial involvement. But, I do make exceptions for pat 01 in case it is so good that I can write myself a reminder and f/u later. This one is not worth the note. A wast of very good writing skills, to tell us nothing at all with the implication that as some point we will learn how it is resolved. Do keep writing, but try to tall a complete story now and then.

What an original masterpiece, congrats its awesome

Wow, this is intense.

I don’t know who to root for because they’re both right and they’re both wrong. I like and hate both of them and the fact that this is what people experience on a daily basis is fantastic.

I look forward to the next chapter!!!!

Perfect!! This was a great summary of today's predicaments in marriages. I could so relate to that. I still revel in that. Thank you so much!! 5* well deserved

Looking forward to the next installment

Well done and to the point.

Outstanding!!! Wife is not necessarily representative of all or even a majority of women.

But it absolutely NAILS the hypocrisy of some emotionally-stunted people.

As an infamous enabler of rape once opined, "It wasn't rape-rape."

Nicely done.

Real problems of couples in a real world.

The author described it perfectly.

This is good, keep it coming

Interesting dissection of feminist marriage bullshit. Feminism is poison, and every man who enables it is a weak cunt. Ironically, at least 99% of women don't really want this model of marriage: "When Bryan asked Becky to marry him, she had agreed on one condition: that their marriage be an equal partnership. That her career be treated as equally important to his and that they would have equal responsibility over the housework and, when they had children, the childcare."

Women are conflicted because of the social propaganda that tells them that they can't follow their deepest instincts, which lead them to crave traditional roles. Weak men accommodate feminism thinking it will please the women in their lives, but it actually pisses them off at some deep level. Marriage is NEVER an equal partnership. That's just feminist studies drivel. Moreover, almost all women are naturally sexually submissive and want a dominant male. When their "man" turns out to be some version of a Sensitive New Age Guy (SNAG) they feel cheated. A lot of adultery comes from wives being attracted men who aren't afraid to be their dominant selves and their dissatisfaction with their SNAG. There have been some interesting articles written in lefty publications such as The Atlantic and Rolling Stone by committed feminists who are confused by the fact that they are attracted to real (so called "macho") men, not weak pajama boys. In one case, the bitch had a full on snag who accepted the "equality" and "I own my body" bullshit and let the cunt go out on "dates". Who did she choose to fuck? Real men who indulged her submissive, feminine nature. Hilarious.

IRL, a bitch like the one in the story needs to be told "this is how it's going to be", redefining the relationship in a way that isn't abusive but that ultimately speaks to her true feminine nature. Women want a man to lead, not cook. Too many authors here are feminized men writing feminized men.

traditional expectations bases on feminst BS

Interesting narrative and, sadly, all too real! The IS a females' definition of "equality" - it means "I do what I want and you do what I say". What it DOESN'T mean is "the rules apply the same way to both of us". Fascinated to see how this develops.

Well done don't leave us hanging

A lot of hub bub over vacuuming. You say it’s there but I don’t see much love written here.

This is a fascinating story, because at its core it has some fundamental truth to it.

-

"that their marriage be an equal partnership."

But no woman really wants that. Just like men naturally fall into their instinctive roles, women do too, and nothing makes a wife more deeply unhappy than being out of her comfort zone. It's a tragedy that traditional marriages are scorned by modern women, because countless studies have proven that women were far happier being a housewife than they are having a career.

And honestly, why would you expect anything else?

Having to go to work sucks ass. You have to get up early, commute to work, follow a tedious routine, socialise with people you dislike, and follow orders from a sociopathic boss who you'd avoid like the plague under normal circumstances.

Feminists have sold women the lie that having a career is exciting and fulfilling, when it's friends and family that truly bring people long-term happiness.

I'll be interested to see where this goes in the next chapter. Becky better learn to be a Stepford Wife if she's going to save this marriage...

I think oe problem is they are actually too much alike. The gray marble counter tops should be traded for black and white marble.

Good commentary on a big issue today. Many people only want equality when it helps them. Equality in government yes. Equality in armed forces or dangerous jobs that is a choice. Forcing people is wrong.

I think most guys are not good about sharing household duties with their spouse once kids are part of the mix. A “stay at home” mom works pretty damn hard at home and usually gets little consideration from the bread winner when he comes home tired from working all day. Once the kids were old enough to do daycare/preschool and my wife went back to work, I tried to help, but mostly I just entertained/supervised the kids while she did dinner. I worked my ass off around the house every weekend and tried to give her a little time to herself. We struggled through that and got the kids “up and out.” As empty nesters, she actually became the better wage earner and I assumed a lot of the household duties. I hated it, still do, but it was payback for all she did in our earlier life. Now we share pretty much 50-50 and life is much more pleasant. We’re old, but happy.

Dumb

This is seriously like real life. I say this from experience.

20 years ago l was presented with the same demands, l did poorly at first but after a few months l said, well she's angry all the timer, lets see what happens if l do everything on the list. you got it, l got a longer list. l rolled her new list up in a tight tube, gave it back. Whats this for she asked? lt's so it won't hurt as much when you stick it up your ass l replied.

Well written, but read like the author has or has had a similar problem. A problem has been with this couple a lot longer even before she got a job.

Brilliant.

You see it daily in this day and age. Every group that lobbies and pushes for the "rights" of their particular group always say they want their equal rights or equal protection under the law. When they really mean they want the rights everyone else has and then some additional rights on top of that.

The wife sees absolutely zero issue with getting to set the agenda entirely on her own and then divy up the chores "equally". She even says equality "isn't black and white"... She want to "feel" equal. When feelings are a deciding variable in an equation nothing is ever equal.

well damn man where the hell have u been lol damn that was good. im glad i still wade around in the cat sections and not just my active page. the down side is u have me wanting the other part or parts right now lol

I wish I could afford to just do housework. But I also don't have children, so I'd just be doing it for the two of us. I really do enjoy when my house is clean like a hotel. My wife has made it clear that it's not nearly that important to her...sh!t you WISH you really knew before you said "I do". Because it was clear then too.

oh yeah what bh76 said there wasnt any love there but i took as them getting married more bc the pregnancy. it felt like they never would have gotten married bc of her idea of equal was subjective would always get in the way. but the pregnancy forced their hand. and being dumbasses, they thought they had to be married to raise children, as most ppl are.

I have been staring at comment box for about 10 min and still don't know what to say.

Let me start with great, but it's more than that. Liberating comes to mind and still doesn't cover it.

Actually a really reality-like take on the loving wifes theme.

Looking forward to your next chapter. Easy 5*.

My wife and I have similar misgivings about equity. BUT...I pay the mortgage and utilities in their entirety. We earn the same, I do half the domestic chores and SHE determines the duration, standards and frequency of the domestic chores. I abide, I tolerate, and I endure. This story is like my life, except for the smoldering sex. Of that, there is virtually none.

When Becky says she expects equality in the relationship what she actually means is that she expects MORE equality than what she plans to put into the relationship. When they have relationship discussions she's doesn't actually want Bryan's input just his validation and acceptance of what she's already decided. She's entitled so of course she' pissed off when she's called out on her hypocrisy by Bryan.

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

― George Orwell, Animal Farm

I don't know why but I really like this. It sounds like they have a more business and contractural arraignment rather than a marriage but I really want to see where this is going. Since it is put in the LW category at some point someone has to get a lover or an emotional affair going. Right?

FtC's Money Shot: 'He knew the deal! He knew damn well that when a woman says she wants equality, she doesn't mean it to the exclusion of everything else! Yet Becky also knew, with unflinching certainty, that if she voiced such a thought, he would say: 'Oh, so you don't really want equality, do you? You just don't want to be a victim of inequality.' It was his favourite counter argument and she hated it!' BOOM! Nothin' but Net!!!

.

You perfectly captured the whole feminist bullshit dichotomy of, "Don't treat me different because I'm a guuuuuurl, but I deserve equal treatment (e.g. special consideration) because I'm a guuuuuuuuurl." Magnificently written. Wizzo!

.

I'd LOVE to see a Part Deux! Anyway, more.... just like this! A 'Loving Wife' story if there was ever one! 5++++/5!!!

What was the point of this? 2 dysfunctional people growing to hate each other? Did not enjoy this story, sorry I read it.

nice start as we are left hanging. And so?

Excellent so far

Excellent!

Brilliant

Maybe they can make it work but i doubt it. Couples should both do chores but they do need to agree on those chores and frequencies. She wanted to dictate and never compromise. When I feel a chore needs to be done, I will do it. I don't need someone telling me to do it. If they want it done more often, they can do it more often. Everyone talks about how much work the wives do, but my wife has never mowed the lawn nor do I want her to. It is very physical work. She did offer to help run the snow blower a couple of years ago and got half way up the drive before giving up. I didn't want her to do it but was thrilled she offered. It can be very hard work on our 200 foot 30 degrees incline drive. So there is equal and there is equivalent. We worked it out decades ago.

Well at least we know we have a very proud misogynist here, along with a few of other fragile males as readers.

If you ever meet a real woman let us know, either that or you are so desperate to pander to the little omega males who thump their chests like apes you decided this was the route.

Either way you reached a very interesting/revealing level of suck with this.

Haha, great story. I would love a follow-up...this is good stuff.

Okay, that was Ch 1...looking forward to it.

Damn, but that was good!

.

You provided the reader with 2 well crafted personalities in a marriage. You provided us with the foundation of some possible SERIOUS non “sex and cheating” reasons for how and why this marriage is in jeopardy.

.

I’m hooked, and eagerly looking forward to how you continue this drama.

.

5 well deserved *****

Wow, Very thought provoking. It is a good effort, but I suspect it is an impossible task to accomplish in Short Story format. Their conversations and behavior have to be indicators and signals of the deeper complex issues, and there's simply not enough interaction and conversation to create the whole story of their relationship. While the husband makes many good points, he also appears to be one step ahead of his wife in figuring out their evolving conflict, as if he could see this fissure in their relationship before it started to open up. Which begs the question, why did he marry her if he really doesn't respect or trust her? I think he just made the point that his wife does not treat him with much kindness or compassion, but nothing in the story indicates the wife ever did, or that she has undergone some great transformation in character or values or attitude. While he doesn't like it, it does appear he got what he married, and who's fault is that? It will be interesting to see how you reconcile their opposing personalities with their decision to get married.

I am enjoying all the outing you are doing on the issues of Equity, Equality, Fairness, Kindness, Justice, and Reasonableness. I hope you will also include the current conflict between Truth and Feelings. Might as well throw in the inevitable Group Values versus Individual Responsibility and Actions. Lots of material for the brave hearted non-conformist.

Good luck with it, and thanks for the effort. I hope you don't fuck it up.

Having lived 23 years with a partner, I can only say : spot on.

5* and looking forward to the next chapter.

They are ripe for the picking. Some sympathetic guy will comfort the wife and soon the affair starts. His buddies will get him drunk and he will wale up beside some chick from the bar.

Interesting.

Holy shit - I consistently clamor for reality in the LW genre and you've done it in spades! Now comes the tricky part. I read the stories in this genre many times as a personal therapy, to reflect on my 30+ years of marriage and how I almost pulled the plug several times (not due to infidelity). Reading the pain in well written LW stories allows me to step away from the ledge and think of ways to repair our marital flaws rather than expand them. I hope you are leading us on a path of how to repair a broken marriage, that there is hope even when there is no clear path forward...5*

5* Husband fails to understand that women are incapable of logical thought and non-bias. Facts don't matter. I have been around decades of women. Needs a part two.

Its not that she asked for help, it was how it was done. Also the list gets biggier and bigger, while the rewards get smaller and smaller.

This was pretty well written, and mildly entertaining, as far as it went. But there was no ending. Perhaps that was your way of trying to make it true to life, or something, but it irks me when I invest my time to read a story, and get to know the characters, and then the author laughs in my face by not bothering to finish it. If you couldn't think of a proper ending, then why did you post it at all? You should have held onto it until you thought of a good way to end it. 2 stars; could have been 4 stars.

That is so realistic it made my teeth clench.....those kind of discussions where words have different meaning to different spouses are the worst!! Well written... 5 Stars

5 stars. Well written with great characters. This plot could go so many directions. I am curious and looking forward to next chapters. Both spouses are written as intelligent strong people. Other comments mentioned that love is missing or minimized by author. I predict there will be pain and heartache in next chapters.

I love the different meanings of equality, as in Orwell's 1984. Great job. But part 1 is only two pages long? How many chapters are left?

God what an uptight, emotionally crippled anal retentive asshole this guy is. No wonder she’s cheating on him. Better off without the him

Only see two optins. 1 they go for couples counseling. 2. Divorce.

5 Stars. Well done. Quite original for this forum.

What petty bullshit! They are both a**holes.

Congratulations on posting a 'story' (a term I use generously) that brings the misogynists crawling out of the woodwork to whine about how irrational women are. Must be nice basking in your echo chamber and jerking yourself off at the psuedo intellectual, red pill MGTOW bullshit you think makes you smart. Your mother must be so proud. FYI, people who are intelligent (and I don't mean red pillers who use terms like 'alpha male' and 'beta male') know that rationality and gender only intersect in outdated social mindsets. But hey, what do I know? I'm only an irrational woman after all.

Great story, that comes a little close to real life for a lot of people. Luckily my wife is like me in being ok with a comfortable, lived in home. Young 14thNC helps with that. Again, great story, and I look forward to seeing where you go with it.

OK, you have me hooked, eager to see where these characters go. I wish, for the daughter's sake, I could see some love between them.

Great story. But a bus man's holiday effect right now, for me. Too realistic. Too bad. D

Anon above Huedogg it is marked Ch 01

Use of dialog to develop the characters and set the stage for the confrontation. Very rarely do I read a story here so realistic without plot holes to drive a truck through. My wife and I struggled somewhat with this early in our marriage. For us it mostly was a matter defining what roles suited each of us best. Forty years later the roles still float around a bit, but it’s worked for us. I couldn’t begin to make a list of what we each do and determine if it’s equal. Very much looking forward to the next part to see where this goes. This story seemed to start as a contractual marriage, for it to succeed it must find a common passion that both believe that ties them together to get through the rough times. Very often it’s the children, but then they divorce when the children leave the nest.

Freddie the camel has gotten 78 comments so far on this story and the majority have been thoughtful and helpful. Unusual for the LW category, maybe there is hope here yet.

You need to hold out on the stars and comments section until you finish this story. Unlike others, I can't judge a half (?) done work.

She wants her cake and to eat it also without any comprising! This could be a fantastic tale if she learns how to deal with her male counterpart. He needs to work on pleasing his wife more.

So are Becky and Bryan going into therapy at some point and Bryan starts calling the therapist at off-hours?

You can tell who's a worthless millennial idiot and who's not just by the comment they make.

My spouse and I had this same issue, in a very similar manner when we were first married. Equal partnerships mean different things to different people, and understanding that is something that takes time and demonstration, and negotiating a true partnership also requires give and take on the part of both. In this story, Becky is very rigid about things that matter to her, and expects her husband to make up for areas where things fall short, but she doesn't provide the same to Bryan, and he demonstrates it.

Bryan's a little over the top and unrealistic in my opinion, but serves the narrative well. And he's not perfect, but he's a bit too good at what he's doing, though I suppose perhaps we're just not reading about the parts where he didn't take notes about the little things he would do that his wife ignored whenever she wanted to argue about their equality agreement.

My spouse and I had an equality agreement that was pretty rigid when we got married, and over time it sort of naturally morphed into 'Do whatever needs done when it needs done and don't wait for someone else to do it' and 'If you see the other person doing too much while you aren't, pick up the slack so they can have a break' all without any real negotiation. And sometimes it's not equal, but it feels like a real partnership, where we know we can count on the other person.

I look forward to reading the 2nd part.

You've managed to capture the stats quo in my household.

Nice job Freddie! That's what some of these young woke folk thiink they want, but it is never truly equal. Trying to do this requires measurement (like Bryan) which is destructive and time consuming. Resentment always rears its head. The traditional roles are time tested and approved for familial happiness.

Almost a story.

Anonymous 2 days ago.

We can also tell who the senile old boomer is from the comment they write, get back to MASH reruns and take your pills fucking moron

I know it is a fictional tale, but it is such an eerie dark mirror of the progressive societal viewpoint. Again, fiction, but hopefully people can get a small nugget of truth from this. I like the story.

Its a good analogy....or is it a simile? I can never remember.

Sincerely

Payenbrant

It’s unusual but definitely an interesting story, from my pov they’re both being unreasonable. Marriage is about give and take between the couple, it’s also always a work in progress.

Thanks for sharing

Tess (uk)

Every young man should read this and the MC should run like the wind.

Anon we can also tell,

OK that's funny. They say a smart man learns from his mistakes. A really smart man learns from the mistakes of others.

FTDS is there another chapter, The makings of a good story, only the up in the air finish depletes it

Heading for a wimp-out despite the fact that the wife's ego is the size of France.

Couples like this are the reason marriage counselors drive BMW's. Good start.

5 stars - I really like the way this husband has chosen to counter the constant blather women spout whenever they want their own way. Turnabout is fair play as far as I am concerned. By the way, I have been married to the same woman for more than half a century and yes we tried to divide the work load evenly - but it never lasted very long.

So far, it appears to be a great setup chapter.

Commenters here are funny, particularly the anons. "Equality" is actually measurable. Which is why one needs to be careful about using that word. In this story, Becky is an idiot. Not because of the cleaning, or the chores. But because, like so many irrational people, she wants "equality" to mean what feels comfortable to her. Don't try to make it about her husband for the moment -- it's her (fictional but common) behavior I'm writing about. Not interested in "what about" misdirection.

Had she NOT (apparently) made "equality" her hill to die on early in their relationship, the two might have achieved a comfortable division of labor over time. But it appears she approached "equality" with a religious zeal. News flash for her -- that word has a real meaning, which in this chapter she's lying to herself and to her husband about. One does not get to redefine an English word at will. If a loan says "3.9% annual interest compounded annually" and you sign the loan, you don't get to unilaterally renegotiate it later just because you suddenly don't want to pay it off. Were I friends with both, I'd recommend counseling immediately -- their expectations for their relationship are incompatible at this time and need re-calibration. Otherwise, to the fictional Becky "Equality. You keep using that word. I do not think that it means what you think that it means."

Now, if only Bryan stands his ground in part 2. Otherwise, the two will never achieve parity (which is far more subjective than 'equality' but useful in an environment of heterogeneity)

Thinking she might be spending more than one night alone. A divorce is forever.

It's just vacuuming. If she's been doing it for all this time 3 times a week then needs to be done 3 times a week. And yes doing it more than one might think necessary because there's a baby in the house who crawls on the floor is a very valid idea.

POWERSWORDER....... SAYS. this...

.

It's a tragedy that traditional marriages are scorned by modern women, because countless studies have proven that women were far happier being a housewife than they are having a career..

.

COUNTLESS STUDIES?..... name 1

Her problem is her "God complex". Many women suffer from one. The amount and scope of household cleaning is not set by God and delivered to the wife by telepathy. It's simply her preference.

Equating her personal desires with non-negotiable truth is the ultimate in hubris. She needs to get over herself. She fumbled her humble.