Mail

Children of divorce would have to read past the "deadbeat" headline and several direct references to deadbeat fathers to learn that the definition of a deadbeat, as used in the article, was supplied by a court employee and meant only those parents who do not comply with court orders. Whew. At first glance, I thought the article might mean a deadbeat is a person like myself who, for whatever reason, surrendered parental rights. Geographic distance or economic, social, and emotional reasons can inform such a decision. Solomon's wisdom, long before the advent of genetic testing, was able to establish paternity by determining which party did not want the child torn asunder.

While court-ordered parenting arrangements are no doubt helpful to children in many cases, in others they are not. I spoke with one mother who was distraught that a Kansas court ordered her children to spend the summer with the man convicted of beating and raping her. In another case, a woman was ordered to pay support to a man convicted of battering her. Though Kansas law instructs courts to consider domestic-violence convictions, the husband in that case got custody of the child.

Not once did Edwards' article address the subject of mothers ordered to pay child support. I can readily cite at least one case of a woman so ordered who does not make the payments. Neither Edwards' prediction of the extinction of the nuclear family nor the quotes he chose to attribute to his source were so open-minded as to consider that men sometimes get custody and otherwise well-qualified moms are required to send a check. Edwards perpetuated ethnocentric gender expectations while advancing his personal opinion of the ultimate demise of traditional family structures.

Recent sociology texts about the convergence of international culture show a consistent disruption of long-standing family models (be they patriarchal, matriarchal, extended, or egalitarian) when traditional values are replaced by the artifacts of internationalism. In country after country, including ours, where the winds of international capitalism have swept away traditional social structures, what has followed has been a decline of local authority and a rise of divorce, family violence, crime, and substance abuse, the texts reveal.

The liberal alternative press does a great job of reminding us of our collective responsibilities. Your staff writer, though, seems to have found in the subject of court-ordered child support a convenient whipping boy to perpetuate a masquerade of advocacy for personal responsibility.

Likewise, much of the alternative press has taken the lead in explaining popular criticism of international movements such as the World Trade Organization. The efforts of the Pitch apparently are not as astute when it comes to understanding the intricate cultural issues related to the spread of internationalism.

Certainly not all divorce is caused by internationalism, and the recent divorce-friendly environment has allowed many individuals a way out of abusive families. The simplistic tone of Edwards' report, though, offers reckless prejudice when studious consideration of current trends would better serve your readers. -- David Collins

Junction City, Kan.