You're watching...
Former Education Secretary Bill Bennett discusses his new book and shares his thoughts on family, men, and values in today’s society.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
Continue with former education secretary and author of the book command readings on the path of manhood Bill Bennett.
The book that man is about -- you know and how -- you want us to man up.
You know yet America we don't -- -- what's the problem well we're off course a little bit tough talk the women by the way you're closer to a man -- -- -- What's this this focus -- I've heard from more young women women in their twenties and thirties saying its price is better at three judgment -- you -- Some -- and the little bit of its government are not measuring an achievement and ambition.
Then.
Commitment and conviction.
We're not recommend we used to in the numbers we used to somebody said the other day if -- new forty maybe twenty -- the -- thirteen.
Do you know that more men eighteen to 35.
Play video games longer than men twelve to eighteen.
I saw that.
I saw that you wrote that and I can assure you it's it's extra bit more detail we talk about -- mature slower than women to ensure that what we were kids in grade school you know the girls were always ahead of us that's why they hammered us -- school and that's why you've got a hammer the boys and bring the boys haven't been work with the boys of the architecture of the soul.
Because they don't -- very well when things fall apart from girls coped better than the -- would families were all part.
When the social signals get dimmer.
The girls -- even when there are women and have children and they have to care for even if economically they have problems we do better than men men men without marriage -- worse -- -- You go back and you take a look at it'll -- lot of different generations chairman out went on that because we got to that point where it was a man's world and women right.
Barefoot pregnant than in the kitchen -- end and then the women's movements that old no we're not going there are so now.
We're trying to strive for equality you're saying that the pendulum has swung -- -- Away so forty years has replaced 40000 years but we did say go girl you go girl and they -- And now with the women graduating from college surpassed the men and most of the categories I mentioned.
What I wanna do is get back on track this book as a positive but that's about what you're supposed to do away exposed to think.
Who -- supposed to imitate Greeks ever great word mennesses imitation.
In the way boys become men despite imitating men who are worthy of invitation but the culture -- -- Tom since so many different signals to boards about what it means to be.
Everything from macho and being in the hood to gain culture.
That boys are confused no wonder so this is a stake in the ground.
-- right you start off you've got a broken down into six areas in the first place you start.
Is men at war there or an end and there's a lot of the I was reading some of the comments by the way the comments of some of the web sites that that -- -- about the book.
The men are real happy with who is -- -- -- -- I think they're not happy with scene in the bear the things aren't going well for gonna.
Well look none of justice is completely up to herself either -- don't rule myself out as a kind of ideal.
But I know what I'm supposed to strive for no I don't -- to aspired to be.
And lot of these guys don't like reminders of what it is they're supposed to do -- -- -- -- up for -- up.
But it's not -- who's delivering the top Christmas -- respects and speed delivery.
By the women I just was interviewed by a woman who said when it was over its five times worse that you say that these -- so I -- I am so tired talking to women.
Who young women -- -- to drop my standards before -- get married that's ridiculous.
Yeah I hope not met a war that assessment that we start and this sort of thing -- the -- so that from a guy what is said in it goes back to the question about.
Go into the military.
Then the draft.
Required a lot of men are raged -- -- -- read the literary but now that it's voluntary is that part of.
That may be sure I you know look there are other ways to serve obviously there are other ways to achieve -- but.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- There's.
Why is that because they know that's that's the kind of idea let's those guys are special.
You would wanna be like that you would want your son to be like that you might have mixed feelings about unity -- becoming a marine are sealed because of the danger.
-- -- the commander in chief but we know.
That that's something we identify with -- So don't be angry -- -- suppress -- say what it is what is it about that that we admire well its valor its physical courage.
It's being willing to put your life at risk and other things -- risk for the sake of -- higher ideal.
That's -- -- -- -- but everybody is that at least from the time I was young man so we said going to the military you'll grow up.
Well it turns out to be true I mean I remember the with -- that.
But ahead of the Marine -- -- -- Mir -- are considered that -- eleven weeks with seventeen any seventeen year old is that it will be a lot better than -- yeah it's true and -- need to be worked and the notion that we just leave them to themselves and their own devices.
They say they -- they go to the lowest common denominator at least a lot of that.
Well that the other part bothers us do -- That would -- -- over.
-- the other part of this is the the family Rick Santorum brown has been talking about this -- -- couple of the debates that's right and he's talked about the fact -- can argue about all these different things affected our country but is the breakdown of the family.
That's right and and Mike Huckabee talked about that in the last campaign -- this business about the fact that he got into.
Little match with Mitch Daniels over the effective.
But let's focus on the economy and Huckabee point and I think Santorum -- you can't fix the economy because a lot of the issues.
Our family structure issues welfare food stamps you name it at all cost money.
There's of the breakdown -- the -- The great -- Heather McDonald at Manhattan institute's pointed out the New York Times we'll talk about every cause of poverty except the breakdown of him.
And -- fairly cohesion is the single greatest predictor.
9% I think it's 9% of families that that -- have two parents.
Have I have a poverty of property issue while a single parent families 304045%.
Father wants to wanna know what boys don't know needs to be -- -- -- instances of all time.
Why why why -- wire fathers -- well.
What happened well well a lot have one thing is feminism came in and I think sometimes overstated the problem.
And said we don't need men and settlement hearing that they weren't needed.
For their duties and responsibilities and meeting their obligations flat.
A lot of women maiden -- Charles -- -- spoke of course government policy and about improvement -- of the home with welfare welfare and so.
But it turns out when we look back and we've seen the the -- disintegrating -- not for me you know 40% of all births are out outside of marriage growth.
It is harder psychologically.
On the men -- on the women.
Because the marriage makes men get a for the more and go to work and do what they're supposed to do.
Because they used to be trade they used to be trade that they were gonna have to take care woman and and children and -- them protect them and defend.
Now the singles have gotten confused with feminism and other things -- -- a lot of women say we don't need the best.
However to be fairly feminists they are not happy about where we are now.
Because they'd like to see they'd like to -- -- men they think a worthy of being married to but they're complaining in the same way that other traditional with a is a deeper than just been though because you.
In in -- your last part of the book you talk about men and prayer and reflection right people aren't going to church men are going to church.
Next fewer men and women you write the book -- -- so but -- Elizabeth is but Americans are not going that your.
That's right more agnostic more atheistic.
More agnostic Fuhrman on their knees in prayer you talk about the family and the connection between -- -- prayer of the founders.
Thought three or four things -- men's lives together work.
Marriage religion.
And of those three things -- And the -- -- -- complicated those three things that mention work that they should -- that should be in their knees in prayer the things that we'll keep men's lives together.
All three of those who growing dimmer averse so.
