If I should die in a wombat zone

A response to this article in the New York Times magazine. I can understand why Ms. Schwarzbaum (Riff, December 22, 2013) is somewhat put off at the wave of “ingratiating geezer group project” movies featuring aging male characters trying to recapture “one last victory before coming to terms with...death...routine, responsibility, commitment.” It's a trend I find just as irritating for its hackneyed, single-story drumbeat. However, unlike Ms. Schwarzbaum, I don't find it surprising.  Society prepares girls, from the moment they are born, to be future-looking – the baby dolls and toy cookware they are given train them to take on, to embrace, responsibility. As they grow, they are praised for quietly taking on roles of nurturance, and criticized should they demand space or voice for themselves. As they become women, their challenge is to not fear their own independence, to dare to depart from their role as caretakers and maintainers if they so choose. Boys seem to face an