It may be genetic!

Submitted by Sandra (Canada), Mar 1, 2010 at 08:05

I was married to a Moroccan and sadly, he was little more than a sexist gigolo. By the time I kicked him out it was clear there was nothing redeeming about staying with him. He refused to pay for anything, did not see the re'ship as a partnership, ignored our infant son, stayed out all night, socialized with everyone but me, was involved in all sorts of shady things that scared the hell out of me, did nothing on the home front. I felt like I was running a hotel for a low end criminal who refused to pay their tab. The entitlement was downright daunting. He came from a humble background to say the least and took everything for granted once in the West and treated me like a doormat.

I have raised our son on my own with no contact whatsoever with my ex - I had to ask him to leave when my son was 6 months old - this is how long the marriage lasted too. So, my son hashad no contact with Morocco, Morrocans, Muslims, etc. etc. and is a miniature replica of my ex. I only share this b/c I am a left wing person (to say the least) but trying to raise a 1/2 Moroccan boy has opened my eyes. The issues we consistenly attribute to culture and socialization may be just hard wired. My son is demanding, quick tempered, lazy, quick to criticize others, etc. I love him and do my best but he is like a little dictator/sultan. He's been diagnosed with ADHD which adds another interesting layer to how we view 'uber-males' in Canada/North America. I lived in Morroco too and continue to wonder if natural selection has created a group of hard-core survivalists in places like North Africa, while how we evolve in the West has taken a different turn. I gueess my point in plain language is: what we see in these folks could be more genetic than anything else; having a control and experimental group of sorts to draw on.

These are all just musings but have really opened my eyes.

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