Friends, at the risk of causing a few of you to blow your tops, you might wish to read this article, remarkable for its sheer outrageousness. It argues that women are justified in despising men, and men better straighten up and fly right soon if they know what's good for them! They should also prostrate themselves before the rising tide of feminism and give up all positions of power. (Side note: all good progressives believe that gender is a social construct, not a fixed biological reality, but for some reason it still makes sense to denigrate "men"). Would such an article be published by the Washington Post if it were ruminating about the flaws and obnoxiousness of women, or gays, or black people? Silly question. Only the lowest of the low -- men, for instance -- get that kind of treatment... Make no mistake: this is bigotry, dressed up as social commentary.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-cant-we-hate-men/2018/06/08/f1a3a8e0-6451-11e8-a69c-b944de66d9e7_story.html?utm_term=.00322dca6e5c
Also, you might want to read this article, which concerns CNN's Jim Acosta and his latest deviation from professionalism. If we are EVER to get serious about holding the media to a higher standard, surely this man needs to lose his credentials, no?
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/06/12/trumps-2020-campaign-manager-calls-for-cnns-absolute-disgrace-jim-acosta-to-lose-press-credentials.html
Dr.Waddy: I was unable to read the Post article because of an uneraseable popup. I saw the title and its a concept I'm very familiar with. As a male who entered the female dominated library profession in the man hating '70's, I encountered frequent insult and harassment due simply to being male (for sure, not from even the majority of my female colleagues but there were always some hasslers). The fact that I do not apologize for being male exacerbated the truck I dealt with. I understand male nurses often have this problem too.
ReplyDeleteSome women want to stereotype all men as oppressors and as a defensive tactic, for some women this is understandable. For many of the female prison inmates I worked with this was so. For many other women its a convenient way of finding potential targets in any man, especially deferential ones, for revenge for their rejection by some men. It is of course true to form for dissembling radicals in the feminist ranks. Those in the first category are often so brutalized that its unfair to ask of them any sympathy for men. Some of them may express it but its a generous act on their part I think. For those in the second and third categories: they cannot expect self respecting men to let them have it both ways: if they are going to stereotype men then it is fair to stereotype them or to confront them with laws against sexual discrimination (as I have done successfully and without guilt). My attitude is: treat me as my actions warrant; if I have wronged you specifically then give me to understand the nature of the perceived offense. If you hassle me simply because I'm a man don't be surprised when get in your face.
Yeah, I saw Acosta's childish hectoring of the President. (One can well imagine how Chairman Kim would deal with one of his subjects treating him so). In confronting a man who shows every sign of being a great statesman at such a time and in this manner he showed himself up for a petulant pipsqueak who should simply be ignored by President Trump from now on; his press credentials would swiftly become useless and perhaps his network, having done this so many times, should be declared machina non grata.
Jack, you raise a salient point: should CNN as a whole have its credentials yanked? It's tempting, but I suppose there's something to be gained from engaging with even a truculent and unprofessional media organization, when it has millions of viewers... DJT keeps sitting down for interviews with the NYT, and I assume it's for roughly the same reason.
ReplyDeleteYes, you can't blame some women for being embittered and suspicious towards all men. I have to admit, I've had my share of disappointments at the hands of the fairer sex, and sometimes it's tempting to blame the gender as a whole. I try not to, however, because we all know that generalizations of that magnitude are almost always unfair, and certainly unhelpful. "Hate" is a strong word, and for the Washington Post to be tossing it around as a potentially rational and proper response to male depredations is grossly irresponsible. I think the Left needs to reflect on whether, having opposed bigotry for decades, they now wish to embrace it... Sometimes I get the sense that intolerance has become the highest recognized virtue in their ranks. These are the people that consider Robert DeNiro's outbursts witty, after all.
Dr. Waddy: I think the left is dominated by consummate, definitive, ignorant bigots who are blithe to use stereotypes. In discourse its obnoxious; when they gain power its very dangerous. Its too bad DeNiro is that way; he's such an admirable actor. Then again Noam Chomsky is an accomplished linguist; machts nichts.
ReplyDeleteYes, I must say my respect for the Left is way down these past few years. They used to stand for something. Now they seem to stand for nothing except hatred of those who disagree.
ReplyDeleteI concur -- DeNiro has his moments on screen. I won't be like a childish lefty and boycott his films. I do wish he'd stop making awful comedies, though.
Dr. Waddy: Yeah, I don't boycott DeNiro but I do shun Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. Fonda - Vietnam - 'nuff said. Redford is the kind of guy who would willingly eliminate thousands of jobs to save a minnow.
ReplyDeleteThe left is falling on very hard times as the President continues to use them badly and the public takes notice.
Jack, I wouldn't mind putting Jane Fonda on a slow boat to Hanoi, but I wouldn't rule out seeing one of her movies either...if they weren't all so dreadful.
ReplyDeleteThe Left is flailing a bit, yes, but I wouldn't count them out. It's nice to have 90% of the media on your side!
Dr. Waddy: She should have been put on a boat with some of the "Boat People" in 1975. She helped to put them in the hell they suffered. I'm probably overly optimistic about the fall of the left; like the Germans in December of '45 (and this is not the only way they are kin to those totalitarian things), they probably have plenty of fight left.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: Sorry, should have said Fall of '44.
ReplyDeleteNo worries, Jack. Yes, I'm afraid the Left does have plenty of fight left, and plenty of reasons to expect that they will prevail in the end. For instance, I don't condone all of Roseanne's antics, but her ouster at ABC drives home the message that our popular culture is based on a "no conservatives need apply" philosophy. It's mighty hard to sustain a national renaissance under those circumstances.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: I wonder though, if ABC perceives that her popularity was due in some appreciable part to her support for the President. Accordingly, they may wish to profit from another show in which similar support is expressed. I remember how quickly the networks embraced shows featuring theretofore shunned "fully committed" hairy young activists in 1970 etc. after realizing how very influential the boomers had become. If Trump is becoming fashionable (!?) they may respond. Seems unlikely but I wouldn't rule it out.
ReplyDeleteOf course you're right, Jack, but you shouldn't underrate the price any network pays for "normalizing" Trumpism in terms of opprobrium and incensed protest. Look how quickly they pulled the plug on Roseanne... Look at the fate of Last Man Standing as well. And look at how rare sympathetic portrayals of Republicans are in popular culture! I agree that you would think Hollywood would want to capture the vast market that conservatives represent, but there doesn't seem to be any eagerness to do so!
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy: True, true. I hadn't thought about the price network executives would pay in their culture for purposefully promoting a favorable view of the President. There certainly is no present reason to think such a change probable but. . . .
ReplyDeleteBut we can hope, I agree. It will happen -- it's just a matter of to what degree... My guess: if Republicans win the 2018 midterms, the Left will have to rethink its "head in the sand" approach to dealing with Trumpism.
ReplyDelete