The MRAs gather again.
“We’re gathered to celebrate Women’s History Month, but I don’t celebrate Women’s History Month,” announced writer Mona Charen, one of the panelists. “It doesn’t interest me whether a person who happens to share my chromosomes sits in the Oval Office. It doesn’t interest me how many women members of the Senate there are.”
Yes yes yes. We’ve heard it before. Sing a new song.
What interests Charen and the other women on the stage is their belief, as Charen put it, that “feminism has done so much damage to happiness.” And the solution to this damage, it turns out, is matrimony — the same thing that will solve problems such as income inequality and the Republican Party’s standing among women.
Oh, oops! It’s not the MRAs after all, it’s the Republicans. Funny how alike some of their talking points are.
“We should show concern for everybody by extending the marriage franchise to everybody,” panelist Mollie Hemingway proposed. “Everybody go out, right now, go get married if you’re not married,” she said to laughter, “and we should be able to solve all these problems.”
“If we truly want women to thrive,” Charen concurred, “we have to revive the marriage norm.”
That’s right. All women have to be married. They’re too weak and stupid to be not married. It’s like toddlers not having parents.
Charen went on at length about feminism’s “disdain for family life” and its “bogus and much-debunked statistics,” including the claim that women earn 77 percent of what men do for the same work. Indeed, she said, “it’s men and boys who are falling behind,” with male wages and workforce participation declining “alarmingly.”
There are the MRA talking points again.
Said Charen: “Women know that because of the nature of their bodies, because they carry and bear children and nurse and nurture children, that they need protection and support. . . . Feminism disdains this natural urge.” Feminism also, Charen said, creates college campuses “where hooking up is considered normal and date rape is difficult to prevent.”
Karin Agness, founder of the conservative Network of Enlightened Women, took issue with Sandberg’s “Lean In” and “Ban Bossy” efforts, which encourage women and girls to be assertive. “Rather than try to ban words like ‘bossy,’ let’s try to promote real leadership skills, like developing a thick skin,” she said.
And again. It’s uncanny! Or rather, it’s pathetically obvious and predictable.
um…what’s “MRA” again? “Mommies Rushing Adorably”?
No no, it’s a shortened version of “Mothra.” Or the “Manitoba Realtor’s Association,” if you happen to live in a certain neighborhood.
Men’s Right’s Activist.
Although they have some legitimate concerns, they mostly whine about how persecuted they are and what second-class citizens they have supposedly become.
Oh, yeah – thanks. Is there a Rule that says that, once you’re married, you have to vote Republican? Boy howdy, have I ever been doin it rong all these years!
Leadership skills equal having a thick skin? Please. Who is it that gets crapped on and is expected to come in every day with a smile and a thank you and a can I have some more please– hint, it’s not usually upper management.
Wasn’t all this tried in the 1950’s? And didn’t this lead to a wave of feminism in the 60’s and “the Feminine Mystique?” Without that feminism it would have been harder for me to get into med school. They are also assuming are so fragile that they can’t handle school or the workplace because of women. Then they assume men can’t be nurturers.
So do us womenz need protection, or do we need thicker skin? Or both?
Developing a thicker skin is fine, but refusing to take bullshit–that shows leadership potential. Actually, it takes a much thicker skin to talk back to people who are trying to fuck your shit up than it does to sit quietly and project harmlessness in hopes they’ll leave you alone. Standing up and talking back makes you a target.
(Are you taking notes, Ophelia? ;P )
Blanche Quizno–me too! I’m baffled to discover that all these years of generating income while child-rearing AND being a feminist were just so wrongity wrong wrong wrong. Hell, there were a couple of years in there where I was the *sole* breadwinner of the household while my hubby got his business up and running. I’m very confused now.
Stacy–well said.
Between this:
and this:
I was almost hoping the GOP was finally coming out (so to speak) in support of full marriage equality.
But no, they found some women who mouth the words of the patriarchy, even though if they had their way, the menz would have them back in the house, barefoot, pregnant, and waiting with a sammich…..
The principal urge in my life has been the one to find out all about how the universe works in as much detail as possible. I guess that was just an unnatural urge. Oo-er.
Yikes, I had no idea my unmarried, egalitarian cohabiting relationship with my boyfriend (who does his fair share of chores), and my ability to own property, have my own finances, work and choose not to have kids was making me so unhappy! o_O