Skip to main content

An Inherently Problematic Republican

 Josh Hawley is telling American men that their masculinity is defined by the left as “inherently problematic.”

Now, ain’t that a hoot !

As a woman, I can speak to the idea of one’s sex being “inherently problematic.”  Like being paid less than a man or being judged by a potential employer in terms of my child-bearing years.  Then, there’s the whole concept of women as breeders and women whose bodies don’t belong to them but to the politicians in their district.  

And we could go throughout the history of women from Eve (if you’re a believer) all the way to the passage of the ERA - oh wait, it hasn’t passed yet.  And there’s the idea of women being subservient to their fathers and husbands, not being able to own property, being passed over for top positions (just ask Queen Elizabeth I), and that’s before we ever get to the ridicule, harassment, and number of times we women have been told “good girls don’t do that.”

No, Josh Hawley, masculinity isn’t “inherently problematic,” but femininity is.  And thousands of years of history and facts back that up. 

What facts back up your claim ?

But another laughable part of the senator’s whine is his whacky idea that men are suffering just because they are male.  

“This is an effort that the left has been at for years now and they have had alarming success.  American men are working less, they are getting married in fewer numbers, they’re fathering fewer children, they’re suffering more anxiety and depression, they’re engaging in more substance abuse,” said the senator recently at the National Conservatism Conference.  

Maybe, just maybe, Josh, they are getting married and having fewer children due to your archaic right-wing abortion laws limiting a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body.  Maybe they are suffering from anxiety and depression because we all are after the past six years of divisive politics foist upon the public by your choice of president.  And maybe they’re working less because they choose to, or they’re being paid more because they are male. 

Cry me a river. 

But the most ludicrous part of this male suffering nonsense is its hypocrisy, which eludes all Republicans. Like the reality that black and Hispanic men and women suffer at the hands of the Right because of their “inherently problematic” color.  Or that LGBTQ people suffer because of their “inherently problematic” sexual orientation.  Or that authors suffer because of their “inherently problematic” addiction to reality.  

Men, particularly white men, have been in charge of this country since its inception.  If things aren’t going your way, Josh, your have no one to blame but your WASP lineage.  

But maybe that’s the problem.  Now that white men are on track for minority status in just a few years, you’re afraid that those you’ve treated so badly - women, minorities, LGBTQ - might treat you the same way you treated them.  So you’re pointing your finger at this new scapegoat, just in case things don’t work out so well for you men.  

Trouble is, all those blame fingers point back to you, Josh.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jane’s Dilemma - Part 1

Our girl Jane just finished a four-year degree program, graduating with honors in front of beaming parents who proudly watched their only daughter receive her diploma.  Unfortunately, the day after graduation, Jane discovered that all of her fears were right and she was, indeed, pregnant. Her boyfriend of the past several months had accepted a job on the other side of the country. He shouted promises that they’d stay in touch over his shoulder as he ran to catch his flight. Jane was pretty sure they wouldn’t, just like she was pretty sure her parents wouldn’t continue beaming if she told them the news. Jane looked at the three letters of interest from companies she longed to work for, lined in a row on her desk. They had made her jubilant about her future just a week ago, before she began to suspect the truth. She wondered how much interest any of these potential employers would garner if she arrived, breathless with enthusiasm and obviously pregnant. Jane twirled a wrinkled, white car

Roar Like McMorrow

 Just over a year ago this happened: Michigan Senator Mallory McMorrow gave a powerful speech that went viral and was an inspiration for many progressives including myself. At that time, I had just retired as a health care provider for under-served members of our community and I knew I needed to get involved.  This speech kicked my rear end into gear so I joined the Staunton Democratic Committee. So what was so special about her speech ? There have been many individuals and communities in history that have stood up, spoke out, pushed back and bent but did not break.  This speech and her message of tolerance and caring for others while exposing and pushing back against the hatred and hypocrisy of others hit me at just the right time.  I had never heard of Mallory McMorrow but I will never forget that transformative moment.    All of us have had those moments where something happens to shift our thinking, pushes us into action and makes us a better person.  Also, we have all been the sou

Sound the alarm and woke up !

If you’ve turned on the TV recently, you’ve probably heard some politician talking about being “woke,” while sporting an expression that looks like he just swallowed castor oil. So what is this “woke” stuff, you ask ? Woke is the past tense of the verb to wake, and in my opinion, it beats the alternative in any case. If you don’t wake up in the morning, then you sleep through the day; if you don’t wake up from a day dream, you probably slept through the last meeting you attended. And if you don’t wake up from an operation, well, we all know what that means. So why is being “woke” so bad for those on the right ? It isn’t, unless you’re a Republican in bad need of a mantra that will get you re-elected by constituents who haven’t, well, waked up to what’s happening in this country. “If woke ideology takes over, it will destroy this country. We are not going to let that happen in the state of Florida,” said Ron DeSantis in a recent speech to his constituents. Let’s dig into that. The g