Now that I have the attention of the Republican sensitivity
trainers who are trying to teach gorillas how to talk to women, let me say that
talking to women is not that difficult if you are not a gorilla. You do not have to put things in emotional
terms or walk on eggshells to avoid offending them. Contrary to the assertions and desires of
nostalgic right wing fact deniers, our paternalistic society is history. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the
only people promoting the stereotypes men used to justify a paternalistic attitude towards women are the
reactionaries who are still waging a war against most of the social and
scientific advancements we made during the last half of the twentieth century. What everyone should have learned by now is
that women are as professional and logical as men are, and that they correctly demand
the same respect that men demand. Sorry
guys, but talkin’ purty ain’t gonna get her.
She wants the respect and support of a partner rather than the protection
of a boss. Tell her “father knows best”
and the finger she is likely to display will not be the one sporting a wedding
band.
My point is that what women really object to are the
ignorant and destructive attitudes expressed by the words that are getting so
many men in trouble. Even more to the
point, women object to the actions resulting from those attitudes. A man who talks about legitimate rape is
nothing more than an ignoramus and a bad joke unless his actions are as harmful
as his words suggest. Legislators who use
the power of the state to restrict the choices a woman can make regarding
reproduction and reproductive health are very harmful indeed. No argument is going to mitigate that harm or
convince women that the state is looking out for them when it refuses to let
them exercise their own good judgment.
This is big government at its worst!
And how in the hell can you justify paying women less than a man for the
SAME WORK?
.
Republicans are going to have to change more than their
words. A wet kiss on the ear (or an ear
douche, which is badly needed but insufficient after listening to Rush Limbaugh)
will not work either. Women are not that
gullible; they are alert to the GOP’s attempts to subvert their rights, and
they are responding accordingly. Nothing
short of a change in attitude and policy will bring women back to the
Republican Party.
