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> But since the usual way to reintegrate the sexes is to have them marry one another and raise kids, what Silicon Valley probably needs right now more than eith
by emtel 9y ago
> But since the usual way to reintegrate the sexes is to have them marry one another and raise kids, what Silicon Valley probably needs right now more than either workplace anti-microaggression training or an alt-right underground is a basic friendliness to family, pregnancy and child rearing.
Prediction: this will be viciously misinterpreted on twitter as Douthat calling for women to stay at home and raise babies.
- freeone3000 9y agoHe's calling for a reintegration of the sexes through marriage and children. While I wouldn't put words in his mouth as to "stay at home", he is for sure calling on women to raise babies. His repeated references to women as childbearers in the following paragraph don't help. The author appears to be stating that the solution to sexism is to have women marry the sexists and have their babies.
- mpweiher 9y ago> His repeated references to women as childbearers Pardon me, but this is in(s)ane. WHO ELSE BUT WOMEN BEARS CHILDREN? Apologies, but I had to get that out of my system.
- AckSyn 9y agoDon't worry. As soon as you call out things like biological facts, you're labeled as misogynistic or chauvinistic. No one else bears children, or replaces them very well as primary caregivers in their early prepubescent years. May as well enjoy the decline of the social structure that once actually made sense.
- criddell 9y agoYou reminded me of that great scene in Life of Brian where Stan wants to be known as Loretta and wants the right to have babies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PObBA2wH5l0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PObBA2wH5l0
- mpweiher 9y agoBrilliantly apt!
- dvfjsdhgfv 9y agoIt is indeed symbolic of the struggle with reality.
- zhengyi13 9y agoI think there's a significant difference between identifying a person's unique capability: "Women are the only part of the human species capable of bearing children" versus defining them by that role: "Women are childbearers" ... where the latter construction has a strong connotation that that's all or even primarily what they are. I think that's problematic. I'm not sure, but I think GP might have perceived that in the writing they're referring to.
- jholman 9y agoThere is a difference, yes. But neither of those is what Douhat says, so why are you bringing it up? From TFA: "Women bear children; men do not". There is no other mention of this gender difference. Why on earth would you bring up "Women are childbearers" and this interpretation of "defining them by that role"?
- emtel 9y agoIt's an exceptionally tone-deaf and stupid paragraph, and I can't believe an NYT columnist would not realize the way people will interpret this. And I do feel there is something fundamentally icky about it. So by all means, let's criticize him. However, his very next paragraph is about the lack of childcare on Apple's new campus and what it says about SV. I think any reasonable, charitable reader would have to infer from that that he is not expressing an interest in women leaving the workforce to raise children. My prediction is that the least reasonable, least charitable voices will intentionally misinterpret and misrepresent what he has said.
- drspacemonkey 9y ago>The author appears to be stating that the solution to sexism is to have women marry the sexists and have their babies. I didn't get that interpretation at all. The way I understood it, he was saying that there are differences between men and women -- some biological in origin, some social -- and the solution requires we acknowledge these differences instead of pretending they don't exist.