I think Gene Marks has now been thoroughly excoriated for his column “If I Were a Poor Black Kid” on the Forbes web site last week. In his effort to explain how it’s still possible for underprivileged kids to succeed, he succeeded only in displaying a shocking lack of empathy. By that I don’t mean that he demonstrated a … Read more
There’s an interesting discussion going on at Dispatches about Michele Bachmann’s recent statement to some Iowa high school students about gay marriage: JANE SCHMIDT: Then, why can’t same-sex couples get married?BACHMANN: They can get married, but they abide by the same law as everyone else. They can marry a man if they’re a woman. Or … Read more
I really wish the term “mansplaining” would go away. I understand the problem it’s meant to convey– a man assuming he knows more about something than a woman and condescending to her about it– but it’s an awkward portmanteau and just strikes me as juvenile. Like there’s no way to effectively point out instances of … Read more