Boys and Girls Together

I see a lot of people online who seem absolutely convinced that thousands of men are so desperate to spy on girls in locker rooms and restrooms that they will disrupt their entire lives, undergo cosmetic surgery, possibly even have their reproductive organs removed, take potentially dangerous hormones, lose all hope of ever having a "normal" dating life or marriage, subject themselves to being mocked and ostracized -- all for the fleeting gratification of peeking at females.

It's certainly true that some men enjoy the opportunity to get a glimpse of women in revealing circumstances. For example, the former owner of the Miss Teen USA pageant admitted to deliberately barging into the dressing room while the contestants were undressed. But even that guy probably wouldn't have gone so far as to undergo a sex change, just for the dubious thrill of hanging out with ladies in locker rooms.

We live in a world where almost anything is possible, so it is possible that there has been, or might be, a man or two who would go to such extremes for such a minor payoff. In any case, this isn't something that is happening everywhere all the time, as the alarmists would have us believe.

But the fear that this is a widespread phenomenon has caused problems for some girls, especially girls who compete in sports. Girls who are perceived as being not pretty enough, girls who are much taller than average or who have very low body fat and well-developed muscles are often accused of being men in disguise. These girls may have a natural ability to excel at sports, but find themselves denounced and vilified, forced to live under a cloud of suspicion simply because an ignorant mob doesn't like their looks.

 

Happy People Are Crazy

There is a kind of dour, emotionally-stunted, unimaginative personality that can't recognize or comprehend the full spectrum of human experience and, in particular, reacts to others' happiness, enthusiasm, and enjoyment of life as if witnessing the breakdown of civilization. These perpetually unhappy characters are quick to perceive any outward expression of excitement or happiness as pathological. They often react the same way when faced with other's grief or sadness. For them, the only acceptable emotion seems to be anger, and the only appropriate modes of expression are disdain and mockery. Few of us would wish to live such miserable, limited lives.

Bad Jokes

When I want to make fun of a politician like donold trump, I usually do what most people do – I post a clip from one of his speeches or I upload a transcript of something he has actually said. I might simply mention a well-known quote. For example, referring to Hannibal Lecter or whale-killing windmills is an obvious reference to trump.

It's pretty normal to use a politician's own words and behavior to make fun of them. However, when JD Vance wanted to mock Kamala Harris, he didn't use any clips or quotes from her interview or speeches. Instead, he dug up an old clip from a Miss USA pageant, featuring a young lady who looks nothing like Kamala, has nothing to do with Kamala's campaign, and probably has never even met Kamala.

The clip was extremely embarrassing to the young woman, not to Kamala Harris. Somehow, JD thought it would be funny to publicly humiliate a stranger and that doing so would strike a blow against the Harris campaign. That’s a weird idea.

When it was pointed out to him that the incident in the clip was so distressing to the young woman that it had led her to contemplate suicide, did he say, "Oh no, I didn't know that, that's very concerning and I'll delete the post immediately"? He did not. Did he say, "I'm terribly sorry for having added to her pain, and I'll delete the post immediately"? He did not. Did he say, "It was a mistake to use that clip and I'll delete it immediately"? He did not. Did he just quietly delete the post? He did not. When given an opportunity to apologize, Vance refused to do so.

The young woman in the video has since deleted her Xtwitter account, even though she did nothing wrong. In the meantime, Vance's nasty little post is still visible.

 

Why Have Policies When You Can Make Dirty Jokes?

After Bill Clinton went through months (it seemed like decades) of having his sexual exploits investigated and publicly described in excruciating detail, many commentators were surprised to find that he still had the support of many (perhaps most) women voters. At the time, there was speculation that women identified with him, because it is so common for women to be scrutinized, judged, and stigmatized for their sexuality.

Women don't like being slut-shamed, and they especially don't appreciate the idea that having a sex life somehow makes them ineligible for dignity in the workplace.

Republicans haven't learned that lesson. Despite their own collection of sleazy characters, both male and female, they still think it's a good strategy to snigger about a woman.