I come from a religious community in which women are considered "amazing" if they had a ton of kids and a career. I saw my mother constantly compared to other wives, because she struggled with the logistics of parenting. I don't think we talk enough about how personality types figure into it. There are women with boundless energy and--frankly--not much of an inner life who thrive from being constantly on the go. Put that together with a dogmatic requirement that women have lots of babies, and you get someone like ACB. A liberal woman of a similar personality won't necessarily feel the same pressure to have a ton of kids, and will channel her excess energy/organizational skills into other things.
I feel like conservative women sometimes seem to be able to take on more work while parenting because they parent in an old fashioned way. I was raised conservative and I am a traditional liberal now. My parents were not concerned about getting to know me as a person, meeting my emotional needs, etc. it was all pretty hands off and required little engagement from them. As long as I was attending church, getting good grades and staying virginal they figured their work was done. Liberal parents (myself included) practice a more personal and tailored kind of parenting in my experience and that takes a lot more in person work. Liberal women aren’t becoming parents because it ticks a box, they take the practice of parenting very seriously. I don’t even know if one approach is “better” than the other, it’s just a difference I have noted.
Even though I'm 40, I still feel weird calling myself a man. Sure, I fit the definition of "adult human male", but calling myself a man, as opposed to, say, a boy, I would feel the same way I do when called "sir". I'm not a "sir," I'm just some random dude!
I wish that every single pro-choice activist would listen to Frances Kissling. The movement needs to focus on access for as many people as possible. Marching in front of state houses and/or Congress is likely to be a waste of time. That time, energy and resources need to be put towards transporting needy women to the places where a safe, legal abortion can be obtained.
If Mackenzie Scott (Bezos) needs to fund the all-expenses paid mega-reproductive care clinic in a receptive state, then so be it. That would be a much more responsible allocation of funds than clever signs, t-shirts and lobbyists.
Love using chick. Said it in front of a good female progressive one night and you could see her struggle with her lesbian liberal friend using chick.
Katie was great on Maher. Andrew always has a lot to say on Real Time and I was worried Katie was being ignored. But she really took center of the conversation in the second part.
Great discussion, enjoyed hearing both your perspectives, especially Sarah's somewhat contrary takes.
Technical feedback: last week I pointed out that your levels were uneven, and this week they are much better. However.... I think the overall volume was way too low. I had to almost max out my computer's volume to listen to the conversation at a normal volume level.
First, congrats on the launch. We need more podcasts by smart women who don't hold back and have nuanced views. That said, I had some trouble with the casual tone in which the two of you referenced the impact of overturning Roe, as if this moment were small and it was silly or hysterical for women (like me) to be so emotional about it. I live in the South, where in a matter of weeks, abortion will be essentially banned. I know there are pills. I know people can beg for help and turn to funds and fight the new system. But it's going to be very hard, and many women are going to bear children they do not want to raise. As a human and a mother, I can't help thinking about the other long term impact of this change -- the impact of the unwanted children who will join our society. Also, just not ready to accept that access is gone and throw in the towel on changing the people and office and the laws (and in this regard, things could get even worse, too) but don't we have to try? In my state, North Carolina, abortion hangs by a thread right now -- our Democratic Gov had voted proposed bans. I guess this is a call for more acknowledgment of the real life circumstances that this moment bring and how real they are already.
Love your name. I'm sure you know as well as I that Madeline Albright, a woman with more blood on her hands then almost any other woman in the history of the world, when she said "There's a special place in hell for women who don't support other women," was talking about women (like me), who supported the redistributive policies of Bernie Sanders over the empty, neoliberal, pseudo-feminism of rape enabling girl boss Hillary Clinton. Layers of fabulous irony here (I'm assuming). Also, rest in power, in hell, Madeline.
I come from a religious community in which women are considered "amazing" if they had a ton of kids and a career. I saw my mother constantly compared to other wives, because she struggled with the logistics of parenting. I don't think we talk enough about how personality types figure into it. There are women with boundless energy and--frankly--not much of an inner life who thrive from being constantly on the go. Put that together with a dogmatic requirement that women have lots of babies, and you get someone like ACB. A liberal woman of a similar personality won't necessarily feel the same pressure to have a ton of kids, and will channel her excess energy/organizational skills into other things.
Girls, chicks, guys - all good.
I doubt if Sarah got the reference to Annie Hall, but I did and totally appreciated it. (Marshall McLuhan reference if you don't remember.)
I feel like conservative women sometimes seem to be able to take on more work while parenting because they parent in an old fashioned way. I was raised conservative and I am a traditional liberal now. My parents were not concerned about getting to know me as a person, meeting my emotional needs, etc. it was all pretty hands off and required little engagement from them. As long as I was attending church, getting good grades and staying virginal they figured their work was done. Liberal parents (myself included) practice a more personal and tailored kind of parenting in my experience and that takes a lot more in person work. Liberal women aren’t becoming parents because it ticks a box, they take the practice of parenting very seriously. I don’t even know if one approach is “better” than the other, it’s just a difference I have noted.
Even though I'm 40, I still feel weird calling myself a man. Sure, I fit the definition of "adult human male", but calling myself a man, as opposed to, say, a boy, I would feel the same way I do when called "sir". I'm not a "sir," I'm just some random dude!
Meghan,
I wish that every single pro-choice activist would listen to Frances Kissling. The movement needs to focus on access for as many people as possible. Marching in front of state houses and/or Congress is likely to be a waste of time. That time, energy and resources need to be put towards transporting needy women to the places where a safe, legal abortion can be obtained.
If Mackenzie Scott (Bezos) needs to fund the all-expenses paid mega-reproductive care clinic in a receptive state, then so be it. That would be a much more responsible allocation of funds than clever signs, t-shirts and lobbyists.
Love using chick. Said it in front of a good female progressive one night and you could see her struggle with her lesbian liberal friend using chick.
Katie was great on Maher. Andrew always has a lot to say on Real Time and I was worried Katie was being ignored. But she really took center of the conversation in the second part.
Keep two girls, one pod. Please.
Great discussion, enjoyed hearing both your perspectives, especially Sarah's somewhat contrary takes.
Technical feedback: last week I pointed out that your levels were uneven, and this week they are much better. However.... I think the overall volume was way too low. I had to almost max out my computer's volume to listen to the conversation at a normal volume level.
First, congrats on the launch. We need more podcasts by smart women who don't hold back and have nuanced views. That said, I had some trouble with the casual tone in which the two of you referenced the impact of overturning Roe, as if this moment were small and it was silly or hysterical for women (like me) to be so emotional about it. I live in the South, where in a matter of weeks, abortion will be essentially banned. I know there are pills. I know people can beg for help and turn to funds and fight the new system. But it's going to be very hard, and many women are going to bear children they do not want to raise. As a human and a mother, I can't help thinking about the other long term impact of this change -- the impact of the unwanted children who will join our society. Also, just not ready to accept that access is gone and throw in the towel on changing the people and office and the laws (and in this regard, things could get even worse, too) but don't we have to try? In my state, North Carolina, abortion hangs by a thread right now -- our Democratic Gov had voted proposed bans. I guess this is a call for more acknowledgment of the real life circumstances that this moment bring and how real they are already.
Love your name. I'm sure you know as well as I that Madeline Albright, a woman with more blood on her hands then almost any other woman in the history of the world, when she said "There's a special place in hell for women who don't support other women," was talking about women (like me), who supported the redistributive policies of Bernie Sanders over the empty, neoliberal, pseudo-feminism of rape enabling girl boss Hillary Clinton. Layers of fabulous irony here (I'm assuming). Also, rest in power, in hell, Madeline.