This post reminded me of an interaction I had in Chicago airport prior to 2016 election -- was talking to a foreigner re how Trump emerged as candidate when a woman walked up to me and characterized Trump as a "real man" (presumably in counterpoint to Barack Obama). I was incredulous as I am hard pressed to think of who is less a real man than Trump, whose most identifiable qualities are as a narcissist, misogynist and bullshitter.
Also ... in your Inside Higher Ed piece, enjoyed the allusion to Chicago aldermen. I would get summer City jobs via neighbor who worked for precinct captain. But I had to show up at the alderman's office so that I (and more importantly) my parents knew that he was responsible for the job, for the next time they voted.
I'm going out on a limb here to say that I don't see all that much difference between the Vance types and the Barstool boys, about whom I know only what I've just read in the column, apart from the not inconsiderable fact that the Barstool crowd is OK with reproductive rights. But that doesn't make them nice. Both groups are objectionable because they view women from the point of view of the women's usefulness or desirability to THEM, not that women are equal humans with their own thoughts, dreams, plans, purposes, etc. Try replacing gender with race or ethnicity in the equation and see how it reads. OTOH, Walz seems to really get it. He seems to value people for who they are, with an awareness of how to level the playing field as needed. I respect him very much and hope that more people will take him as a good role model.
This post reminded me of an interaction I had in Chicago airport prior to 2016 election -- was talking to a foreigner re how Trump emerged as candidate when a woman walked up to me and characterized Trump as a "real man" (presumably in counterpoint to Barack Obama). I was incredulous as I am hard pressed to think of who is less a real man than Trump, whose most identifiable qualities are as a narcissist, misogynist and bullshitter.
Also ... in your Inside Higher Ed piece, enjoyed the allusion to Chicago aldermen. I would get summer City jobs via neighbor who worked for precinct captain. But I had to show up at the alderman's office so that I (and more importantly) my parents knew that he was responsible for the job, for the next time they voted.
I'm going out on a limb here to say that I don't see all that much difference between the Vance types and the Barstool boys, about whom I know only what I've just read in the column, apart from the not inconsiderable fact that the Barstool crowd is OK with reproductive rights. But that doesn't make them nice. Both groups are objectionable because they view women from the point of view of the women's usefulness or desirability to THEM, not that women are equal humans with their own thoughts, dreams, plans, purposes, etc. Try replacing gender with race or ethnicity in the equation and see how it reads. OTOH, Walz seems to really get it. He seems to value people for who they are, with an awareness of how to level the playing field as needed. I respect him very much and hope that more people will take him as a good role model.