Camille Paglia is an academic, author, social critic, and feminist, but a feminist with a solid knowledge of history and human nature, which causes her to write and say things that often fly in the face of popular feminist narratives, such as the “believe all women” narrative that was all but buried but has been resurrected for the “Cornell 7” supposed gang rape case. My first AT article on that debacle is here.
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That case raises questions about female agency. We don’t know the facts or the evidence. We don’t know that “Jane Doe” is actually a victim, or that the men involved, some of whom apparently had no sexual contact with her, actually committed a crime. Apparently, pretty much everyone was drunk out of their minds, and there is some suggestion that Doe performed oral sex on a guy who was too drunk to give consent, but again, we just don’t know.
What we do know is that Letitia James, a prosecutor infamous for choosing the man and then finding the crime, is doing the same thing in this case, and the narrative also suggests Doe, and all women, have no agency. They are always, in every situation, victims of men and bear no responsibility for their bad decisions and actions. Paglia begs to differ:
Graphic: X Post
Graphic: X Post
But that’s outrageous! Women are fully as capable as men!
Well, sort of, and some women. Feminists usually demand that women be treated as men, though they don’t really mean it, as they also commonly portray women as victims who are not responsible for their choices and actions, because men.
Men have always done the heavy lifting, the inventing, building, and maintaining, because that’s what they’re designed and wired to do. Women are designed and wired differently, which is also something feminists deny until it’s to their advantage to do otherwise. Some feminists and Democrats in general even deny there are no differences between men and women, but they also claim men can be women just because they say they are, and men can become pregnant and bear children, so they’re obviously silly people not to be taken seriously.
I don’t suggest women aren’t capable of manual labor, or even of being effective warriors. They’re certainly capable of intellectual pursuits, and women have contributed significantly to man’s knowledge.
My wife is among the most capable people I know. She was a central office technician for the phone company for 30 years. She’s good with electronics and tools, a logical thinker, and very good with guns. And she’s innately female with all those wonderful, necessary, and occasionally emotional and illogical qualities. She has made our life of 48 years together an endless source of joy, wonder, and comfort. Yet I know she is an unusual woman, as she knows and admits.
I do not, however, make the mistake of thinking all women, or even most, are like her. Some men are barely able to distinguish between flat and Phillips head screwdrivers, and effectively use either. And yes, technique is involved with both. That applies to far more women, and both can be essentially clueless when it comes to more complex tools and building and maintaining the necessities of modern life.
That’s due to both nature and nurture. Men and women think differently, and their bodies and minds are designed differently—by God. That’s another Democrat/feminist problem, because their narratives must, of necessity, deny the existence of God as they deny the differences between men and women.
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All of that, and more, is why men have always fought the wars and built and maintained societies, while women, for the most part, have nurtured children and fulfilled the roles for which we are designed.
But what about female warriors, scientists, builders, and all the rest?
Women have distinguished themselves in war, but in far smaller numbers than men, and in flying, because they have the machines and technology almost exclusively designed by men. True, women can excel as fighter pilots because their physiology can give them an advantage in handling high G forces, but the nature of women, their very design, usually leads them to different career choices.
In America, women can be whatever they choose to be, and have the merit and ability to achieve, but that’s certainly not the case elsewhere in the world, where bare survival depends upon traditional male and female roles.
I worked with competent female police officers, but far more male officers. I worked with competent female teachers, and there were more of them than male teachers by choice, and yes, by culture.
So, am I arguing for women to stay barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen? Of course not. Let everyone do what they’re capable of doing, what they want to do. But we should all understand the importance of our rights, of the Constitution, and who ultimately protects those rights and why.
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, lifelong athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer, and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.
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