The Arrogant Generation

NRO's Myrna Blyth on Teresa K:

In her "enough about him, let's talk about me" convention speech Teresa declared, "My only hope is that one day soon, women — who have all earned the right to their opinions — instead of being labeled opinionated, will be called smart and well informed, just like men." With that much-quoted remark she was playing, of course, to those few perpetually disgruntled 60s-era feminists still among us — many of whom, by the way, are part of the media.

The only problem is that, throughout the campaign, Teresa has not been "smart and well informed" — she has been a dopey near-disaster. From telling a reporter asking a tough question to "shove it," to winning the New York Times's Marie Antoinette Award (for suggesting that Caribbean children who were victims of a hurricane "go naked"), to last week's diss of Mrs. Bush, it has been gaffe after gaffe after gaffe.

I much appreciated Blyth's taking on the "perpetually disgruntled 60s-era feminists still among us." You know they are out there, and often you can spot them just by their hair, which hasn't changed in 30 years or more, except now it's grey. Some may have put the long straight bangs away, but then there are the catchphrases:

• women have earned the right to X (like, who's fighting it?)
• women can X, just like men (why do you always use men as the yardstick of normalcy?)
• evil corporations (UGH!)
• the right wing media (howzzat again?)
• the backlash (used to avoid addressing any criticism, at any time, from anyone)
• denial or polyanna (if false consciousness exists, how do you know you aren't the one suffering from it?)
• social justice (what does the word social add to the concept?)
• nostalgia for the civil rights movement in the 60's (the world was a black pit before that, dontcha know)
• the struggle for X (everybody struggles, why are your interests so special? Stop projecting!)
• if you're Catholic, "the spirit of Vatican II" (what, Vatican II said we should be hedonistic pagans?)
• the evil military-industrial complex
• "progressive values" are the only acceptable ones (what about tolerance?)
• stop picking on Castro and Arafat (they're just a misunderstood sweeties)

This group includes virtually every high school and elementary teacher I ever had, many of my childhood friends' parents, and more co-workers than I'd ever care to count. I also made the mistake of having one raving left wing gilrfriend, back in my twenties, and you know, it's one of those mistakes you don't make twice. These ideas are not unique to women, btw-it's the inept, fossilized mindset I'm being critical of. Here's an antidote. Here's just one prize to take with you next time one of these schmutzes tries to impress you with that urban legend about the "rule of thumb." I'm not buying it and I don't care how indignant you get. Now, where's my cheque from the VRWC?