Uncle Sugar Rorschach

[Joel S. Berson]

At 1/25/2014 03:46 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:

> > Also, I have not heard any commentator -- and I would expect feminist
> > commentators to -- ask why women's libidos need controlling but men's
> > do not.  Huckabee I can understand -- after all, to a fundamentalist
> > women's lust is what lures men into sin.
>
>There's a good column by Gail Collins in today's paper:
>http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/opinion/collins-huckabee-spills-the-beans.html
>
>The first time I heard about Huckabee's speech was in a Huff Post
>piece a few days ago by a woman (I forget who) who indeed pointed to
>the part of it you mention and objected on those very grounds.

I guess I don't read quickly (Collins) or widely (Huff) enough.

Looking in the Huffington Post now for objections "on those very
grounds", I found the following attached to a straightforward news
report (that is, responsibly unopinionated; it merely calls
Huckabee's speech a "rant") by Laura Bassett, @
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/mike-huckabee-women_n_4653426.html

By Brenda T.:  "Rather than women not being able to control their
libido, it is a case of old, white men who want to control women and
their reproductive and health decisions and perhaps to over use those
blue pills, so their sexual organs can stay up with their dirty, old minds."

By Antony C.:  "Huckabee thinks that only women have a libido,
forgetting that men also have one ... Puritanism is another word for
serfdom and second class citizenship for women while men are never
condemned for spreading their seed far and wide. ... Just once I'd
like one of these retrograde phony theologians hold men as
responsible for reproduction as women."

By Thea Lchemist:  "The Problem is Not Women's lack of libido
control. The problem is Men not wearing raincoats."

Antony C. and several other commentators see the relationship to what
one calls "Puritan[]"  theology.  Not surprisingly, given Huckabee's
(as Wikipedia puts it) "Pastoral career".

A comment on another article, by Philip Elliott @
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/democrats-mike-hucakbee-contraception_n_4657972.html

By Cherly H.:  "Then why is it ok for the government to post for
Viagra? Does this mean that men need the government to get it up?
Birth control is a medication and should be covered like any other
medication. How can you justify the govt assisting the male libido
needs, but tell women they are weak for expecting the same. Where do
you think these Viagra induced erect penises go?"

Joel

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org