Yesterday I decided to poke a hornet’s nest again and write about gender roles at Times And Seasons once more. Some folks are emailing me to tell me how much they like it (which doesn’t happen very often). Other folks are describing it as “the most excruciating pseudo-intellectual, and self-contradicting drivel I’ve read in recent years.” [ref]This is my favorite thing that anyone has ever said about anything I’ve ever written. I’m so pleased.[/ref] ByCommonConsent provided their own insightful commentary, which you can see below:
For what it’s worth, one of the main reasons I write about this issue is because lots of other folks (some of whom could certainly do better than me) won’t touch it. I respect that. It’s sort of like running for political office: you have to question them motives of anyone who voluntarily does it, but you also have to wish that more normal human beings would. I think these hot-button issues are really important, and I hope that I can make a case for a basically socially conservative position that will enhance the discussion.
With that goal in mind, I’m planning on one more post on this topic. This one took 3 from-scratch attempts, though, were most of my blog posts are done in one.[ref]With revisions, mind you![/ref] So it will probably take another 2-4 weeks before I come out with the next one.
Yes, I was glad to read your post, Nathaniel. I esp. like how you bring some economic thinking into the picture, since that is an important factor that is too frequently overlooked. In addition to the comparative advantage issue you mention, I think a lot of behavioral economic and psychology themes can shed interesting light on current changes–regarding, for example, trust, engagement, social cohesion, etc.
(And, for the record, I am also sympathetic to many of the points you make, but my failure to write about these issues is more out of a fear of getting distracted from more pressing issues on my plate than out of fear of stirring a hornet’s nest! )