Joanna Brooks just tweeted that nobody wins the "Mommy Wars."
Well, you can sure loose them.
Hilary Rosen, when you said that Ann Romney hasn't worked a day in her life, because she was a stay-at-home mom, you are wrong. There's a more interesting point about how it's debatable that the Romneys understand what it's like to be working-class, but it got lost in your insult to every woman who decided that motherhood was enough of a priority that she should stay home instead of work.
Like my Mom.
And my mother-in-law.
And, God willing one day, my wife.
So sit down, you imbecile.
And shut the hell up!
5 comments:
Amen brother!
I love how Rosen's apology wasn't really an apology at all.
I take issue with the assumption that women who stay at home with their kids are rich and insulated from real life. By many standards, we are rich. BUT we can afford to have me stay home with our boys because and ONLY because we are frugal. In fact, it would probably cost us more money for me to work outside the home than my job would bring in! How messed up is that?
Actually, I think the reaction to Rosen's comment has been disproportionate - I think the reaction has been overly harsh, because she's being held accountable for the negative views that our materialistic American culture has toward stay-at-home moms.
Was she wrong to say what she did? Yes, absolutely. But her explanation since makes it clear to me, that it was more of a class-based insult than anything else. And while that's also a problem, it's along the lines of what a lot of Romney's critics have been saying - she just went after Ann Romney unfairly, in her efforts to refute Mitt's claim that Ann Romney was helping him connect with less-affluent women.
So, yeah - she was out of line. But she apologized, and I really don't think she intended to criticize Ann Romney for beign a stay-at-home mom, so much as for being rich. Still wrong, but I think we need to interrogate how materialism devalues women's work in general, rather than just getting mad at one woman whose words reflect those skewed values.
I don't think the reaction has been disproportionate at all. I think that Rosen's apology tried to couch something offensive in something that is more true.
I think her insult was clearly directed at mothers who choose to stay home. I think she tried to use the class-based argument as a cop-out and a cover up.
The fact is, many working women (not all, okay) really do look down on stay-at-home moms (in much the same way many stay-at-home moms look down on working women). Either way we've got a problem. Rosen made her end of the problem clear, and got roasted for it, as she absolutely deserved to be.
...and since I will never stop being your mother no matter how old you get, know that I still don't think you should swear on your blog. :-)
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