Conservative blogger Matt Walsh (not to be confused with delightful actor Matt Walsh) has made a living off of pandering to the most judgemental ring-wing factions of the internet, heading up the campaign against “snowflakes” and “safe spaces” and all the other things joyless, narcissistic trolls mock because they think empathy is a character flaw. Normally, I wouldn’t waste the energy of these keystrokes on Walsh, but it sure is fun to see him get annihilated by a whole lot of people far smarter and funnier than he could ever hope to be.
As southern Texas still reels from the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey, with thousands displaced from their homes and at least 20 (some reports say 30) people dead, Walsh thought this would be a good time to remind his audience that the real villain here is those damn liberal values.
Woman cradles and protects child. Man carries and protects both. This is how it ought to be, despite what your gender studies professor says pic.twitter.com/oX85v67FaY
— The Honorable Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 28, 2017
Go on, bask in its awfulness, in its contextual assumptions and Matt Walsh’s total lack of relevancy. He took a picture of people battling a natural disaster and reduced it to something he heard was taught a class he never bothered to take in college.
The internet was quick to point out just how foolish Walsh looks.
I remember in gender studies when my professor was like "u shouldn't protect babies nor accept help from men when you're drowning" pic.twitter.com/H4b2BV9obh
— The Hooburrito, a burrito by Hoobastank (@sug_knight) August 29, 2017
Can we not just appreciate a kind gesture from a gentleman WITHOUT making it a gender issue?
— Sara Denman ✈ (@sara_elizzy548) August 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/thomasrfrancis/status/902521301021143040
It’s like he wanted it to become a meme.
https://twitter.com/nicolecieux/status/902618197899096065
https://twitter.com/GMPaiella/status/902528445141458949
https://twitter.com/nrasidi/status/902553121603366912
Woman cradles and protects child. Man carries and protects both. This is how it ought to be, despite what your gender studies professor says pic.twitter.com/WevntyqGPe
— Hend Amry (@LibyaLiberty) August 29, 2017
Meme carries meme. Metameme contains and syngergises both. This is how it ought to be, despite what your gender studies professor says. pic.twitter.com/57Mq4FMIHd
— Paul Dean✍🏻(he of Pacific Drive) (@paullicino) August 30, 2017
But the very best response came from an actual gender studies professor, who just couldn’t help herself.
https://twitter.com/C_Wolbrecht/status/902570433228062721
Let’s talk about what it means to see a woman as an innate caretaker, and how that translates to the rest of her life, shall we?
Care work (for children, infirm, elderly) is necessary for human flourishing & has been traditionally performed by women for free, which 2/
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
contributes to women’s lesser financial & politics power. As care work has moved into the market, it remains poorly paid & overwhelmingly 3/
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
female, which again makes women more vulnerable. We ❤️to laud a woman “cradling her child” but don’t provide paid maternity leave or 5/
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
support quality childcare & good pay/benefits for childcare workers (women, immigrants). But wait! There’s more! 6/
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
Culturally devaluing care work isn’t just damaging for women, either. She goes on:
As budgets for care work (mental health, health care) have been cut, a lot of that work has shifted to agencies like police & fire, who 7/
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
often lack training & capacity, and result in troubling outcomes. At same time, economists note that a central challenge to male workers 8/
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
is skills mismatch – men reluctant to take jobs in expanding care sector, partly bc jobs are “female”, partly bc they are low paying, low 9/
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
prestige (bc their “women’s jobs”). IN SUM your rigid and illogical sexual division of labor, & related hierarchy of value, hurts both 10/
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
women & men, the US economy, & the flourishing of society as a whole. The value of work – holding the baby or carrying the mother – 11/
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
should be recognized & rewarded, no matter who performs it. Given how much care is needed, all hands on deck. /end for now
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
And in case you’re wondering, Wolbrecht knows that Matt Walsh isn’t actually interested in a conversation on gender roles, only clicks and outrage. That doesn’t make her words less impactful.
For the record I realize the poster (who I won’t tag) is a provacatuer. I don’t intend to engage or convince him. This is for everyone else.
— Christina Wolbrecht (@C_Wolbrecht) August 29, 2017
(image: Shutterstock)
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