why do women have to Become? can't i just Be?

on ~childless cat ladies~

Far be it from me to lend credence to anything J.D. Vance says by writing about it (it's Leo season, allow me a sliver of arrogance), but a few videos of a talking point he was deeply devoted to some years ago resurfaced last week (not the couch thing), and it is being talked about in a very interesting way in my circles.

In the above, Vance naturally called Kamala Harris (along with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pete Buttigieg) a "childless cat lady," the supposition being that someone without biological children (Harris has two stepchildren) is not as committed to the future of the country as someone with them.

What is the opposite of political instinct?

Vance was unfortunately born without a single charismatic bone in his body, and every time he speaks he cannot help reminding us of his disdain for anyone who wouldn’t pass the Federalist Society’s muster. Nobody told Vance that he is supposed to be campaigning to win an election, not to alienate large voting blocs with his open misogyny and increasingly off-putting nature.

For those of us sadly familiar with the man, it was not surprising to hear the words coming from Vance's so-called brain, although it sure is fascinating to see how the oh-so-circular logic works from his perspective: a woman isn't fit to run the country before being a mother (no commitment to the future), but once she is, why would she want to run the country instead of taking care of her children (no commitment to the home)? Tsk-tsk, etc.

It’s not for nothing that tradwife/tradlife discourse is taking over the proverbial airwaves. If someone has no biological progeny, say these Republicans, they cannot be trusted to care about the country's destiny. Only tradition can keep this city shining on its wobbly hill, and if that tradition just so happens to keep women in their place, well, what could possibly be done about that?

Do you think that's why the GOP platform, by the way, is so adamant about letting oil and gas companies continue to wreak havoc on the environment? Why Republicans scoff at raising the minimum wage? Why they loooove taking away public school funding and giving it to voucher programs? Why they're getting closer and closer to outright endorsing child labor? Because they want to create a better world for their children and their children?

Oh, I'm sure. If I were in a better mood, I'd laugh.