Marin.
It takes a good deal of neurosis to link Illinois’ financial emergency to male genitalia, but the “Sun-Times’” Carol Marin, a Gloria Steinem vestigial feminist of the `60s who has never moved beyond the era, used the epithet “Testosterone Triangle” in a gender war to explain why the legislature’s Democrats haven’t found new money to meet the pension deficit, new schools, new roads and solve Medicaid and other public welfare needs. Marin, a prematurely orange-haired 50-something feminist with the mien of a secularist, dominatrix Mother Superior would be the first to howl bloody murder if someone used a reference to menopause or “female troubles” in criticizing the first woman U. S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. But twice in one story, Marin used the word “testosterone” as a near curse word to describe the leadership of the state which happens to be all male…as it has since its 1818 founding: with men as governor, house speaker and Senate president. Then she used the word “impotent” which, of course, also has male sexual overtones to curl her lips in disgust at the stalled process. The only thing she didn’t do was demand from the state government a seminal performance.
What Marin—so angry she could spit--meant to say, I suppose, was that the male leadership of the state is flaccid and victimized by erectile dysfunction. The imagery was probably influenced in Marin’s mind by the recent visit to the “Sun-Times” editorial board by two overage female vestiges of the past neither of whom have husbands at present—Steinem and Jane Fonda. It was a favorite insult issued by 1960s feminists to ridicule the presence of testosterone which is produced in the testes of men as reason why the world is always at chaos or war. Sigmund Freud has written extensively about such women who, unable to castrate men to purportedly make them equal to females, jab repetitively at males by ridiculing their virilizing effects including formation of the penis and scrotum, deepening of the voice, growth of beard and auxiliary hair. Freud calls this “penis envy.”
Let us acknowledge that Marin stopped short of asking the leaders of state government to undergo a vasectomy reversal—but her bad-tempered “analysis” in addition to being insulting sexism was also ill-considered and impromptu—let us say to continue the metaphors she enjoys, a case of premature ejaculation.
The bizarre anti-male, sexist Marin characterization of Illinois governmental leaders could only be duplicated by a male reporter criticizing Hillary Clinton’s tensed-up and frozen demeanor in debate by linking it to possible postmenopausal temperament which may have caused Clinton’s robotic tendencies through hot flashes, urinary stress incontinence, chilly sensations, dizziness, irritability and sweating. What would feminist Marin say then? Incidentally, isn’t she supposed to have an editor reviewing her stuff for the editorial page? Perhaps if someone is not up to the challenge of dealing with her, it’s him.
Lynn Sweet, where are you? On vacation? Can’t you take over the entire political beat? God, just to have someone with maturity to write this stuff would be such an improvement.
Testosterone poisoning? Aren't all three leaders of the troika Democrats? Aren't they in touch with their feminine sides? I have to agree that Marin simply phoned in this silly column.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention her insulting reference to the international day of celebration for workers.
ReplyDeleteI suspect Marin would have written that even without the recent visit of Jane and Gloria to the Sun-Times. Also, I doubt she would have been "the first to howl bloody murder if someone used a reference to menopause or “female troubles” in criticizing the first woman U. S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi". (Maybe the 14th.) Marin just seems to have taken to heart the idea that, for better or worse, being "politically incorrect" in the use of language has little consequence.