The biggest problem facing Republicans these days is that their defense of the president and his Supreme Court nominee is turning the gender gap into a chasm. They are losing the support of women—particularly white suburban women—in droves. That is the lens through which to view a tweet from Erick Erickson in which he says, “I gotta think there are a lot of suburban mothers horrified that one day their innocent son could be accused and presumed guilty of false claims.”
Erickson isn’t the only one hoping to tap into the fears of white suburban moms. Megan Fox wrote a piece titled, “How to ‘Christine Blasey Ford-Proof’ Your Son.” She gives mothers some tips on how to ensure that their sons don’t have their careers damaged by allegations of sexual assault.
The press has underestimated the mothers of America who are watching this process of destroying a good man with horror and anger. What can we do as mothers to make sure this doesn’t happen to our sons? It begins with training them from a young age to protect themselves from unscrupulous girls. A long time ago the worst you had to worry about was a girl trapping your son by getting pregnant. Now it’s much worse. Here are a few ideas with which to move forward in this terrifying #MeToo era.
One of the things Fox says you should teach your sons is to not trust women.
Sorry to say it, but my sex offends and horrifies me. Between Stormy Daniels and Ford, women are a disgrace. Contrary to the saccharine platitude that “women don’t lie,” women lie all the time. They lie like crazy.
So girls lie like crazy and have history of “trapping” boys by “getting pregnant,” as if white suburban women’s sons had nothing to do with it. Gotcha. But she gives away the store with this:
It is no surprise to me that the mothers of America have had enough of this nonsense. They aren’t just women. They are mothers of sons. And as any mother of a son can tell you, we love our boys at a level that is hard to put into words. It’s why sitcoms have always featured invading mothers-in-law hovering over their precious sons who can do no wrong. It’s a thing. We love them and we want to kill THOT who tries to hurt them. (For the uninitiated in teen speak, check the urban dictionary for THOT.)
Frankly, we all know that kind of mother—the one who raises her son to be a privileged asshole who can do no wrong and is therefore never held accountable for his behavior. If mothers follow Fox’s advice, they are more likely to raise sons who sexually assault women.
For mothers (and fathers) who are committed to parenting that teaches boys to respect women, it is crucial to avoid people like Megan Fox and pay attention to the good advice out there. Given that sexual assault is more about power than sexuality, the lessons described in this documentary are absolutely foundational for what it means to be a man in this culture.
Children will eventually grow up to find their own path, but parenting can play a big role in teaching our children how to respect each other and end the need for a #MeToo movement.
