tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post4771980064870828805..comments2024-03-18T22:21:33.261-07:00Comments on The Debate Link: It's a Guy Thing, Part IIDavid Schraubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946653376744012423noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post-22476302445190077792009-07-12T01:03:38.485-07:002009-07-12T01:03:38.485-07:00I think Hilzoy misunderstood what Brooks was refer...I think Hilzoy misunderstood what Brooks was referring to with his column about the "dignity code" and the follow-up discussion on MSNBC. Brooks isn't saying that his own dignity was impaired by how he was treated, but rather that this indicates a lack of dignity in the person who was touching his thigh. He is making the same point by repeatedly referring to the politicians who slobber on their 20-something Hill staff as "St. Bernards" -- the politicians lack dignity. And yeah, dignity in Brooks's conception is mainly a matter of public behavior; the problem he has with Govs. Palin and Sanford is that they make asses of themselves at press conferences. Jefferson's hitting on Hemings wouldn't constitute a breach because it was private.<br /><br />Then again, I also thought Esquiver was missing the importance of the prohibition on soliciting sex in public bathrooms as the rationale for arresting Craig for allegedly doing so.<br /><br />To me, the public space/ private space distinction is incredibly important, but I don't know how much that's based on my own background and its acceptance of gradations of public/ private (having white folks at our house was more "public" than going to a party at an Indian family friend's house).PGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09381347581328622706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post-55479021519823713012009-07-11T13:14:30.003-07:002009-07-11T13:14:30.003-07:00To be fair it's not like Brooks is denying wom...To be fair it's not like Brooks is denying women's experiences here:<br /><br />"I’ve spoken to a lot of young women who are Senate staffers and they’ll have these middle age guys who are sort of in the middle of a mid-life crisis"<br /><br />(But I wouldn't put it past him to sit in a White Male Privilege Bubble and not think about it until his own incident.)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04268585506327621265noreply@blogger.com