My latest article is here.
Speaking of personal stories, Latham has an interesting story, too. He’s a stay-at-home father with a wife working outside the home. Having made the transition from political leadership to primary caring he might offer an insightful perspective, instead, he seems clouded by a kind of defensive masculinity. And his hostility towards feminist parenting is curious when you consider Latham’s own role reversal is exactly the kind of freedom feminists are seeking as an option to be available for more parents. But critiquing parenting has long been an underhand route for simply censuring women.
Women well know that when male commentators talk about women’s lives they are prone to holding unexamined views that run contrary to one another. So, being the primary parent has allowed Latham to see the hoax that fathers can’t be nurturing, but somehow mothering is still essentialist enough for inner-city feminists to be capable of running a secret campaign to “free themselves from nature’s way”. And further, mothers who take their experiences seriously enough to write about them are “self-absorbed”, but to not take them seriously is to be “breeding a generation of shirtless, tone-deaf, overweight, pizza-eating dummies”. Although Macdonald, apparently, manages to do both.
FYI, your link is broken. It takes me to Daily Life, but I had to query Latham to get the article.
Love it!
Also, I came across this article you might appreciate. “Vegan Killjoys at the Table—Contesting Happiness and Negotiating Relationships with Food Practices”
I can relate to being the feminist killjoy. I might be a vegetarian/vegan were it not for enough of joy-killing in my life. Definitely relate to my mere presence as a non-drinker killing the joy at a party, much like the mere presence of a vegan at a table might kill the joy. Though I think some of the gender aspects were a little brushed aside.
http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/4/4/623
Oh my Mark Latham makes me angry (that article in particular). Glad you wrote a thoughtful response.
Like.