Flabbergasted, Again.

My last essay was on the topic of “compartmentalization” and this week we have a shining example of the necessity for it. The American Enterprise Institute “scholar”, Charles Murray, education adviser to Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott spoke at the University of Texas last week telling his audience that there is no “evidence” proving that any woman has ever been a “significant original thinker”. He went on to condescend that it isn’t the poor woman’s fault; they are just burdened with a smaller sized brain then males! He added, “When you compare the size of a man’s brain with that of a woman, there is no comparison.” (awkward statement on two levels) “It’s not that I have anything against women. They’re nice enough, but it’s just a physical fact that their brains have not developed to the same degree as men’s brains have developed.” “They’re nice enough…”?! What?!

When I first read this I thought it had to be farce, no one could possibly say these things in a public venue, especially an institution of higher learning. I dug a little deeper and to my amazement Mr. Murray had indeed made this statement and more.

Check out this gem, “I’m not a doctor, but it (brain inferiority) may have something to do with their need to develop breasts. The human body can’t do everything.” What?! That reminds me of the Robin Williams observation that God gave man only enough blood to operate the brain or the penis, but not enough to operate both at the same time. Robin isn’t a doctor either. This brain size argument happens to justify, in Mr. Murray’s parallel universe, pay inequality in the workforce. “You don’t pay the same at the pump for regular and supreme. Why would you expect to pay the same for work of a less-developed intellect?”  Specious doesn’t begin to describe this argument.

The goobernatorial candidate Mr. Murray is “helping” run against Wendy Davis, stood by Mr. Murray and his outrageously insulting and scientifically absurd statements. Mr. Abbot demurely said, “Charles is a smart guy. If he says women are inferior to men, who are we to argue?” I must ask, is there a prerequisite to insert one’s head in ones posterior when joining the Republican Party? Is this some form of reverse eugenics? I mean really! The right takes the absurd proclamation cake. Who could forget Todd “shuts it down “Akin’s  flabbergastitudinous mythical gremlins that knew when a woman had a real rape as opposed to a pretend rape and could alter the fertilization process?! This Republican pretzel logic is so nuts I had to make up a word to keep my head from exploding.

Sadly and thanks to our bought and paid for media we are intimately aware of every twisted and sometimes nuanced bit of crazy talk coming from the darlings of the fruit cake right. Ted Cruz, Michele Bachmann, Paul Ryan, Sarah Palin verbally blitzkrieg the talk radio waves and cable “news” outlets on a daily basis. They are getting rich and in spite of what all the true believers and the faithful think, every last shrill coo coo voice is in it for the money and their own attention whoring egos. They could not care less about our country or you and your struggles and pain as long as you keep following and donating.

Does America love crazy? It sure looks that way…

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Alex Symington

Alex lives with his wife, Anna in Key West, Florida. He enjoys writing poetry and prose and making the complacent uncomfortable.