I hope you're not easily terrified by the idea of men in the Republican party brazenly excluding women from their social and fundraising events, because this story is about to tap into all those fears.
Congressman Steve Southerland of Florida's 2nd district is running for re-election against Democrat Gwen Graham. In March, according to BuzzFeed, Southerland hosted a fundraiser of sorts which strictly invited men. Oh good. Here's part of the invitation obtained by BuzzFeed:
Good men sitting around discussing & solving political & social problems over fine food & drink date back to the 12th Century with King Arthur's Round Table. You are invited to join such an occasion with your U.S. Congressman and a small group of concerned men. Tell the Misses not to wait up because the after dinner whiskey and cigars will be smooth and the issues to discuss are many.
This might be the dumbest fucking thing ever written ever. Plus I just realized, we've been so wrong about Republican men and their inexplicable fixation on returning to the 50s when everything was perfect and all the women were nothing but their domestic fembot slaves. That's apparently not good enough for them at all! Now they're fixated WITH THE FUCKING 12TH CENTURY? Sure! Because back in the 12th century, women didn't have all those pesky things to bother the men folk with, like the right to vote or basic human rights. We were little more than property with tits who fetched milk and tended to the fields. We're moving in all kinds of the wrong direction here, folks. Not a good look, Florida Republicans. Not a good look at all.
But don't go looking for a reasonable explanation as to why someone, in the year 2014, would think this bullshit is a good idea.
"It is laughable that an issue is being made over an invitation to a private event hosted on Steve's behalf six months ago," Southerland campaign manager Luke Strickland told BuzzFeed in an email.
Laughable. That's right. They think anyone who even dares question why hosting an event that celebrates excluding people outside a small group of privileged men is fucking laughable. LOL Y U MAD, LADIEZ?
Good to know the mounting criticisms that the Republican party is increasingly catering to a smaller and smaller base of privileged men who cannot see beyond their own world experiences are now being turned into actual fundraising opportunities. Didn't see that one coming, fellas!
"We have also participated in events with women, young professionals, doctors, sportsmen," Southerland said, offering no clarification if those events were specifically restricted to people who were part of the groups he mentioned. DUDE. There's a huge difference between hosting events that have women in attendance versus telling those same people they can't be a part of an event. Who still thinks crap like this OK? Oh and not just OK. It's just laughable.
Cool. Because Southern Conservative Republican men getting together in groups to secretly talk strategy doesn't send shivers down my spine or anything.
Laughable, isn't it?
Image via Shutterstock.
DISCUSSION
Entirely appropriate that they base their meeting on mythology. It defines everything else about their world view, after all.