<p class="MsoNormal">There are times that the proverbial battle of the sexes can be very humorous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>There are times the battle gets ugly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>We seem to be entering one of those latter times. Fortunately, judging from the many male/female relations of which I am personally aware, the battle lines are not yet drawn among the populace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>We seem to enjoy each other&rsquo;s company.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The vast majority of men and women I know &ndash; and I bet you know &ndash; seem to get along quite well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>And <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">usually</span> when they are not getting along, it has to do with personal issues, not political ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>For sure, politics has broken up some relationships, but they are rare and purely anecdotal.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Because of the times we live in, <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">by</span> taking on the issue from a different &ndash; and dare I say, a factual and rational basis (hopefully with an acceptable level of humor) &ndash; the ladies of the left and their fellow (in the male sense of the word) travelers will be on the attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>They will call me things that I am not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>But in these times, political dialogue is based on ignorant mischaracterizations formed for politically biased purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rather than going on a long and detailed defense of my opinions regarding the opposite sex, let me sum up by saying that early on in my life is took Katherine Hepburn as my ideal woman &ndash; strong, intelligent. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ;</span>Anyone familiar with her and her on-screen characters will know me as an admirer and advocate for strong women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ;</span>I am not particularly attracted to women who seem to be a dependent appendage of their spouses or significant others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Conversely, I am not drawn to women, who see their gender, itself, as a form of social victimization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>And I am certainly no fan of that small element of man-hating feminists &ndash; the ones who see gender differences as a dichotomy between good and evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Woman good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Men</span> evil.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have worked with, under and over women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>(That is not meant to be a straight line but go ahead with it, if you like).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>In all my relationships, I have never viewed women as a class, but rather &ndash; as shocking as it may seem &ndash; as individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Same for men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unlike the politically correct lemmings, I also recognize that men and women ARE different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Good <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">God</span>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>A library full of books <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">has</span> been written on the subject by both men and women with more letters behind their names than a can of alphabet soup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>We are different physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, culturally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>The one-size-fits-all uni-sex mandated by authoritarian governments like Stalinist Russia and Maoist China failed because the underlying realities were stronger than the arbitrarily <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ;</span>imposed social standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Not only are we different, we like being different.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In today&rsquo;s fictional narrative, we are to believe that American men are brutal masters hovering over <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">a universally</span> oppressed womanhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>This is not Iran, for goodness sake. The strident feminists describe our very genetic makeup as &ldquo;toxic masculinity.&rdquo;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>It is true that for the past 200,000 years, men have been generally in leadership roles and women in support roles, but evolution takes time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Even in our amazing Republic, women could not vote for the first 131 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>It is <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">true</span> that women were rarely able to penetrate male-dominated professions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>It is true that corporate <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">boardrooms</span> were once all-male commercial clubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>But, the fact that we have evolved into &ldquo;a <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">more</span> perfect union,&rdquo; does not mean that men and women can be considered equal in all things, in all ways and at all times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Because we are different, there will be social differences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Today&rsquo;s political narrative would have us believe that men are privileged, and women suffer from universal inferior status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>In fact, women are also privileged in many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Any man who has gone through a contested divorce or faced a custody battle will have seen female privilege in our courts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Though a man has equal responsibility in the making of a baby, the future survival of that joint venture (no pun intended) is claimed solely by the woman &ndash; a privilege of enormous moral importance.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When my first wife walked out and left me with a house full of teenage kids &ndash; one underage &ndash; I brought up the issue of child support with my attorney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>He laughed and said that no court <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">will</span> give a <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">man child</span> support even though he has custody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>The same bias has been documented in studies involving property distribution.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have a friend who went to the police academy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Being number one in the physical training program was a big resume enhancer, but he came in number two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Number one was a female cadet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>She did not beat his results in any of the various physical tests but competed against a much lower standard in each<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>That is <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">privilege</span>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">California recently passed a law that all publicly listed corporations doing business in the state must have at least one woman on the board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>As good an idea as it may be, the fact that it is mandated by <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">government</span> is a unique privilege.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Being considered a protected class creates a huge range of legal privileges.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Check out the premiums for life insurance, <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">and</span> you will find that women of the same age as a man pay lower premiums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Because men and women are different in life expectancy.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>That is a gender-based privilege.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The current contention that women should be automatically believed in sexual and physical assault cases is a demand for <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">privilege</span> that is both wrong and dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>That proposed privilege requires the setting aside of our rule-of-law, requirements of evidence and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>That is one Hell of a privilege.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Saturday Night Live did a scathing mocking of Judge Brett Kavanaugh&rsquo;s angry and tearful Senate hearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Ponder for one second what might have been the response if they had poked fun of Christine Blasey Ford&rsquo;s appearance and demeanor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Being above criticism is <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">privilege</span>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Feminist cry out that a woman&rsquo;s voice needs to be heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Hillary Clinton was recently interviewed, saying that women need to tell their story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>One needs <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">to only to do a count of the talking heads on television</span> to see that there are more women talking than men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>CNN recently aired a flattering documentary of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>The View and Outnumbered are two programs with four female hosts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Newspapers still carry a woman&rsquo;s section &ndash; and that does not make the sports section a man-only page.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When it comes to health <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">issues,</span> when was the last time you saw a march for prostate cancer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>The country is awash in pink balloons, pink ribbons, pink decals <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">and</span> even pink license plate frames &ndash; all to fight a predominantly women&rsquo;s disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>More privilege.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And what about striking a woman?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>It is okay for women to strike women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>In fact, that has become a form of entertainment &ndash; with bikini mud wrestling having <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">a peculiar</span> popularity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>But never, under no circumstances, should a man strike a woman &ndash; not in defense, not even if attacked by a woman, not even <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">if</span> you are a little guy attacked by a big tough woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Never.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am an equal opportunity guy with that issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>I have never struck another person &ndash; man or woman &ndash; at least not since I got into a fight with Robbie Heidrick at the age of six or seven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>I even avoided most of that corporal punishment stuff with my children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>In that regard, I am not a hands-on person.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the other hand, I have been the victim of a number of assaults and batteries in my lifetime &ndash; again men and women &ndash; but I did what the Bible admonishes and turned the other cheek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Or, as my friends prefer to describe it, I ran away like a chicken shit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>In either case, the result was the same.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Any guy who likes beer as much as Judge Brett Kavanaugh knows that those <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">ubiquitous</span> meet-market bars often feature ladies&rsquo; nights in which the women have reduced prices for the drinks &ndash; and in many cases, free drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>And although it is ebbing, men usually pay on dates. That is <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">privilege</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And check out the better restaurants, theaters <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">and</span> hotels and you find that men have toilets and woman have fancy lounges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Okay, that is getting silly, but you get the point.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alas, as women entered the highly competitive business and political worlds, the pedestal has been commensurately lowered. Men no longer walk on the outside of the sidewalk to prevent passing carriages from splattering water and mud on those ankle-covering wide dresses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Gone are the days when women sat patiently in the passenger seat of a car while her male chauffer came around to open the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Men would give up a seat on the bus even to a young woman, and we stood whenever a lady arrived or departed the dinner table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Men no long doff their hat as they meet or pass a woman in the public commons &ndash; but then again, we are not likely to be wearing a hat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our national landscape is strewn with the shards of one-time glass ceilings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>There <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">are</span> not a lot yet to be shattered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Even as we pursue <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">equal</span> opportunity for women, we can still mutually recognize many of the advantages women have and do enjoy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>It is not a <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">one-way</span> street.</p>