Ladies, We Made The Big Time

Update: I see that Kevin Drum linked to this post. For those who are new here, welcome. Most of my posts are about family law and related social issues. I was finalist in the 2004 Koufax Awards for "Best Single Issue Blog," for my writings on family law, so if you'd like to find out why, read my posts under these categories:

Family Issues and Family Law

Fathers' Rights

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I just noticed this link in my sitemeter. Apparently, the "where are the women bloggers" question has made Howard Kurtz's "Media Notes" column in The Washington Post. Here's the pertinent portion (the article includes links to every woman's blog):

Now for a delicious blogosphere debate. You may recall my column the other day about Susan Estrich whacking LAT editorial page editor Michael Kinsley for not running more pieces by women. That prompted the Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum to wonder why women don't play a more prominent role in the blogosphere. And that nearly led to his eyes being clawed out, as Drum reports here:

"Meryl Yourish: 'A (female) blogger sent me this link to Kevin Drum being an idiot (yes, I know, he is often an idiot, but this time, it's personal -- he mentioned women bloggers).' And this one, where she doesn't call me an idiot: 'The scholarship behind Drum's thesis simply boggles the mind. Why, it's as if he took all of five minutes to think about the issue before he wrote his post.'

"Trish Wilson: 'I get so tired of this same stupid question coming up every three months. The guys don't read or link to political women who blog, and then have the audacity to feign innocence every two months (from three, previously). They wonder where we are. As we have said the last three or four times this discussion has come up, we're out there. You just have to take the time and energy you take to link to and read the primarily middle- and upper-class, white, male bloggers and find us. Guys, you have no excuse.'

"Random Thoughts: 'I'm tired of this discussion. I'm tired of the comments that say women aren't as analytical, competitive, interested, bloviating, or motivated. I'm tired of reading about the boys network at the top, even though it does exist.'

"Pinko Feminist Hellcat: 'Having the gall to point out that yes, we exist, is apparently unforgivable. The attacks women go for this--women who stated this quite civilly were called hysterical and accused of attacking people. They were also called dykes, ugly, manhaters, moonbats, and had their looks derided and their appeal to the opposite sex questioned. Because, you know, that's civil.'"

There's plenty more.

"Hmmm, should I defend myself? Only to this extent: the reason I suggested that women are turned off by the 'fundamental viciousness' of blogging and opinion writing is because many women have told me this (and have told me the same thing in non-blogging contexts as well). Men are so routinely dismissive of women and so fundamentally dedicated to playground dominance games that many women decide they just don't want to play.

"But hey -- click the links and decide for yourself. My critics certainly make a spirited -- if anecdotal -- case for the proposition that women have no problem being as nasty as men."

At last--true equality!