When Women Take Over The Decline of the West

I've been reading about it for a number of years and in many ways don't disagree. Women are "taking over the world." Inevitably (see recent Atlantic Monthly cover article, The End of Men) these articles treat the rise of women into business and educational dominance as a reaction to several trends. One trend cited is that there has been a decline in (local) manufacturing as it is shifted to other lower labor and less regulated economies (like China, Mexico). There is often an implication that men (or specifically testosterone) "got us into this mess" and women with their more peaceful and consensus-building personalities are going to get us out of it. It is often accurately cited that the modern social democracy creates an educational atmosphere, then a work atmosphere that favors women. In school the 'sit down and shut up' mode favors women over men. In corporate life, the new massive bureaucracies where there are no heroes only "team players favor women managers. In government and politics women are rising because they are compassionate and are less inhibited about spending other peoples' money to "help people cope." Like the Obama administration everything seems to be the fault of the "previous administration" (read: men).

It is interesting that I have never encountered an argument that goes like this: the decline of the West is exacerbated by the rise of women in power. While I could not make the case that the decline of the West is caused by the rise of women, it seems there is a connection here that no one is ready to make. True, we are dealing in stereotypes to some degree (generalizations is perhaps a better word) but so are these articles extolling the rise of women. On the one hand these types of articles treat the West as a stable if not rising power, associating things like the "Wall Street Crash" as evidence that the old male-dominated paradigm no longer works. But seen from another angle, the rise of "compassion" is about to destroy us. Take European debt. Social democracies with their consensus-friendly parliaments have been propping up the welfare state for decades. Laws (without teeth) are passed; countries can avoid any (male) "tough consequences" of breaking the rules. European countries sign onto the euro because it's better to "share" a currency than keep your own selfish little currency. They agree to all kinds of wonderful things -- long vacations, jobless benefits, state subsidies for childcare, etc., free healthcare -- all supposedly paid for by limiting the rise of those selfish few "at the top" of the food chain.

Equality is seen as a nearly sacred goal. It always looks good in the beginning. But look at what's happening now. Since there were no "teeth" in the EU's mandates that countries live within their means, many countries (Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy for starters) simply aren't. But the politicians in these countries, also feminized, cannot face the outraged moms (unions protecting their progeny) claiming cutbacks will take food from the mouths of their babes (i.e. members). So we are at a standstill, everyone wringing their hands. The same pattern is occurring in the United States. Take California. Pass all kinds of "feel good" legislation (Hey, let's be the leaders in controlling car culture carbon), tax businesses, bloat the budget, expand the debt and then voila we are also at a standstill. Someone (daddy/Washington) will bail us out.

But Daddy (Washington) is doing the same thing. Print money, spend money we don't have, hide the receipts under the rug (with fanciful accounting) and talk a compassionate game. Many now say we are heading for a Depression. Some will say this is because the model of an economy that needs to continually expand (male) is "unsustainable". Sustainability is a code word for all that people don't like about modern life: cars, malls, suburbs, agribusiness, military. Most "back to the earth" (eco-oriented) philosophies don't hide the fact that they are inimical to advanced technological civilization. They fantasize an earth with a smaller population, more agrarian, with a focus on locally grown produce. In short, much of the antagonism towards the West that arises from our own ranks is built on nostalgia and fantasy. It is based on what might "be nice" not what works. Not what is. It is also authoritarian (the iron hand of mom) usually disguised "for the good of the people." One might counter that my argument is that socialism is feminine, but surely communism is authoritarian and therefore male. Is it? Communism (say China) treats the people as "children forever" who don't deserve a vote as surely as you wouldn't let a teenager "vote" on what job his parent should have. In these societies there is always a parent, always someone who knows better.

One might also argue that the only existing "male-dominated" society is Islam, inherently repressive of women. I would not argue -- Islam is male-dominated, but it is the only surviving male-dominated society because the West is rapidly losing its masculinity. Perhaps in the end freedom is a concept that resonates stronger with men, thus capitalism and free market economies are rightly seen as masculine. As the West talks itself out of capitalism into a state-sponsored version of crony socialism (with lowered expectations), the West no longer resonates to freedom. In its place is "tolerance" or diversity, which in international relations could be seen as wishful thinking. If I am nice so will my neighbor be encouraged to be nice. (You basically heard this from the Obama administration vis-a-vis Iran. The results being nil).

Obviously the West isn't through with capitalism. Yet. Perhaps all the doomsayers are wrong and we will not have another Depression. I hope they are wrong. But I wish "the media" would stop treating the "rise of women" as a curative reaction to the world men created, the unsustainable world that is now dysfunctional (image: BP oil gusher). Is deficit spending "female" (image: he earns, she spends)? Perhaps that's going too far. But I hold little hope that consensus decision making and nurturance as an organizing principle will get us out of whatever downward spiral we are in.