For the past 6 - 8 years I have thought that the elephant was the WRONG symbol for the Republican party.
The party waging a war on women through ending reproductive rights, demonizing female single parenthood (even when their war(s) produced many female heads of household), patriarchy, etc. has as it's symbol a species in the animal kingdom that is matriarchal.
It is the alpha FEMALE who runs the herd. It is she who kicks the male children out when they reach puberty. Adult males only appear as sperm donors to reproduce and then to keep adolescent males in line once they've been kicked out of the herd. And it's not like they have created their own male dominated herd to do that. Males roam solo, and when they meet up with an adolescent male, remind him of this place in the world . . .then move on.
Males just aren't that into family. Preferring one night stands.
So whatever the elephant equivalent of facepalming is . . . facetrunking, maybe . . . elephants have got to be doing it when listening to conservatives/Republicans/FoxNews people yesterday.
The issue was the Pew research finding that mothers are the primary or sole bread winners in 4 out of 10 homes (40%), and that number is increasing. (I might point out that this is the way it is in wild African elephant herds too, except that number is 10 out of 10 herds.)
Cue the male freak out on the right (I'm sure the females will follow), from comments ranging from total misogyny, to the appropriate place for women being barefoot-pregnant-inthekitchen, to ones making you wonder if they are really over compensating.
I mean I half expect these men to rip off their shirts, beat their chests and give a Tarzan yell.
If he hasn't already, I'm sure Rush will chime in today with a rant about feminnazis destroying Amurca. How this was all part of their anti-male plan to make men subservient to them(us) and to take over Amurca. blah, blah, blah
You know proper Nazis really had a thing for leather . . . and boots . . . oh but I digress.
Not to be left off the "ME Tarzan" express," Erick Erickson chimed in with this nugget:
When you look at biology, look at the natural world, the roles of a male and female in society, and the other animals, the male typically is the dominant role. The female, it's not antithesis, or it's not competing, it's a complimentary role. We as people in a smart society have lost the ability to have complimentary relationships in nuclear families, and it's tearing us apart.
- mediamatters
Really Erick?
Head meet desk.
"Complimentary role," like with Emperor Penguins, right. Where the work is shared almost evenly ... yeah the males get to walk in a circle in the cold keeping the egg warm, until it hatches and the female (full of fish) hopefully returns to take care of the chick. Then the male leaves.
And gawd knows in black/brown and grizzly bears the male has the "dominant roll." He's another one that like the male elephant, impregnates then leaves. She, the FEMALE, takes on all care, feeding and responsibility for the cub(s). He's off feeding his fat ass.
Or snow leopards ... yeah there's another fuckem and leavem "male dominant" animal.
And we all know how "male dominant" black widow spiders and praying mantis are.
Ants and bees have kings, not queens, too, right?
Birds? The "responsible" Cuckoo male and Cowbird male impregnates the female, who then lays her egg in another bird's nest. They are brood parasites, but it leaves both male and female free to make more little parasite birdy eggs with other males and females.
You couldn't have been thinking about the apes, right. Because well, that might suggest that you think Darwin had something. You'd also be suggesting a whole complex living situation where adult males are also in the troop but they do not mate, only the alpha male does.
Ooh and then there are the troublesome, hippy, make love not war, Banobos, and they seem to be matriarchal too. damn
But you were probably thinking of a lion pride, the dominant male taking care of his harem and his children (because he would have killed the cubs from the male he won the harem off of). Right, images of the proud maned male inside your head. The theme for the "Lion King" playing in your mind. (Nants ingonyama bagithi baba! Sithi uhhmm ingonyama!)
There too, though, he's more like a lothario who sits on the sofa doing nothing all day while his woman (women) make the dough, take care of the children, clean the house, etc. While his worthless ass complains that she's keeping him down by not making sure he has enough beer money and gambles (her money) at night.
I'm also confused. You're from the party and a group of people seeking to discredit Darwin and evolution saying things like this
If students are taught that they are animals, they will behave like animals.
But then you return to the animal kingdom to justify (albeit incorrectly) your view of male dominance in humans . . . didn't you just give tacit admission that we are descended from animals?
Oh and BTW: animal kingdom + homosexuality = okay.
pity the elephants . . . the real ones