Trudeau. Ally.

One of the odd things I observed during Microsoft’s seemingly endless mandatory “Diversity and Inclusion” training was the concept of ally.

There have always been women and men willing to enter into an understood arrangement that trades money and power for real or fake flattery, “visibility” and intimacy. Usually, they were somewhat discrete about it.

But the “diversity” programs formalized this in a curious way: Ignoring the always very precise language of these things, and observing behavior, an ally is a man who agrees to hire, assign organizational power to, promote, pay and not to lay-off/fire women in general, and specifically the women most vocal and active in “diversity” initiatives. And the men willing to do this proudly labelled themselves, and promoted the practice to other men.

Why do men do this? Some of course, believe the Diversity, Inc. line that women are systematically discriminated against, and want to help. Some are lonely. Some need insurance, or hope they will someday need insurance. May hope they will be sparred the ax when their turn comes around.

Last week we learned that Dan Price, the very progressive CEO of Gravity Payments has been accused by multiple women of being a very creepy guy. Very creepy indeed.  Maybe a 6 or 7 on the Weinstein scale.

Dan, and Harvey, were outspoken allies.

My aunt, frequently remarked that we really didn’t know what a society run by women would be like, since we hadn’t tried it.

She was correct, then. But this is no longer an open issue.

While elected officials in Canada are of both genders, management positions and front line employees in the government bureaucracy – where real policy is made and money spent – are overwhelmingly staffed with women.

Trudeau is a outspoken ally.

Women enter university at a higher rate, and graduate at a higher rate.

Government, non-profits and corporations have systems in place that are structurally biased against men in hiring, firing, promotions and procurement. 

Men are injured and die in the workforce at higher rate.

Women have the power in divorce court.

Boys are drugged by teachers at a higher rate.

The experiment has been run.

This might come as a surprise, because as these deep structural changes have been implemented, feminists have been careful to promote the now very obsolete women as weaker victims messaging. Indeed, look at cbc.ca on any day. 30% of the articles have a message of women’s empowerment and accomplishment, and 30% of discrimination against them, usually imagined. Stories about men  – especially men in fatherhood roles – as role models are rare. The phrase toxic masculinity is bandied about as if it’s accurate and objective.

Point any of this out and be slandered as a weak, overly-sensitive man. Irony has suffered.

So how do we score this so far?

It’s clear that equality was never the goal, nor is it now. Absolute power is the goal. 

We still have wars.

Society is tossing aside objective observable reality in favor of a feelings define reality model. Covid19 demonstrated the limitations of that model from a results perspective. 

We talk a lot of sensitivity, and protecting the weak, and yet the level of anger and intolerance in society is high. People seem more divided.

There are many more laws designed to increase safety. Some things are more safe and lives saved. Many are not. Much personal freedom has been lost in this process.

Women enjoy, seek and use power at the same rate as men. Society is becoming more authoritarian. Many people are afraid – for good reason – to speak their minds. Indeed, to say anything controversial. Many people pretend to believe obvious nonsense (i.e. gender differences are entirely the ill results of a bigoted society. Forcing people to pretend to believe obvious nonsense is tool used to maintain power over them.

We are much more passive-aggressive.

The understood rules that applied to dating, relationships, sex, authority and power have been tossed aside. The new rules are whatever women want them to be in any specific instance.

Long term committed relationships with children are becoming rare, but Tinder is growing. There are fewer children. Women complain there are no good men left. Men, rather than risk destroying their means of income via a clumsy mistake, and well aware of divorce court outcomes, limit themselves to clearly superficial sex, and otherwise play xbox.

Taxes are high, and going hirer. Prices are high, and going hirer. Savings buy less. The understood lifetime contract between citizen and state, that healthcare, retirement, disability/misfortune would be provided for as needed in exchange for a lifetime of ties so high that total dependance on the state is a financial necessity is breaking down.

Wealth has been “pulled-forward” from future generations via massive debt and consumed. The younger generations face debt, fewer jobs, slower economic growth, less earning power, poorer services and government benefits. And yet, they cannot afford to buy a house.

Environmental policy is a mess. Global warming is somehow more important than overfishing or a lowering water table. Paper straws, etc. are nasty and accomplish nothing. The people in charge of policy are not informed or mature.

All up it’s a judgement call. It’s not a society I prefer. And not the one we were promised.

Mike.

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