It’s Come To This: Having Good Parents Is An ‘Unfair Advantage’
By Elise Hilton
“One way philosophers might think about solving the social justice problem would be by simply abolishing the family. If the family is this source of unfairness in society then it looks plausible to think that if we abolished the family there would be a more level playing field.”
“Why are families a good thing exactly?”
“We should accept that lots of stuff that goes on in healthy families—and that our theory defends—will confer unfair advantage.”
One of my co-workers thought he was reading an article from the satirical website The Onion. Alas, that is not the case. No, these are quotes from philosopher Adam Swift1, who believes we must acknowledge the “fact” that children growing up in an intact, mom-and-pop family have an “unfair advantage” to those children who don’t. Even worse, he thinks we should set things aright.
Frontpage, calling Swift a “liberal egalitarian sociologist with an interest in social justice2” (and if that doesn’t give you the heebie-jeebies, I don’t know what will), quotes Swift as saying that parents shouldn’t stop reading bedtime stories to their tykes, but we should feel guilty about it. Think about all those kids who aren’t being read to. This is the “liberal egalitarian social justice” equivalent to Mom telling you to eat your veggies because there are kids who are starving in Africa.
Swift and his ilk, rather than seeing that mom and dad kicking the soccer ball around with the kids after dinner is a good thing and we need more of it, believe we should take a parent out of the picture or scrap the family bonding time. What? We have a formula for family that we know works well, produces healthy marriages and healthy kids, but since some people don’t have that, we should do away with the good that we have? Who thinks like this?
Daniel Greenfield2:
By Elise Hilton
“One way philosophers might think about solving the social justice problem would be by simply abolishing the family. If the family is this source of unfairness in society then it looks plausible to think that if we abolished the family there would be a more level playing field.”
“Why are families a good thing exactly?”
“We should accept that lots of stuff that goes on in healthy families—and that our theory defends—will confer unfair advantage.”
One of my co-workers thought he was reading an article from the satirical website The Onion. Alas, that is not the case. No, these are quotes from philosopher Adam Swift1, who believes we must acknowledge the “fact” that children growing up in an intact, mom-and-pop family have an “unfair advantage” to those children who don’t. Even worse, he thinks we should set things aright.
Frontpage, calling Swift a “liberal egalitarian sociologist with an interest in social justice2” (and if that doesn’t give you the heebie-jeebies, I don’t know what will), quotes Swift as saying that parents shouldn’t stop reading bedtime stories to their tykes, but we should feel guilty about it. Think about all those kids who aren’t being read to. This is the “liberal egalitarian social justice” equivalent to Mom telling you to eat your veggies because there are kids who are starving in Africa.
Swift and his ilk, rather than seeing that mom and dad kicking the soccer ball around with the kids after dinner is a good thing and we need more of it, believe we should take a parent out of the picture or scrap the family bonding time. What? We have a formula for family that we know works well, produces healthy marriages and healthy kids, but since some people don’t have that, we should do away with the good that we have? Who thinks like this?
Daniel Greenfield2:
I’ve come to the conclusion that the West is unfairly advantaged by having so many sociologists, critical race theorists and social justice warriors. If we all deported them to poor countries, they could finally catch up to us in the field of social justice.Mr. Swift, please stay in your ivory tower. You can write in heady academic journals that three of your colleagues read. The rest of us will be snuggled in bed with our kids, enjoying “Goodnight, Moon” and “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
As much as it might pain us to lose these
demented parasitesrespected academics, it’s the right thing to do. No longer will we enjoy our vast advantages in sociology and theories on gendered icebergs (yes it’s a thing). The rest of the world will now be able to benefit from having a declining economy and an academic environment that consists of crazy people denouncing others for thoughtcrimes.
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