Himpathy's Last Victory
(Note: I didn't coin the term 'himpathy'. I first saw it in this interview with Kate Manne. My definition is slightly different than hers, but, I think, congruent.)
Will a Senate confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States be himpathy's last victory?
It is comforting to me to think that such a confirmation would so blatantly expose the toxic ubiquity of himpathy that America will rise up as a nation to deliver a final rejection, in November 2018, in November 2020, in courts and police stations and schools and churches and institutions throughout the land.
But I'm not counting on it.
Himpathy is too pervasive in our culture, too toxic.
Himpathy says "It would be a tragedy to ruin HIS career/future because of the pain/trauma he inflicted on HER."
Himpathy says "It's understandable and okay for HIM to treat HER as an object, to elicit the belonging and approval of his fellow Dudebros."
Himpathy says "SHE can explain in accurate and complete detail but it's not understandable or acceptable until HE explains the same thing."
Himpathy says "HE can be a minister/bishop/prophet/imam/rabbi but SHE can't."
Himpathy says "I don't feel the impact of the news from HER voice, but when HE gives it, it's more important, believable, real, authoritative."
Himpathy says "HIS art/musical composition/sculpture/poetry/film is worthy of enshrining as a cultural reference point, but HERs is 'folk art' or 'chick lit' or whatever."
Himpathy says "It's okay for the collective noun in a language to be gendered in relationship to HE, because SHE applies only to this anomalous subset of not-quite-fully human members of the species."
Himpathy says "This film isn't going to have much impact unless the protagonist is a HE, because 'people' won't be able to enter into their feelings and experiences if it's a SHE."
Himpathy says "HE belongs here. SHE has to prove she can compete on the same level."
Himpathy says "People will come to see HIM play football but not to see HER play basketball, so our University will spend five million dollars on a football coach and a hundred thousand on a basketball coach."
Himpathy says "No one's going to respect our organization/institution unless we have HIM for a leader. If we have HER for a leader they'll think we're weak or negligible."
Himpathy says "We can't start the meeting until HE arrives, even though SHE is here and ready to begin."
I would love to think that America's ready to give up on Himpathy. I can't quite get there.
But failing that, I would love to think that the rising water now far out at sea is a tsunami of Himpathy rejection that is going to break with massively destructive force over the GOP.
And THAT, I believe, is achievable.
Let us make it so.
If we can't make Kavanaugh's confirmation Himpathy's last victory in our nation, let us at least make it the GOP's final triumph of Himpathy.
determinedly,
Bright
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