Mike Huckabee on Professional Civility

Potential Republican presidential candidate and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) is taking a fair bit of grief over his perception of work place standards. Huckabee bemoaned the constant use of profanity while he was at Fox News, even among women.The fact that Huckabee’s comments have garnered such attention largely reflects our own society’s competing conceptions of femininity.

Huckabee’s basic point is that standards in the Midwest and South are different from those in urban areas and on the coasts. His view of women is probably driving the ridicule. Huckabee assumes that women should be more civilized than men and thereby less likely to swear in public. Though he does not excuse men, he is more offended by female utterances.

Huckabee’s views are old-fashioned, to be sure. He thinks, it seems, that women should cultivate social virtues and abide by a standard that men should strive for, while men seek more masculine pursuits. Huckabee’s statements certainly clash with our culture’s expectation that there are few if any differences between genders, either in conduct or in our understanding of what men and women ought to do and be.

I am honestly unsure what to think about it. In one sense, Huckabee is unwise to raise the issue because it highlights his social conservatism in a way that only damages him. It is all cost and very little benefit. If you are going to absorb costs for social conservatism, this is not the issue on which to do it. Besides, even saying such a thing within the context of a political discussion implies, fairly or not, a misplaced view of government and its proper role. At the same time, what Huckabee says is unquestionably true. Our culture has coarsened dramatically, and profanity that would have been publicly unthinkable two or three decades ago is now widely celebrated.

This does not mean that people did not swear before, but they did so in different contexts. What was once reserved for the locker room or the private conversation is now paraded on social media, television, and the workplace. We have degraded our social filters when it comes to language and sexuality. I must confess, however, that I don’t get too worked up about such things. Swearing, while sometimes offensive, is more often a reflection of a poor vocabulary and an uninteresting mind.

The More Things Change…

It seems like the new boss is a lot like the old boss in Saudi Arabia. Four people have been beheaded during the first four days of new King Salman’s reign.

Michelle Obama’s Political Statement

Speaking of Saudi Arabia (and clashing views of femininity), Michelle Obama has earned both praise and scorn for her fashion choices in the kingdom. At a public event yesterday, the First Lady, along with her husband, greeted Saudi leaders, including the new King, dressed as a western woman, and not veiled in the hijab. For pictures and a description, go here.

Our government should always maintain a respect for other religions, but officials should not conform to those religions out of a misplaced obligation. The First Lady’s choice sends a powerful statement about western standards and our culture’s view of women, which stands in sharp contrast to the Saudi way.

I hope her husband shows a similar kind of resolve as he confronts Iran.

On Hitler’s Stationery

Jay Nordlinger, at National Review Online, has a profound little post that manages to reflect on the costs of good in the face of evil. Do yourself a favor and read it.