Not Quite, Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Thank you, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for reminding me how much I hate gender stereotyping.

In an appearance on MSNBC, Wasserman Schultz made the following statements with respect to the government shutdown:

“If we put all the women, Republican and Democrat in the House together, the consensus from all of us is that we would get this done in a few hours.”

“Usually women prefer to hang back–they might take a firm position–but they’re going to leave themselves some room because in a negotiation, a woman doesn’t want to ruin the person on the other side of the aisle or the table. They want to make sure they can find a way to have them feel good about the final outcome and also make sure that they get as much out of the negotiation as they can.”

She also contended that women are “less dug in” when it comes to their political positions.

That is utterly ridiculous. First off, I know plenty of women who dig their heels in on principle (I’m one of them.). Secondly, the notion that women–as a gender whole–are more willing and able to compromise and/or more inclined to want the opposition to “feel good about the final outcome” is absurd.

Are there women like that? Sure. And there are women who are exactly the opposite. Just like there are men like that and men who are the opposite.

Could the right group of women sit in a room and come to a solution? Sure. So could the right group of men and the right mixed group of men and women. This has nothing to do with gender.

Individuals are individuals for a reason. So start treating us that way.

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