NRO writer: Obama’s daughters are turning him into a woman!

Kevin Williamson

I’ve never heard of National Review Online columnist Kevin D. Williamson, and I’m willing to bet that no biology schoolteacher ever has, either. And yet, here he is, waxing profound idiocy about evolutionary biology in this bizarre argument about why women should vote for Mitt Romney instead of President Obama:

You want off-the-charts status? Check out the curriculum vitae of one Willard M. Romney: $200 million in the bank (and a hell of a lot more if he didn’t give so much away), apex alpha executive, CEO, chairman of the board, governor, bishop, boss of everything he’s ever touched. Son of the same, father of more. It is a curious scientific fact (explained in evolutionary biology by the Trivers-Willard hypothesis — Willard, notice) that high-status animals tend to have more male offspring than female offspring, which holds true across many species, from red deer to mink to Homo sap. The offspring of rich families are statistically biased in favor of sons — the children of the general population are 51 percent male and 49 percent female, but the children of the Forbes billionaire list are 60 percent male. Have a gander at that Romney family picture: five sons, zero daughters. Romney has 18 grandchildren, and they exceed a 2:1 ratio of grandsons to granddaughters (13:5). When they go to church at their summer-vacation home, the Romney clan makes up a third of the congregation. He is basically a tribal chieftain.

Professor Obama? Two daughters. May as well give the guy a cardigan. And fallopian tubes.

I’d declare that Williamson is a sexist prick, but upon further reflection, I realize that I have no bloody idea what he’s even trying to say. Having daughters makes a father effeminate? Are women supposed to be less likely to vote for a man based on whether his offspring is male or female? What about if he has both girls and boys? And what about the fact that he’s, y’know, the President of the United States, which one might think ranks a fair bit above “boring rich dude” when it comes to social “status”?

Oh hell, I’m overthinking it again. Williamson is a sexist prick – and scientifically illiterate to boot.

(via Dispatches from the Culture Wars)

Tags: Kevin Williamson • Barack Obama • Mitt Romney • evolutionary biology • women