Trekking toward a gender neutral culture

Adding to California’s reputation as America’s nut basket, a new law requires large retailers to create neutral gender sections within toy departments.

It seems to be another move on the part of pin-headed progressives to erase differences between the sexes, despite us knowing many differences are hard wired.

You may know that the House of Representatives recently voted for “gender neutral” language, which sounds like a good thing until you realize it has red-lined words such as mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle. 

See, “parent” is imprecise when you have a particular person in mind, such as the one who birthed you, and despite what you might have heard or read, men still can’t give birth. 

No, really, they can’t. Ask Dave Chappelle, if you don’t believe me.

Of interest, though, is that degenderizing is nothing new.

My children were born in the ‘60s and me and their mother were what were called “liberals” then and we were aware that certain assumptions were made on the basis of gender, and that some of these were harmful.

We, of course, wanted the same opportunities to be offered to our daughter as to our son. Who wouldn’t? 

And we wanted him to be respectful of women. Who wouldn’t?

Without the benefit of gender neutral stores, we bought her a toy dump truck, and we bought him a rather large — 3-feet high — plastic doll.

He also had “boys” toys, she had “girls” toys, and there were neutral toys, such as coloring books and board games.

She played with the truck for a New York minute before returning to dolls and tea cups. My son dragged the plastic doll around for years, a constant companion more like a friend than a plaything.

But this was so long ago there were a lousy two genders, not 56 or more that were dreamed up by social scientists getting drunk on sherry in the Princeton faculty lounge.

This was so long ago — no gender reveal parties. Gender was revealed by the oldest grandmother who put her hand on the belly and declared the sex. Sometimes even the father’s belly.

California is the first state — of course — to meddle introduce a law dictating store design. However, in 2015, Target voluntarily decided to drop boys and girls sections, which made virtue signaling executives feel good, but made shopping more difficult for customers. 

You don’t think so?

Why does Target continue to have separate sections for men and women?

Well, not exactly equal at my nearby Target. Here is the sign for women. Pretty clear, you’d have to agree.

But when it comes to men, suddenly letters are passe. Instead of MENSWEAR, we get pictures, hieroglyphics. Like this

Kind of insulting, right guys? But it does avoid gender, right? Like this:

See, “baby” has no gender.

And from what I know, babies like rattles no matter what color they are, which almost brings me to a discussion of race, but I’m not in the mood.

Men are moody (too) you know.

Dividing by gender is convenient for the customer.

It’s why produce and electronics are in separate departments. They are not jumbled together.

It’s logical organization, that’s all. Nothing nefarious or sexist.