R.O.I.

One of the words that I've read (and heard) over and over again since Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's accusations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh went public is "misogyny." I've heard quite a bit of the term in reference to the recent hearings in the Senate, when Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh directly addressed the accusations made by/against them, respectively.

One of the things that may be driving this is the observation, that I've heard frequently recently, the the Trump Administration, the Republican party and movement Conservatism more broadly do not specifically need Judge Kavanaugh. There are any number of other judges out there who would be considered qualified for an Associate Justice position on the Supreme Court and would agree with the idea that the intent of the authors of the Constitution just happens to neatly dovetail with the exact priorities of modern Conservatism.

While I'm personally dubious that if we were talking about a Dr. Kavanaugh making accusations against Judge Ford, the outcome would be any different, I understand the sentiment. Dr. Ford has accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual assault against her, and there is a remarkably intense closing of the ranks around someone who is effectively expendable.

And what this points to is the degree to which people in this process appear to be very much invested in the person of Judge Kavanaugh as an individual, rather than a replaceable cog in a machine. This is perhaps due to the fact that the mid-term Congressional elections are quickly approaching, and if the Republicans lose their majority in the Senate, it's unlikely that there will be enough conservative Democrats to allow President Trump to push through another judge as conservative as Kavanaugh.

(In this sense it reminds me of the bit from Matthew 26: "Aware of this, Jesus asked, 'Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed to Me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me. By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial'." Conservatives may feel that there will always be injustices against women they can stand up for, but the ability to lock in a fifth Conservative seat on the Supreme Court is fleeting.)

In my opinion, Judge Kavanaugh is deemed worth more than Dr. Ford not because their differing sexes, but because of the high level of investment that has been made in Judge Kavanaugh; having him not seated to the bench represents a loss of that investment. As I see it, there is less sexism in throwing women under the bus to protect (over)investments that American society has made in men than there is in the general refusal to similarly invest more in women than society is willing to lose. There is less a general animosity directed at women in play here than there is a lack of confidence that women will repay the investments made in them in the same way that men will.

Which is sexism, pure and simple. But, as a sexism built around a refusal to invest in women to the point where other considerations become secondary is different than one built around animus. Therefore, perhaps the reason the problem still exists is that we haven't been treating the correct symptoms.