Helen Smith makes her debut in today's Culture Briefs:
Research from a British study of 22,000 people over 50 years shows that women are the angrier sex. ..."The researchers speculate that women's anger is prompted by feelings of powerlessness caused by 'entrenched sexism in modern society.' As opposed to what, less sexism in ancient society? When sexism was more prevalent, women were even more 'ladylike.' Today's women are encouraged to express anger in our 'you go, girl' culture but instead of using anger constructively, women continue to take the mean-girl routes, talking behind people's backs, avoiding confrontation and personal responsibility for their anger by being anonymous and/or passive aggressive in their approach. What this leads to is probably ... more anger."
So, who is Helen Smith, you ask? Well, she's a forensic psychologist who lives in Knoxville, Tenn., and blogs as "Dr. Helen." Among bloggers, however, she is famous as the "Instawife," being the bride of University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds, whose Instapundit.com is one of the most popular blogs, sometimes drawing more than 200,000 visitors per day.
The discussion of the British study about angry women prompted a comment by Vox Day:
The truth is that most women are walking around half-cocked at all times, always a single comment away from erupting in anger. ...
Anger isn't often righteous, it's usually stupid, petty and irrational. If one feels angry all the time, or bordering on being angry all the time, then one is teetering on the edge of constant irrationality.
Mr. Day continues on this theme in his latest WorldNetDaily column:
I don't pretend to know what so many women are so angry about. But it is ludicrous to pretend that it is the result of male oppression, considering that it is the politically and economically liberated American women who are the most poisonously furious women on the planet.
Angry women should feel free to leave angry comments. But remember I'm just reporting what other people said about a British study. Don't shoot the messenger -- or bonk him on the head with a rolling pin.
-- Robert Stacy McCain, assistant national editor, The Washington Times
