The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. — Ecclesiastes 1:9
Welcome to 2018.
We should be happy we made it this far, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to endure some of the ills of advancement. By “ill” in today’s column, I mean when people treat the period between when they were born and today as the only era worth mentioning in world history, and ignore the basics of humanity.
Did you know men and women have sex? Did you know men and women do drugs?
Did you know men and women at times have sex and do drugs at the same time? Did you know male nature includes tribal traits that often express themselves in conquering things like business, land, enemies, and – yes — women?
If you didn’t know all that, chances are your majored in Women’s Studies. Don’t worry, journalist Emily Chang is here to clear things up for you.
In an adaptation from her new book, Brotopia, Emily Chang exposes the tired and toxic dynamic at play.
…About once a month, on a Friday or Saturday night, the Silicon Valley Technorati gather for a drug-heavy, sex-heavy party. Sometimes the venue is an epic mansion in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights; sometimes it’s a lavish home in the foothills of Atherton or Hillsborough. On special occasions, the guests will travel north to someone’s château in Napa Valley or to a private beachfront property in Malibu or to a boat off the coast of Ibiza, and the bacchanal will last an entire weekend. The places change, but many of the players and the purpose remain the same.
The stories I’ve been told by nearly two dozen people who have attended these events or have intimate knowledge of them are remarkable in a number of ways. Many participants don’t seem the least bit embarrassed, much less ashamed. On the contrary, they speak proudly about how they’re overturning traditions and paradigms in their private lives, just as they do in the technology world they rule. Like Julian Assange denouncing the nation-state, industry hotshots speak of these activities in a tone that is at once self-congratulatory and dismissive of criticism. Their behavior at these high-end parties is an extension of the progressiveness and open-mindedness—the audacity, if you will—that make founders think they can change the world. And they believe that their entitlement to disrupt doesn’t stop at technology; it extends to society as well. Few participants, however, have been willing to describe these scenes to me without a guarantee of anonymity.
I love these gems:
On their way up to a potential multi-million-dollar payout, some younger founders report, more and more women seem to become mysteriously attracted to them no matter how awkward, uncool, or un¬at¬trac¬tive they may be.
…
Men actually get business done at sex parties and strip clubs. But when women put themselves in these situations, they risk losing credibility and respect.
I’m surprised Chang’s book isn’t titled, “Well, I never!” The actual title is, Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley so that should tell you where she stands on the issue of men versus wom – sorry – women versus men.
If you’ve read anything I’ve written, you know how our country’s moral degradation concerns me. My criticism of Chang is not that she’s telling the truth (she admits the following: “Rich men expecting casual sexual access to women is anything but a new paradigm.”) It’s that she’s dousing her reporting with fake, almost religiously apoplectic notes as if, as a grown woman and journalist, she never heard of men doing business, the two sexes getting together in this way, or the alleged free drug and love revolution of the 1960s and the awful consequences the Baby Boomer generation has brought into the 21st century.
This makes for titillating reading, but it’s nothing new. While expository in its nature, Chang’s adaptation and book will not reveal a single thing you couldn’t already guess about men and making money. Boys tend to play with dinosaurs, and girls tend to play with dolls. Generally speaking, nature is set. The year of our Lord 2018 will contain every last ounce of male and female nature from Adam and Eve, but with more gadgets to select your behavior, good or bad.
Image: Excerpted from: CC0 Creative Commons; https://pixabay.com/en/devil-orgy-statue-mythology-2562413/
Your choice.
