Toward a Libertarian Society by Walter Block

Author:Walter Block
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-61016-629-4
Publisher: Mises Institute
Published: 2014-05-13T16:00:00+00:00

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Published November 10, 2001.

Chapter 26

Don’t Take Your Daughter To Work and Other Un-PC Thoughts

When Murray Rothbard was asked to account for his writing output, he would sometimes reply, “Hatred is my muse.” By this he meant that he would read something — a book, an article, an op-ed, whatever — and he would be filled with a loathing for its content. He would be almost driven to blast away at it, swearing a mighty oath that the offending verbiage would not be allowed to stand unanswered.

Right now I have in front of me a piece by Newsweek sob sister Anna Quindlen extolling the virtues of Take Our Daughters to Work Day. While I don’t mean to equate my output with Rothbard’s writing, certainly not with the sheer enormity of it, to say nothing of its quality, something of the same reaction is welling up in me. If I read any more of this sort of thing, I think I’ll be sick. It’s either that or criticize it, however unaccustomed I am to such a role. Accordingly, I shall attempt to at least start the process of peeling away some of the many fallacies and pretensions of the feminists who argue in this way. Not that Miss (sic!) Quindlen is the worst offender of this ilk, but as the wrap-up writer for every second issue of Newsweek, she certainly reaches a large audience. Hence, a few critical remarks.

1. There is nothing wrong with taking children — both girls and boys — to work to see what their parents are up to on Monday through Friday, 9–5. If the kids can more easily picture their parents while separated from them, this cannot help but be all to the good. But surely this applies equally to boys and girls.

Even here, however, there are problems. For one thing, why is it that there are so many mothers who have abandoned their children, many at very tender ages? If poverty has engendered this decision, well and good. But all too often this stems either from feminist ideology (“work good, motherhood bad;” “we can too have it all”), or from the avaricious nature of the modern state, which has raised taxes to such unconscionable levels that both parents are often forced to work.

2. Another motive for taking the kiddies to work is to get them acclimated to this activity. Here, the case is far less compelling. For one thing, it is way too premature, especially for the very young. For another, there is always the danger that the lesson learned will be that the kids should follow in their parent’s footsteps, not with regard to work in general, but rather that specific type of employment. This is problematic because the well-being of the next generation depends upon their making their own way in this regard. There is nothing more sad than picking a career not based upon personal likes and dislikes, but rather on the basis of following in the footsteps of someone else.

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