The feminist leer

Dr. Helen:

When I look at my husband with affection, am I leering?

I guess not since I'm a woman and can do no wrong except for being a right-leaning libertarian. However, if you're a man, particularly a Republican man, who looks at his wife with affection, you are now accused of "leering"--especially if you are Fred Thompson. For those of you not familiar with the story from the other day, MSNBC talk show host Joe Scarborough made a crude comment about Thompson's wife "working the pole."

I then read this post by someone named "Libby" at The Newshogger's Blog, saying:

But what really struck me about this piece was the photo. If you didn't know, you would think it was a father and daughter, well except for the slightly lecherous look in his eyes. It's clear he's proud of his beautiful young wife, who is actually four years younger than his real daughter....

Even assuming they fell crazy in love and just had to be together, it's somewhat jarring to see them together in the photo. She looks so young, you expect that she signs her name with a little smiley face instead of a dot on the "i" at the end. In studying that shot, I couldn't help but think if Fred has been dating her only a few years eariler it would have been considered a sex offense [see update].

Now Libby updates her post to mention that she misread Ms. Thompson's age, thinking she was in her 20's when she was actually forty but I say, so what? This is yet another example of a woman who deep down believes that men have no right to leer at women, lest it be considered a sex offense. And she is not alone, there are many other women who feel that unless one is Bill Clinton or the object of their own lecherous desires (of course, for these women, their own desire is called empowerment--not lechery!), a regular joe has no right to look at a woman--not even in pictures--with desire in his heart. In their eagar quest to control men's sexual rights, some "feminist" women (and other prudish ones too!) go to extremes to shame, expose or intimidate men who let their lust for women dare come to the surface.

...

It would have never occurred to me that a man smiling and looking his wife in the eyes would ever be considered leering. You can check the picture at the link above. When I see the picture I see a happy couple enjoying themselves at a public event in a wholly appropriate way. They appear to like each other and thats OK. BTW, for a leer, at least one eyebrow needs to be raised.

While Jeri Thompson is blessed with a youthful appearance the age difference is not outside the undeclared test of half the mans age plus seven years. Since she is over 39 she makes the cut.