I have no doubt that Sady wrote from the heart and that her article reflects her experience. The fact that so many women have offered a hearty “amen” suggests that hers is not an isolated perspective. Still, I feel compelled to make a few qualifying observations:

First, because we tend to put people into boxes without actually knowing them (and how well those boxes fit) let me say that I am a retired, gay, Jewish, white male who is both a Democrat and a vegetarian. I spent my entire career in human services, working with older adults and people with disabilities. I was also involved for many years in an organization campaigning for racial justice. And if it is relevant, my partner is African American and my grandchildren are biracial.

Second, during my career I probably supervised between three and four hundred employees. Most were women, but a substantial number were men. Not all of the latter were emotionally mature, but few asked for or seemed to expect my support in that arena. Those who spent hours in my office, discussing their feelings and the ways that the organization could better support them were generally female. I am not saying that all women traded on their emotions — they most certainly did not. Most people that I supervised, regardless of gender, were decent people trying hard to do good work, and it was an honor to work with them. But Brett Kavanaugh, with his feigned emotions — righteous indignation one moment, bewildered victim the next — was hardly representative of the men that I supervised over the past 40-odd years.

Third, and last, the most fundamental human right is the right to be judged as the unique individual that you are. In the second paragraph I listed some of the categories that I might fall into. But I would guess that I am not actually “typical” of any of them. I am acutely aware of both white privilege and male privilege, and I realize that I have benefited from both — but please don’t reduce me and my life to either of those categories, because I am much more than that.

Sady’s critique is an accurate assessment of a significant number of males. It loses force, however, when painted over the entire gender with a broad brush.