Here I am catching up on some outer news, moving from an article on the last survivor of the Titanic, to this odd thread about educational departments and teaching of the ills of communism.

Interesting piece actually. With a title that reads:
How persistent can a failed ideology be?

Arguing about whether or not to teach about the attrocities of communist/socialist regimes.

A click here and a click there, and the headline
Swedish feminists should embrace free markets

It was about this time that I checked to see if my world was still in color, and if I might be the subject of a new twilight zone episode.

This is from Swedish news in english, so its pretty darn interesting to see such capitalist trends, and see them directed at feminists who have generally thrown their hats in with the ideology covered in the first article.

It's even more interesting when you read that they have determined the pay gap is gone, and we are still arguing about it.

A demographer at Queens College has recently reported that women of all educational levels within the age group 21-30 and working full time make 17 percent more in salary than the corresponding group of men. A similar situation is also found in Chicago, Boston and Minneapolis. In Dallas, the gap was 20 percent in favor of women.

however such logical gems as;

The lack of progress for feminism might be due to the strong influence of left wing ideology, which creates alienation. Many Swedish feminists readily mix Marxist ideas with the women’s cause.

Let me know that things are more normal than first blush would seem.

As does this little quote;

in a speech given at Lund University, one of the leading figures of Swedish feminism, Professor Tiina Ronsenberg is quoted as saying: “Do not be depressed – act. Sooner or later the patriarchy and capitalism will fall, I promise!”

The Twilight Zone feel is that the article was holding the facts up and calling it like it is. This is even more shocking when their suggestion is that being socialists just was the wrong side to be on. That not only do quotes like above turn people off, but just having the wrong people in your party can do it too.

Another example is that of Gudrun Schyman. The leading figure in the Swedish feminist party is also the former leader of the Swedish Left Party, which used to be tied to the Soviet Union. Understandably, feminist ideas become less relevant for public policy decisions when strongly tied to radical left wing ideology.

The irony is massive.

But is their analysis true to begin with — that capitalism as such is against the interests of women? One can make two simple observations that disprove this hypothesis. Firstly, all countries in the world with high standards of living standard have, in one way or another, adopted market economies. For example, a rapid development from poverty to wealth is occurring in China, Vietnam, India and Eastern Europe due to a transition from socialism to capitalism. This development is undeniably good for both men and women.

At this point is when they rack off how well american women (of whom many ardent feminists still think they are very oppressed) are doing compared to men (though failing to realize that if they are ahead they are not equal).

They also point out how well women are doing in Sweden.

In Sweden on the other hand, female entrepreneurship is particularly limited. When the Swedish Federation of Private Enterprises compared 25 European nations, they found that only Ireland and Malta had a higher ratio of male to female entrepreneurs than Sweden. Only 3.9 percent of Swedish women run their own businesses, compared to a 5.7 percent average in the 25 EU nations surveyed.

And much more bravely than here make the point;

Limited opportunities for female entrepreneurship in Sweden are strongly linked to welfare policies. Women tend to work in caring services, such as healthcare. These jobs typically fall within various state monopolies in Sweden where entrepreneurship is either not allowed or strictly limited.

Professional women are also hurt by the monopolies, since employment in the public sector is often characterized by low wages. This is the reason why American nurses, who often work in the private sector, have the same salaries as Swedish doctors, usually employed by the public sector. Jobs in the public sector are also associated with bad working conditions. In Sweden, half of those on long term sick leave are found within the public sector, which only employs a third of the workforce.

The bigger question is whether the news will reach america before america becomes more Swedish than the Swedes?

Creating the opportunities for young women to catch up with, or even surpass, young men requires that we open up public monopolies for entrepreneurship and competition. There is then a case to be made that free markets promote rather than hinder the cause of women. The Swedish feminist movement would gain in popularity and be better able to find constructive solutions if they replace traditional anti-capitalist sentiments with a more open-minded view of the role of free markets.

I guess now we can realize that for the past 40 years they have been reversing the engine and if they had succeeded (which they still might), they would have driven themselves into a ditch of low wages and stagnation.

I never thought I would see the day that I would read in a Swedish newspaper what amounts to "The mythical capitalist patriarchy was and is better to women than feminism, socialism, and communism".

Anyone want to mention how many have been telling them so?

Taj!!