Putting hormones in better balance
State Sen. Debbie Halverson seems to think there are differences between men and women but unlike Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard, she is not being politically "corrected" for those thoughts. She is not saying there are differences in math and science ability between men and women, as Summers did, but differences in governing ability.
As quoted in the Herald Sept 21, Halverson thinks, "there is too much testosterone" and that is the cause of many of the problems at the state Capitol. "If I was in on those meetings, things would not be going that way. Too much testosterone in there, if you know what I mean."
Her solution? Elect more women, thus leveling the testosterone-to-estrogen ratio.
At Harvard, after the Summers brouhaha, they established a fund to help women professors cope by offering such services as preschool and babysitting. I think Illinois should do something similar by offering services to male politicians to help them cope with their, shall we say, hormonal vagaries.
For example, seminars on "warm hugging" could be offered, emphasizing the female alternative to the handshake. Men have been seen doing this with other men, to a degree, at weddings and funerals, but they have shown an unwillingness to do this routinely in public. Most men would have a timing problem with this approach i.e. how long do you do the "hug" before it becomes something more than a greeting? Women might say 20-30 seconds (while you whisper in the other person's ear) while men would be uncomfortable with more than 20 or 30 nanoseconds. That could be a problem but perhaps, with training, not an insurmountable one.
Another seminar could be titled "Hand holding for compromise," subtitled "The president did it with a sheik, so you can too!"
And to show his leadership on this issue I think the governor should announce that he, Mayor Daley and arch opponent Michael Madigan will walk hand-in-hand in next St. Patrick Day's Parade.
The final seminar would be "Dressing for Congeniality" where the governor would learn that the dark suits and tight neckties he has a tendency to wear have been shown to increase levels of testosterone, causing the confrontational behavior that so often impacts negatively on political compromise. And to show that he is a true leader and is committed to developing his feminine side, the governor will show up at his next press conference wearing high-heels and panty hose.
Otherwise Sen. Halverson may have to introduce new legislation requiring estrogen drug therapy for all elected menopausal males whenever the budget isn't passed on time. Stay tuned.
Bill Zettler
Mundelein