Indeed, "Barbie" was meta in its incoherence, in service to feminism's incoherence. I couldn't tell whether it was a satire on feminism, while thinking, "Feminism IS satire." Ironically, the most likable and empathetic character was Ryan Gossling's Ken. He was the only "doll" that demonstrated any modicum of complexity.

Considering that Margot Robbie was among the producers, my movie companion and I couldn't understand why she played such a flat role if the themes in any way support feminism. The costumes were infantilizing, the set, the attitudes towards "careers" -- and the directionless plot was yet another incoherent, meta-feminist feature. After all, what IS the telos of feminism anyway? Last night, the topic of 'mansplaining' came up in the usual derisive manner. I pointed out that it's likely an evolutionary trait. Who would respect a man who doesn't know what he's doing, or who can't explain how something works? The Millennial replied, "They're not answering the question I asked. They go back to the beginning. All the guys in tech do this." I found this intriguing because there might be a rationale for going back to the beginning that SHE just doesn't get. This in the context of my opening the meeting with an anecdote of the female-run department where one teacher announced that a student has a LEARNING DISABILITY in such a way you'd think the school was on fire. Everyone else responds that the student is doing well in their classes and gets her work turned in on time. So I asked what evidence she has of a learning disability and the response was "it takes her a while to process information and do her work." Since this is an ESL course, wouldn't that seem par for the course? I was the only one to say I wouldn't get her tested unless her work was suffering, which it isn't. The Millennial's response to my anecdote was that testing would get her more time to complete her work, to which I responded, But she gets her work in on time. Working slowly is not a learning disability. So she gets labeled as having a 'disability' and then when she goes looking for a job, she tells her boss she needs more time to complete her work?

I mean the lack of foresight is abominable.

I did laugh at the scene where the Kens are playing guitars for bored Barbies on the beach. There is some truth to that.. And that, too, is an evolutionary trait. Singing is a fitness signal. But women aren't interested in the science behind anything, just like the Millennial said: They're not answering the question I asked.

On another note, I would love to read Janice's take on the debate sponsored by Bari Weiss and The Free Press. The motion (which in typical female fashion was a question and not a statement) was "Has the Sexual Revolution Failed?" Apparently, the No side was won by Sarah Haider and Grimes. Yet Haider's arguments were all feminist vitriol -- prior to the sexual revolution all sex was apparently coerced, women were sex slaves and so on. I couldn't control myself while this ideologue was reinventing history. As for Grimes, I thought she was arguing the other side.