John Gibbs, aTrump-endorsed Republican candidate for one of Michigan's US House seats, is making waves in the news for all the wrong reasons.
During his time at Stanford University, Gibbs founded what he labeled a "think tank" called "The Society for the Critique of Feminism". As one might expect from the name, they were highly critical of women and claimed women simply didn't have the qualifications to be in roles of power.
"...women do not posess [sic] the characteristics necessary to govern, and since women have a more important task to do, which is to prepare the next generation, they are commanded not to rule."
Gibbs hosted this "think tank" on his personal student website through the university, and seemingly used it as a place to put his essays on the failings of women.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately given his base) for Gibbs, Stanford archives all student websites, so his words are still around for any and everyone to read.
The writings on the site make the case for patriarchy being the only appropriate way of living, with such justifications as the assertion that men were just more suited to be in charge because men supposedly have what women lack.
"the ability to think logically about broad and abstract ideas in order to deduce a suitable conclusion, without relying upon emotional reasoning"
He further claimed men who support women's rights are apparently somehow defective.
"It occurs very frequently that men who do not have the ability to think logically in an abstract manner end up supporting feminism and other irrational ideologies."
Gibbs also posted an essay called "Does Christianity support patriarchy" in which he used specific Bible quotes out of context to support his argument that it does. Rather bizarrely, he also used an interpretation of the theory of evolution to support his assertion men and women are fundamentally different and unequal and men should be in charge.
"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."
"The theory of evolution, if you believe it, states that the strongest species survive; and that if a species has traits which it does not need for survival, those traits will be phased out over time (such as hairy, ape-like, bodies for humans). Therefore, we must conclude that there is some biological reason, for the benefit of the human race, for the differentiation between male and female, otherwise there would be no such thing as male and female."
In addition to these writings while he was in college, Gibbs supported an organization called Fathers Manifesto—which called for the repeal of the 19th Amendment and blamed women's suffrage for such absurd things as capital punishment and drunk driving laws.
Some Twitter users thought this news probably ruined Gibbs' chances of election...
\u201c@OccupyDemocrats @LaBluedot Well, that GOP seat (held by Peter Meijer) just flipped to D.\u201d— Occupy Democrats (@Occupy Democrats) 1663874481
...while others were pretty sure it wouldn't make much of a difference to Republicans at all.
\u201c@OccupyDemocrats The irony here is that hearing that will not deter all Republican women from voting for him.\n\nAfter all. Ann Coulter said the same thing years ago.\u201d— Occupy Democrats (@Occupy Democrats) 1663874481
Some were concerned for the future.
\u201c@OccupyDemocrats They are coming for women's right to vote next.\u201d— Occupy Democrats (@Occupy Democrats) 1663874481
\u201c@BebeWrigg @OccupyDemocrats A serious candidate shouldn\u2019t ever need to say things just to be provocative. There are enough real issues to address.\u201d— Occupy Democrats (@Occupy Democrats) 1663874481
\u201c@BebeWrigg @OccupyDemocrats Funny how opposing women\u2019s suffrage *doesn\u2019t* provoke the right.\u201d— Occupy Democrats (@Occupy Democrats) 1663874481
\u201c@OccupyDemocrats @Alberto43429006 So now they want to take away women's voting rights.\u201d— Occupy Democrats (@Occupy Democrats) 1663874481
\u201c@BebeWrigg @OccupyDemocrats They\u2019ll say \u201cI was only kidding\u201d, which is a lie, they are dead serious.\u201d— Occupy Democrats (@Occupy Democrats) 1663874481
Gibbs has since denied, through a spokesperson, he believes any of the things he said on his website.
"John made the site to provoke the left on campus and to draw attention to the hypocrisy of some modern-day feminists. It was nothing more than a college kid being over the top."
"Of course, John does not believe that women shouldn’t vote or shouldn’t work, and his mother worked for thirty-three years for the Michigan Department of Transportation!"
He then further claimed the suspiciously long and well articulated arguments against women's freedoms were simply satire and offhand trolling of liberal students on campus.
"I was in college, 23 years ago.”
“And this was made as a satire, of trolling against the liberals on campus after we had a discussion about what freedom really means.
Gibbs won out over Republican incumbent Representative Peter Meijer, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted for Trump's impeachment, in the state's GOP primary election on August 2.
\u201cRepublicans voted out Peter Meijer for impeaching Trump and replaced him with John Gibbs, who called for ending womens\u2019 suffrage.\n\nRepublicans would rather have a candidate who said women shouldn\u2019t have the RIGHT TO VOTE than someone who did something mean to Trump.\u201d— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen) 1663853571
It doesn't appear Gibbs is much of an outlier in the GOP.
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