The Pete Buttigieg Parental Leave Debate Has Lost the Plot
Former presidential candidate and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband have adopted twins, and Pete is taking some time off for parental leave. Currently, we have a supply chain crisis that is probably one of the only things a Transporation Secretary should care about, and that topic requires a much more nuanced conversation. The larger debate is between the Left and the Right about the topic of parental leave. On the Right, you have people like Tucker Carlson and others against the entire idea of paid parental leave. On the left, you have people defending Pete’s decision to take parental leave because it’s something American’s should have.
The biggest issue that nobody seems to be talking about is how we only care about serious topics affecting millions of Americans when it involves a public figure or big news story. We only care about domestic violence when a story like Gabby Petito becomes major news. We only talk about the mental health crisis when a celebrity commits suicide. We only discuss the opioid epidemic when a famous person dies of a fatal overdose. And finally, the only reason paid parental leave is a topic of public conversation is because of Pete Buttigieg.
I’m an optimist and really try to see the glass as half full. I’m sure there are plenty of people saying, “Well, at least we’re talking about it,” and to that, I say, “Kick rocks.” This is no different than the arguments around woke culture and the fact that people would rather sit around and raise awareness than actually do anything.
American workers are treated like absolute garbage and adhere to a completely different set of rules than the privileged and the powerful. With hundreds of articles and videos about the news around Pete, I have yet to see a single person point out the fact that the only reason Pete is able to take advantage of this is because of his position of power.
Even some of my favorite political commentators like Krystal Ball and Kyle Kulinski have completely missed this crucial aspect of the story. The news cycle moves so fast, and I know these commentators have bills to pay, so they have to stay on top of relevant news. The stone-cold reality is that next week, neither of them will be talking about parental leave unless this story is still relevant. I will give them credit for discussing how the infrastructure bill contains provisions for universal pre-K to help parents, but it’s still missing the larger point.
Pete Buttigieg taking two months off is yet another example of the powerful living in a completely different reality. Most Americans legitimately have to debate whether or not they can take a sick day in fear of losing money or getting in trouble with their employer. If you’re a supervisor, manager, or any other higher-up, you can take time off whenever you want and bend the rules in whatever way suits you.
When people say we live in a meritocracy, it’s based on the idea that the most valuable, hardest workers get paid the most. The ability to take time off is just one of the thousands of reasons why this isn’t true. With all of the workers currently striking and quitting due to working insane hours, how many managers and executives have taken time off for vacations or just because they felt like it?
I’ve even seen progressives excuse Pete’s time off by saying, “Well, it’s alright for Pete to take that time off since he’s for parental leave.” To that, I say, “Give me a fucking break.” I’d respect Pete if he went back to work a week after those kids were born so he knew what millions of Americans are dealing with.
Remember the eviction crisis back in August when Cori Bush slept on the steps of congress? Now that is taking action. Sitting in your ivory tower benefiting from something that most Americans can’t do is just another example of the liberal elite being disconnected from reality.
If you’ve set the bar at “raising awareness”, I suggest you bring that bar up a little higher if you actually care and hope to see some change. If not, we’ll all just be sitting here watching stories go in and out of the news cycle while we stay in the dark ages compared to other nations that are doing a far better job with these policies.
I’ve been working on organizing all the books I’ve read, and I have multiple lists of books on becoming a better thinker. There are lists for education, social issues, critical thinking, self-deception, and biases. For the rest of the categories, click here.
I’m always open for a conversation and to be shown what I might be missing or where I may be wrong, so feel free to email me at TheRewiredSoul@gmail.com