Some people probably shouldn’t try to make charts. I mean, take a look at this fucked up Venn diagram here:
There’s so much wrong with this diagram it’s hard to even know where to start. The letters are too small. “Narwhal” should be plural. The Sirens of Greek Mythology did lure sailors to their death with their songs, but they weren’t sea creatures. They were, rather, bird women – you know, with wings and everything. Also, while Miles Davis was indeed a thing (specifically a man) with a horn, to the best of my knowledge he never stood in a pond, at least not while playing said horn. And even if he had, it wouldn’t have made him a sea creature.
I suppose I should acknowledge that I’m the person who made this Venn Diagram. I would like to apologize for its many failings and for any damage it may have caused.
But, look, I’m not the only one who can’t design a diagram for shit. Consider this unholy mess, put together by Susan Walsh, a retrograde dating “expert” who runs a blog called Hooking Up Smart. Walsh devotes considerable energy to bashing feminists and sluts, sometimes at the same time. In a recent post, she attempted to spell out the economic costs of sluttery. This diagram was the result.
Even Walsh seemed to realize that it was a bit of a turd, and she offered it to her readers with a sort of apology:
I’m not an economist; this is really more of an exercise in common sense, as well as a work in progress.
No, you’re not. No it isn’t. And that’s no excuse. Essentially, Walsh just made up some bullshit, drew lines between different parts of the bullshit, and pretended it all made sense. There are so many things wrong with her flow chart that, as was the case with that Venn diagram above, I don’t know where to start. Graphically, it’s obviously a disaster.
And when you look at the, er, content of the diagram, it’s equally befuddling. Apparently the only possible results of a pregnancy that results from a “casual sexual relationship” being carried to term are “dropping out of school,” “promiscuity,” “substance abuse,” “violence,” and “crime,” followed closely by “prison,” then “EVENTUAL ECONOMIC STAGNATION!!!!!!!!!!” (And yes, she did use ten exclamation points.)
But my favorite bit of the diagram is the question “was sex consensual?” If it’s not, watch out! Someone might have to go to court! (For some reason she forgets to draw the requisite line to “prison,” perhaps because it is so rare for rapists to actually serve time?)
Here’s the thing, Ms. Walsh: sex that isn’t consensual is no longer an example of a “casual sexual relationship.” Sex that is not consensual is rape. Just as boxing that is not consensual is battery.
Walsh knows all this, of course. It’s just odd that in this diagram she seems to consider the supposedly dire consequences of “promiscuity” as far worse – for individuals and for society – as the consequences of rape.
She might want to make a few adjustments before she puts forth her next version of that chart.A better solution would be to simply delete it from her computer and pretend it never happened. That’s what I’m doing with my Venn diagram.
@lofgren, I have no doubt that getting raped is expensive as hell (the therapy costs alone…), however, including that in a chart called Casual Sex Relationship confuses me, since I don’t think people choose to be raped, and I don’t think rape is a common or ready result of choosing to have sex outside of marriage except in the minds of throwbacks like Walsh, and I don’t think that people who choose to rape other people (really the ones in charge of the whole “does rape exist in the world?” question) will be put off by a chart explaining that their actions could lead to ECONOMIC STAGNATION!!!!!!!!!! (though they might buy the argument in favor of condom use). We should consult the editors of Date Rape Quarterly* to see if they have any thoughts on this.
*Not an actual publication, though if it were it would likely have articles promoting condom use and headlines like “Be Nice To Your Wingman, He’s Also Your Alibi!” and “Forensic Evidence 101: A Layman’s Guide.”
lofgren: ‘Personally I think it’s worth noting that the message of the chart is: use condoms. ”
Except the box marked “did you use a condom?” empties out into the same “STD symptoms?” box whether the answer is yes or no. That might be your takeaway but it’s definitely not what she wants you to conclude.
I’m not sure how “Habitual Promiscuity” > “Marriage Delay” > “Infertility Risk” > “Childbirth delayed or Eliminated” > “Decline in Birth Rate” > “ECONOMIC STAGNATION!!!!!!!!” works.
As someone who was voluntarily sterilized at 24 I’ve found my income increasing, my economic situation advancing, my desire to return to school easier and my overall lifestyle above those who have children.
Kids are expensive! And time consuming! And should really only be produced by people who want to have them. People who feel a sense of accomplishment at raising and nurturing them. People who *like* children.
And for all the parents out there, you’re really amazing! But kids aren’t for me.
@Developers; I see you’re at least a Chicago School economist, therefore you have nothing to contribute to this conversation.
I just realized this logic is the opposite of the 1) 2)??? 3) PROFIT!!!
it’s 1) 2) ??? 3) ECONOMIC STAGNATION!!!!
xD
Is there a reason why there are three $ in the sexual assault prosecution for if you were drunk and raped? vs only two $ if you were not drunk and raped? o_O
What gets me, is I’m trying to figure out how somebody would make this chart in the first place? What must the inside of her head look like!? xD
Wait a gol-dang minute… Having kids is bad for the economy, but a declining birth rate is bad for the economy?
I think it’s: any behavior I object to is bad for the economy.
cynickal- If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get sterilized at 24? Who’d you talk to? An inquiring, near 26 year old mind that’s sick of hearing “you might change your mind” wants to know.
I think she could apply for a position as Glenn Beck’s research assistant.
Flowcharts are for technocrats who hate reading and hate syllogistic logic. They’re an excellent tool for keeping the liberal arts types down.
Venn diagrams are a little better, but as David says, they’re hell to get right.
(Trained rhetorician speaking here. YMMV, but I’ve got a master’s in this crap.)
@Jonnykale: It was back in the 90’s when many non-profits were running sterization programs. I’d heard the City of Seattle was running one and threatened my GP that if he couldn’t recommend someone to do it in my health insurance program, I’d turn to the welfare program.
I think I ruined it for everyone because those programs disappeared quickly after.
I believe a friend of mine got his done at 26 just by being stuborn.
Oh and. Best AND worst thing about flowcharts, depending on your POV: They disallow all possibilities but yes and no. Non-binary issues, or issues that can’t be reduced to yes and no, are a waste of time.
i’m SO glad you did a thing on this. I saw this chart a couple days ago and I was all WHAT IS THIS I DON’T EVEN ARRRRRG.
Also, I like how both pregnancy from casual sex relationships and decline of birthrate are on this chart as both being caused by promiscuity AT THE SAME TIME and also both leading to ECONOMIC STAGNATION.
I really hate that woman.
Damn, cynikal, I’m almost 40 and haven’t found a doc willing because I might change my mind (yeah, RIGHT). Good for you!
She’s equivocating (what a surprise).
Children, in the bounds of marriage = stable/increasing population = economic growth.
Children, outside of marriage = welfare and dads in prison/slaving to make child support payments = money removed from the economy.
So the answer to all social ills = marriage.
Which reminds me of something I was thinking about yesterday. Marriage is an interesting state. It’s actually seen, in some ways, as the default state.
One is either single, married, divorced or widowed. Once one has been married, all descriptions of your relational status are wedded to that condition’s present relation to having been married.
I know plenty of single parents who raised children outside of wedlock (I was one of those children), and they’re mostly good people with their shit together
I also know some shitty parents who had and raised their kids within a shitty marriage.
Guess which situation i want to be in?
Including sex that wasn’t consensual on this chart only makes “sense” if you believe that choosing to have extramarital sex somehow CAUSES you to get raped. Many cultural conservatives do seem to believe this, though, since having sex ruins you & drives men wild with the knowledge that you have granted your favours to others, but not them.
A supplementary reading is that “casual sex” and rape are just different forms of the same thing — you can choose to have sex, or you can choose to have non-consensual sex (presumably by making a big fuss about it after the fact). A slut makes sex non-consensual by deciding afterward that she didn’t like it… or something? But she brought it on herself by being such a ho. That’s the way people like Walsh think, or so I surmise. That’s also the only explanation for why court costs are the only “costs” associated with rape.
Also — $$$ for a rape prosecution?! That’s outrageous! I think I’ll just wait for the Groupon.
Man, if i had seen that chart without any context, I would have assumed it was satire. No one who is serious uses that many exclamation points.
@Shora: I agree, I grew up wishing my parents would just get a divorce already, since they were so obviously unhappy together.
There was a time when Susan Walsh could have just scolded the dirty sluts of the world and that was that. But, since society now frowns on moral scolding (or at least certain forms of it), she has to concern troll about ECONOMIC STAGNATION!!!!!!!!!!
There’s a lot of bad things that can happen if you drive. Car accidents, insurance rate hikes, pollution, getting towed, wildlife decimation, gas prices, vandals…ECONOMIC STAGNATION!!!!!!!
I’ve been petitioning the school board to adopt abstinence-based driver’s ed. I’ll keep the pressure on until they break.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivated_reasoning
“rather than search rationally for information that either confirms or disconfirms a particular belief, people actually seek out information that confirms what they already believe.”
So good ol’ Susan can say “See? Casual sex stops you from having babies! Or it can make you have a baby! EITHER WAY IT’S BAD!”
What a maroon.
@Victoria: My parents have a happy marriage, but my mother’s parents, while they had settled into mutually pretty much ignoring each other by the time I was old enough to remember, were never really suited to each other. They got married quick in the middle of WW2 because my grandfather, who was a navigator in a plane, was supposed to die. He beat the odds and lived to be 85, which was great, but kept them (my dour, sarcastic grandfather and spritely, inventive grandmother) stuck with each other.
My granddad wasn’t an abusive and, like I said, they settled into just doing their own things and interacting very little, but jeez. What a way to live. Marry someone when you’re 21 and have known them for all of 3 weeks, then spend a lifetime figuring out that you probably should have moved on.
summer_snow,
Ask and you shall receive 🙂
http://manboobz.com/2011/05/27/mutant-illuminati-whores-oh-my/comment-page-3/#comment-20846
It’s not really a flowchart, but it is a jumble of random things connected by dotted lines and no citations, is that good enough?
If you’re gonna be a slut, at least use contraception. It’s like the first rule of sluthood.
Cool! I’m a slut!