Outnumbered - Monday, July 11
On today's episode, Brian Kilmeade is 'Outnumbered' as Democrats poll in opposition of Biden running for a second term and the media facing a credibility crisis.
Left-leaning media outlet Slate faced backlash for publishing an article questioning if divorce was actually harmful for children.
Monday's article headlined, "How Americans Became Convinced Divorce Is Bad for Kids," noted how many Americans think it’s a "shame" that many children in this country grow up in broken homes. But the authors suggested it was a mistake to blame the negative ramifications for children on parents living in separate households.
Instead, they proposed that most of the problems with divorce actually stem from "sexism, racism, homophobia, shoddy recordkeeping, and insufficient government support."
Close up of decisive woman take off wedding ring (iStock)
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The article's controversial headline and theme drew a strong reaction on social media.
National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin mocked the authors' claims, writing, "Have you ever asked children of divorce how much fun it was?"
Columnist and Fox News contributor Bethany S. Mandel tweeted, "Child of divorce here, it's not."
McLaughlin sent a follow-up tweet calling out the "incessant gaslighting" article. He suggested Slate was trying to appease an audience who "desperately" needed to be told that divorce didn't hurt kids.
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Political consultant Ellen Carmichael and Mark Hemingway, senior writer at Real Clear Investigations, agreed that the article was written to alleviate divorced parents' guilty feelings.
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The Slate article went on to blame the historical backlash to divorce as a "patriarchal" reaction to "increasing female employment and independence."
Conservatives had employed a "sexist, racist narrative of the declining family," while not giving enough attention to the "structural forces" behind divorce, the authors argued.
They went on to say that a variety of factors, from poverty to mental health, were more accurate indicators driving the negative effects of divorce.
Cornwall and Coltrane concluded by lamenting that a negative cultural perception to divorce still persists, even after academic researchers have moved beyond doing studies on the topic.
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Ultimately, this narrative was driven by "sexism, racism, homophobia and other types of fear," which eliminated the government's "obligation" to families, they said.
"As a result of the way the Christian right was able to frame—and effectively close—the policy debate, national solutions have focused on individuals’ decisions and bolstering the institution of marriage: Choose the right spouse. Go to couples therapy. All but ignored is the government’s opportunity and obligation to families. And that disproportionately affects women, Black families, and lower-income kids and caregivers," the authors wrote.
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