I Still Think I Was Right.

Several months ago, a companion and I went to dinner with another couple.  The husband of the couple was ex-Air Force, his son is current Air Force, and he talked about how he and his son liked to fly fighter jets together, side by side.  You get the image, right?

I don't remember what led me to say this, but I said I think women are smarter than men.  The husband of the other couple quickly, and defensively, said men are smarter, because women can't focus as well as men can.

I was out to dinner with a couple I had recently met, and I didn't feel like getting into what started to feel like an available argument, so I just dropped it.

If I had responded, I would have said that the (male chauvinist) husband's idea that women can't focus is what makes them smarter than men.  They take more into account, because they're receptive and attentive to more adventitious sources of input or information.

Nancy Pelosi is resigning from any leadership role, including Speaker, in the House of Representatives after 20 years as the leader of House Democrats.  She's 82, her husband was recently badly injured in an attack, and she wants someone younger to take up the responsibility.  She wants someone to be prepared to replace her.

In an article I read about this transition, Pelosi said this about working with colleagues, or perhaps even Representatives on "the other side of the aisle:" "I call it a kaleidoscope. You just turn that dial, and one day all of you will be opposing all of them. And then, the next day, it will be all of them opposing all of these. And then it will be some conglomeration … But you never want to diminish the strength of anybody because they are a source of strength for you on the next vote."

Pelosi described herself as naturally shy, but she adopted assertive stances, because her job required it.  Her comment makes clear that she never lost the ability to observe, be patient, and take into consideration changing dynamics.

On the other hand, Pelosi also said this: "I want women to have confidence.  So sometimes when I act a little more, shall we say, like myself, it’s because I want them to know it’s okay to assert yourself, to have confidence in what you bring to the table, and also to understand your uniqueness.”

I assume that "like [her]self" means assertive.  She was talking about challenging Democratic House members, like the "Squad."

And there's this: "You have to compromise. So the members have been spectacular in respecting each other … So, one day, you don’t get your way. The rest of us come to a compromise. You’re annoyed. You’re some fringe element. But you vote with us because tomorrow might be your day, right?"

And this: "My one piece of advice is always be yourself. The authenticity of you is so very important. And I guess what has served me well is respecting … our Members, each and every one of them, even if I disagree with them."

Not everyone has this kind of capacity.  Women, whether it's due to "maternal instincts," on average less aggressiveness and need to dominate than men, or the appreciation of subtlety and varying viewpoints -- what looks to some like lapse of focus -- have it more than do men.  It's what makes them smarter.