Why Men Won’t Apologize by Jessica Valenti

The Poison of Male Incivility by Rebecca Traister

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Delivers a Lesson in Decency on the House Floor by David Remnick

This week, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced the same condescending verbal abuse that has been hurled at her, directly and from afar, sever since she proved to be a brilliant campaigner, winning a surprise victory in the primary for New York’s 14th Congressional District that led straight to a seat in the U.S. Capitol. This time, though, the exchange became public, and the undistinguished gentlemen from Florida who spat out the misogynistic expletives was coerced by his embarrassed colleagues to make a public statement that resembled an apology for anyone who ignored his actual words. Ocasio-Cortez then had cause — and, by her assessment, moral obligation — to formally respond.

The links above lead to three articles written in the days after Ocasio-Cortez’s marvelous speech. Writing for GEN, Jessica Valenti dismantles the pathetic feint toward accountability offered by the GOP congressperson, drawing a damning connection to the desperate, self-protective masculine guise too many men adopt as a means of evading responsibility. Writing for The Cut, Rebecca Traister expands the focus to examine the broader response to Ocasio-Cortez, including some suspect framing in the New York Times story about her response. And, writing for The New Yorker, David Remnick offers an unabashed celebration of Ocasio-Cortez and her ability to compelling communicate about basic fairness.