Paul Ryan is victim-blaming men now

No, men don't lack a "culture of work" — they lack decent jobs

Ryan
(Image credit: (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images))

Last week Paul Ryan provoked an outcry when he claimed that poverty in America was in large part a product of a "tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working, just generations of men not even thinking of working, or learning the value and the culture of work." Ever since the heyday of Ronald Reagan, the phrase "inner city" has been criticized as a GOP dog whistle for "black people," so Ryan has rightly faced a backlash for his comments. (While claiming they were "inarticulate," he insists his comments had "nothing to do with race whatsoever.")

But another aspect of this much-remarked-on incident has drawn no notice: his focus on inner city men. Ryan's comments seem to be based on an unstated assumption that what he calls the "culture of work" is especially relevant to men.

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Paul Campos is a Professor of Law at the University of Colorado. He writes frequently on current affairs. His books include The Obesity Myth, Jurismania, and Don't Go to Law School (Unless).