Watch Sen. Claire McCaskill take a strong, politically questionable stand against mansplaining


It's unusual to hear a politician ridicule about half her constituents on national television, but certain topics simply supersede politics. For Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), that issue is apparently mansplaining. Or maybe just men talking? As one of 20 women in the Senate, she wants more women to run for office, she said for Monday's Late Show, "but equally important is encouraging more men to sometimes just shut the hell up." She quickly clarified, sort of, telling the world's men: "It's not that women don't value your thoughts, it's just that we don't value all of them."
What topics should men just shut up about? Don't worry: McCaskill had a list. An incomplete catalog includes "what women do with their bodies," "who the next James Bond should be," Star Wars, selfies, pantsuits, millennials, "Star Wars again," all art, carbs, and turkey brining. But she did throw in a little consolation prize for men: "If you can control yourselves and hold back from further expressing your opinions on any of these topics, we'll let you keep weighing in on marijuana legalization — but that's a huge, big 'if.'" Brave? Foolish? Funny? All of the above? Watch below. But perhaps we'd have a better sense if Stephen Colbert invited one of McCaskill's male colleagues on to give his list of topics men don't want to hear women talk about anymore. Anyone? Anyone? Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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