Nashville News Blog

I don't want to join your club -- unless you're gonna talk about hockey

Help me out here, would you? As a white guy, I've never had a problem with all-women's or all-black clubs. This is less out of principle and more out of avoiding shame. It's a little unmanly, wouldn't you agree, to whine about the advantages of another. Who wants to paint himself in the colors of victimhood? Does this not lead to a devotion to figure skating? Or hosting a show on AM radio?

So I was amused to read yesterday that the Senate was delving into Judge Sonia Sotomayor's membership Belizean Grove, a group for high-test women to apparently advance women's stuff. Some senators want to know if the club is exclusionary by only admitting chicks.

Theoretically, I understand their concerns. If, say, the Belle Meade Country Club only admits white guys, is not the same sin committed by those who only admit women, blacks, Hispanics or specific religious devotees?

But here's the problem I'm having. It seems one thing to exclude others if you already own all the seats at the table (see Belle Meade). It seems another if you're organizing your own in hopes of getting a seat at the table. Think of it as culture war of a different variety: It's only smart to concentrate your power. And who complains about smart?

Me? I have no interest in any of these clubs, mainly because they don't do important stuff like drink whiskey and talk hockey. But should I?