Misanthropy doesn't negate misogyny

Years ago we had a neighbor, Steve. I remember my father saying that Steve wasn't racist; he hated everyone.

The weird thing about that is I don't remember any conversation leading up to it that would have made whether or not Steve was racist a topic of discussion. That makes me wonder if either my father or Steve had heard it, thought it was clever, and found a way to work it into conversation.

Either way, it's bunk. Having a generally negative view of others does not rule out the possibility of specific bigotries still playing a role.

(I think I also remember my father saying that he himself was not racist; he thought he was better than everyone. While he did think he was better than everyone, he was also racist. He wasn't a worse racist than the average white man born in the '40s, but he wasn't better either.)

Without it undoing any of misogyny in Thurber's works, it seems pretty clear that he didn't have a great opinion of men either.

I was thinking about why he hated the 1947 Danny Kaye movie. Sure, it takes a lot of departures from the source material, but ultimately it gives the meek little daydreamer some real adventure, romance, and a chance to come into his own. Did he want Walter to stay insignificant and miserable?

That's what I suspect.

I haven't read that much Thurber, but the lasting impression was that I hated it. If he hated people, I was probably responding to that.

Something I had read about Walter Mitty and other Thurber characters was that they reflected the problem of modern man being domesticated and hence emasculated.

That's bunk too.

Plenty of modern men did manly things; they built things and fixed things and maybe sometimes they even stopped in at the bar for a few drinks and some fistfights.

Such men were just lower class. The ones wearing suits to work had a higher position socially, but then they carried briefcases into offices. Real social climbers played golf at country clubs, which is no rugby.

Yes, a specific version of masculinity is constrained under those circumstances, but there is a class issue as well, with the country clubs also pointing us at issues of race. That mindset merely gives the people on top a reason to feel sorry for themselves.

For Thurber himself, I suspect he felt superior as a writer. There were people doing office drudgery, but he was above them because he was more creative and clever. 

Therefore, the little office drones should stay below him. 

Of course, much of Thurber's success as a writer came from his first wife's prodding, and then wives are the enemy too.

The attitudes are irritating and still exist, but what really stands out is the lack of self-reflection.

Well, if you want to feel superior to others, the less reflection you do, the better. 

Start thinking, and it all falls apart.