Monday, October 17, 2011

Beating The "Rule of Thumb" Again

I can't believe that books are still be published that repeat the false claim that "rule of thumb" refers to the thickness of a switch that a husband was allowed to use to beat his wife.  This book gives a very detailed, footnoted history of how this feminist claim became commonly believed.  Here is a 1987 ABA Journal article that is, of course, not footnoted, and contains this nonsense.
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4 comments:

  1. AlanKHOctober 17, 2011 at 12:55 PM

    The Straight Dope addresses the myth.

    http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2550/does-rule-of-thumb-refer-to-an-old-law-permitting-wife-beating

    The work-safeness of the cartoon graphic is questionable - and typical for that site. I'd play it safe and click The Straight Dope only at home.

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  2. Paul SandOctober 17, 2011 at 1:40 PM

    Vice President Biden gave a speech at the University of New Hampshire back in April where he related the "rule of thumb" yarn. I imagine that he's been doing it for decades, and it's buried so deep in his brain that he can't stop. (Ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mud-pQ-NZWU at about the 20:30 mark)

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  3. CincinnatusOctober 17, 2011 at 3:57 PM

    Paul, you mean that the myth is so deeply engrained in Neil Kinnocks' mind ...

    ReplyDelete
  4. SteveOctober 17, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    Hey, it's in the Boondock Saints. That's good enough for me!

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