For the benefit of the uninformed, every year around Saint Patrick's Day a group in Scranton holds a special event where the politically and socially connected get together, listen to speeches, eat a grand dinner and generally hobnob. It also happens to be a men-only event.
Yes, in 2018...nearly 100 years after women gained the right to vote via the 19th Amendment to the Constitution...Scranton has a dinner where those same women are not welcome. What's just as astounding is the fact that the local newspaper gushes over this event year after year.
This is a gathering where, by my estimation, these same politically and socially connected engage in some self-congratulations on how well they, and by extension, the communities they lead, are doing. Except for the fact that only the men can attend. And except for the fact that northeastern Pennsylvania continues to be an area where unemployment is high, wages are low and graft has reached Olympic Gold Medal levels.
For the record, I know there is another event for the womenfolk. There's even a phrase to describe such a thing. Now, what is it? Oh, "separate but equal". Yeah, that's it. A convenient excuse to continue a tradition that should have died 80 years ago.
Maybe at this year's event, the men can get together to talk about the ramifications of the #MeToo movement.
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