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Phew! We definitely don't want to get into politics! I removed my picture because I think it could be overly inflammatory and while I find it pretty funny, others may find it offensive.
The author attempts to make a point about metaphors and social structures based on a very shallow and one-sided point of view, then goes on to use those metaphors as a way to denigrate entire people groups that she clearly doesn't know or understand. That is not ok. She then tries to apply this flawed model to horse training. She makes the grave mistake of saying that there are two (and only two) diametrically opposed ways of doing things. There is no such thing as a "nurturing disciplinarian" in her mind even though nurture and discipline regularly work hand-in-hand, and you can see it in nature just by watching a mare and her colt or a mother goat and her kids. The ones that do best are nurturing but also discipline appropriately. My mare Easter did not discipline her colt, Jet, so the poor mare spent the first few months of her lactation with bloody, swollen teats. Most mares nip a colt when he bites her udder, but Easter would never reprimand Jet for any infraction. By the time he was two months old he was abusing her (kicking, biting, striking, mounting). We were lucky that my friend came back to school about that time and brought her kind but disciplinarian gelding back with her. He stepped in and protected Easter from her own colt and taught Jet a few lessons about how to treat a lady. He punished Jet for hounding Easter (nipping, driving him away) and then showed by example how Jet should treat her. He was kind and patient with Jet but he refused to put up with rude, dangerous behavior. Jet soon learned to treat his mother kindly and even quit biting her udder. The author left no room in the discussion for a "strict father" who is also nurturing, kind, and sets a good example. She similarly left no room for a "nurturing parent" to ever deal out punishment. It seems to me that the author herself is following the "strict father" model in setting up her case against it!
The author attempts to make a point about metaphors and social structures based on a very shallow and one-sided point of view, then goes on to use those metaphors as a way to denigrate entire people groups that she clearly doesn't know or understand. That is not ok. She then tries to apply this flawed model to horse training. She makes the grave mistake of saying that there are two (and only two) diametrically opposed ways of doing things. There is no such thing as a "nurturing disciplinarian" in her mind even though nurture and discipline regularly work hand-in-hand, and you can see it in nature just by watching a mare and her colt or a mother goat and her kids. The ones that do best are nurturing but also discipline appropriately. My mare Easter did not discipline her colt, Jet, so the poor mare spent the first few months of her lactation with bloody, swollen teats. Most mares nip a colt when he bites her udder, but Easter would never reprimand Jet for any infraction. By the time he was two months old he was abusing her (kicking, biting, striking, mounting). We were lucky that my friend came back to school about that time and brought her kind but disciplinarian gelding back with her. He stepped in and protected Easter from her own colt and taught Jet a few lessons about how to treat a lady. He punished Jet for hounding Easter (nipping, driving him away) and then showed by example how Jet should treat her. He was kind and patient with Jet but he refused to put up with rude, dangerous behavior. Jet soon learned to treat his mother kindly and even quit biting her udder. The author left no room in the discussion for a "strict father" who is also nurturing, kind, and sets a good example. She similarly left no room for a "nurturing parent" to ever deal out punishment. It seems to me that the author herself is following the "strict father" model in setting up her case against it!