>
>How do empirically-minded leftists move from the empirical analysis (1) to
>the political question (2) if their interlocutors (who are in a position
>to employ housekeepers & pay "decent wages" in the the case of the above
>anecdote) have _not_ already come to an ethical viewpoint that _all_
>people (in the USA or in the world?) _ought_ to have less of a burdensome
>second shift, affordable daycare, etc.?
>
>What are likely political answers to the political question (2) that can
>be arrived at on the basis of the empirical analysis (1) even in the
>presence of an ethical viewpoint that _all_ people (in the USA or in the
>world?) _ought_ to have less of a burdensome second shift, affordable
>daycare, etc.?
the whine about morality doesn't fly because you and others who have a problem with it shame and moralize all the time.
the answer to your question is political practice -- and that invovles conversation with people who you are aligned with in these various political struggles.
argument, btw, can invoke empirical evidence, experiential evidence, logic, and illustration, among other things. i was engaged in illustration. capiche?
arlie hochschild's the second shift is full of "anecdotes" on your account and yet it is a far better way to understand the dynamics of gender struggles over the second shift. anecdotes and illustrations are, like empirical evidence, illuminated by theory.
kelley