Let’s Discuss ‘Experts’

I was reading an item today that was put forth as a woman’s perspective on relationships between older men and younger women. Upon reading it, however, it turned out to be mostly quotes from a man – so much for the ‘woman’s perspective’. And, though the man is cited as an authority, he’s not identified beyond his name – Hugo Schwyzer.

I wondered if readers were expected to recognize the name, because I certainly didn’t. Curious, I asked Google who the heck Hugo Schwyzer is. The results are interesting, because they tell us the sort of person that the media and the academic community puts forth as an expert.

Hugo Schwyzer, Wikipedia tells us, is a gender studies professor (no kidding, and he even admits it) at Pasadena City College. In addition, his writing often appears in such publications as Salon and he has a column running regularly in The Atlantic.

Professor Schwyzer advises us that older men should not be involved with younger women, but it turns out that he has a history of sex with his own female students. While he claims that such behavior is in his past, the fact is that just a few months ago he had a sexting/phone relationship with a woman eighteen years younger than himself.

… in January 2013, Schwyzer, then 45, had a brief but torrid texting, telephonic and online fling with a 27 year old woman named Christina Parreira, also known [in] “sex worker activism’ circles as Christina Page — and in webcam/amateur porn circles as Gabriela “Ela” Stone. According to Parreira, Schwyzer acknowledged that revelation of their fling would be “career-killing” for him — Hugo has called older men who are “into” younger women – such as men in their 40s being attracted to and pursuing women in their 20s – dirty old men and “creeps.” 

In addition, though presenting himself (and being presented by the media) as an expert on male/female relationships, he has been divorced three times thus far, and admits to having multiple affairs during his current (fourth) marriage, which he now describes as ‘over’. Of course, many people have had multiple marriages, but most of them don't pretend to be experts on gender relationships.

Oh, and he attempted to murder a former girlfriend in a murder/suicide fifteen years ago.

But this is the guy who the media and academe think should be given a platform to lecture us on male/female relationships.

Concerning his suicide attempt last week: Despite the fact that he is a world-class hypocrite, a poseur, and pretty much an all-around jerk – he still is a human being, and therefore I wish him no evil. I sincerely hope he gets the help he needs to get his life and his thinking in order. I also hope that in the process he acquires a bit of humility and refrains in the future from giving advice that he is so clearly not qualified to give.