Indeed, and it is not the first time he talks shite about this or any other subject, and this whole can-you-figure-out-whether-I'm-being-serious may be a postmodern a priori defense to criticism, it also makes an argument impossible. Measuring cultural quality on the basis of his evaluation of women's rights over a short time-span may have led him to overly idolise the humanism-inspired society we pretend to live in if only because of the ancient foundations which he believes to be at the origins of it. I refer to his rants against islam which, though fundamentally justified in some respects, maks yet another reductionist mistake by associating an entire group with one stereotype.

Now, in principle I couldn't give two shits about what Herr Cope says, and furthermore it is often well-said and funny. What makes this and other statements sound not only dumb but also slightly unsettling, is that you would expect, from a dude wo spends his time digging in ancient history and culture, a little more insight in cultures as a whole and the history of them in particular. Even if one often throws in a reductionist idea to get a point across, some of Cope's, like this one, seem historically and culturally so staggeringly under-informed that you automatically question his authority in related fields. Like you would question the authority of a geologist who speaks of the "underside of the earth plane" - yes it is that dumb.

Then again, why *on earth* would anyone like to pin someone down on 1 line in a transcribed interview? Seems even dafter than the quote itself. I mean, god, have you seen what drivel gets on these forums occasionally? It's only when his drudions get out of line that I raise an eyebrow. And even then, what's the world coming to if uncut unsubtle ranting is out of bounds?

Still, like I said, when speaking about a field on which he should be some authority, one would expect to get slightly deeper insights than *fucking* latitude.