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CNN Live Event/Special
Interview With Katie Roiphe, Rick Marin
Aired August 27, 2003 - 20:55 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And we end tonight on a light note, a bit of good news for some and perhaps bad news for others. A British genetics expert from Oxford University is predicting the male species is on its way out. There are some reports that the Y chromosome -- the all important one that makes a baby male -- is decaying at an alarming rate. So fast, in fact, that men only have, get this, 125,000 years left to live.
Keep on living, guys, while the female X chromosome, with its ability to repair itself, is doing just fine. Here now to weigh in on the prospects of a man-less world is Rick Marin, a journalist and author of "CAD: Confessions of a Toxic Bachelor," and post-feminist author Katie Roiphe, whose book, "The Morning After," focuses on women's issues and politics.
Thank you both for joining us.
So what are the implications of this study, Katie? What would a world be like without men?
KATIE ROIPHE, AUTHOR, "THE MORNING AFTER: SEX, FEAR AND FEMINISM": Well, I think the streets will be more orderly with no one shouting out the window at other drivers, for one thing. And...
ZAHN: And maybe there would be fewer people that were less lost.
ROIPHE: That's true. But I think the idea that there would be no violence is actually not true. I think that -- you know, people say, a world without men, there'll be no wars. But I actually think women are -- there's going to be a new aggressive breed of women evolving, more vicious and devious wars in the future.
ZAHN: Oh, I see you're nodding. That's the way you view a female world?
RICK MARIN, AUTHOR, "CAD: CONFESSIONS OF A TOXIC BACHELOR": Well, it's funny, you think of -- the science fiction movies always depict like it's going to be men running and women are subjugated. But this kind of proves that, like, women are really -- you know, they run the show. And this is kind of proof that maybe now they have more power than we think they do and in the future they'll have even more.
I think the study said there will only be one percent of the population would be male in 125,000 years. So it's a good job for the guy is that one percent.
ZAHN: Well, it's probably a pretty good job for the cad, right?
MARIN: Well, I think that besides the war -- I was thinking in romantic terms, that that's what women will miss. You know, they say there are no men. But when there really are no men, then you will miss us is my theory.
ROIPHE: That's true.
ZAHN: You're looking at him wistfully. Oh, yes, yes, yes, Katie.
ROIPHE: No, but those few men are going to feel like Brad Pitt.
MARIN: Yes.
ROIPHE: All of them chased around the street.
MARIN: Yes. I mean, I think the things -- even the things that women complain about, you know, that life with the toilet seat down isn't all it's cracked up to be, you'll even miss -- I wish, you know, guys holding doors open for you and all that kind of stuff. I think it will all -- once it's gone, then you'll miss it.
ZAHN: Katie, what are the implications -- the male sex is one that we always sort of assume can fix things. And now, we're told the chromosomes can't fix themselves?
ROIPHE: Well, yes. I think it's a great irony, and our puritan forefathers would love to see that women are not really the weaker sex, but in fact genetically much more powerful. But I also think women have secret pockets of confidence and that it will emerge in 125,000 years that women always knew how to work the VCR. And all these things that men think that they can do and women can't do, actually we can probably figure them out.
ZAHN: So with 125,000 years left to live, what's your advice to all the cads out there?
MARIN: Enjoy it while you can.
ZAHN: Are you going to encourage them to continue that kind of behavior?
MARIN: Well, you know, even the cad toxic bachelor, like I write about, I think that while women bemoan his existence, they secretly love him because it provides the excitement and the thrills in their life. I think we'll be abstinent if it's just a bunch of women agreeing with each other all the time, which of course never happens anyway.
ZAHN: The cad exterior (UNINTELLIGIBLE) very vulnerable inner self. Right, Katie?
ROIPHE: Well, I don't know. I think it's true that we will miss men and life will be less interesting. But I don't necessarily think women will just be sitting around being nice to each other. MARIN: No.
ROIPHE: They will be talking about their feelings all the time, which will be annoying, I admit.
MARIN: Too much communication.
ZAHN: We can blame this all on the British genetics expert from Oxford University. Katie, Rick, thank you for stopping by tonight.
MARIN: Thank you.
ROIPHE: Thank you.
ZAHN: That's it for us her this evening.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 27, 2003 - 20:55 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And we end tonight on a light note, a bit of good news for some and perhaps bad news for others. A British genetics expert from Oxford University is predicting the male species is on its way out. There are some reports that the Y chromosome -- the all important one that makes a baby male -- is decaying at an alarming rate. So fast, in fact, that men only have, get this, 125,000 years left to live.
Keep on living, guys, while the female X chromosome, with its ability to repair itself, is doing just fine. Here now to weigh in on the prospects of a man-less world is Rick Marin, a journalist and author of "CAD: Confessions of a Toxic Bachelor," and post-feminist author Katie Roiphe, whose book, "The Morning After," focuses on women's issues and politics.
Thank you both for joining us.
So what are the implications of this study, Katie? What would a world be like without men?
KATIE ROIPHE, AUTHOR, "THE MORNING AFTER: SEX, FEAR AND FEMINISM": Well, I think the streets will be more orderly with no one shouting out the window at other drivers, for one thing. And...
ZAHN: And maybe there would be fewer people that were less lost.
ROIPHE: That's true. But I think the idea that there would be no violence is actually not true. I think that -- you know, people say, a world without men, there'll be no wars. But I actually think women are -- there's going to be a new aggressive breed of women evolving, more vicious and devious wars in the future.
ZAHN: Oh, I see you're nodding. That's the way you view a female world?
RICK MARIN, AUTHOR, "CAD: CONFESSIONS OF A TOXIC BACHELOR": Well, it's funny, you think of -- the science fiction movies always depict like it's going to be men running and women are subjugated. But this kind of proves that, like, women are really -- you know, they run the show. And this is kind of proof that maybe now they have more power than we think they do and in the future they'll have even more.
I think the study said there will only be one percent of the population would be male in 125,000 years. So it's a good job for the guy is that one percent.
ZAHN: Well, it's probably a pretty good job for the cad, right?
MARIN: Well, I think that besides the war -- I was thinking in romantic terms, that that's what women will miss. You know, they say there are no men. But when there really are no men, then you will miss us is my theory.
ROIPHE: That's true.
ZAHN: You're looking at him wistfully. Oh, yes, yes, yes, Katie.
ROIPHE: No, but those few men are going to feel like Brad Pitt.
MARIN: Yes.
ROIPHE: All of them chased around the street.
MARIN: Yes. I mean, I think the things -- even the things that women complain about, you know, that life with the toilet seat down isn't all it's cracked up to be, you'll even miss -- I wish, you know, guys holding doors open for you and all that kind of stuff. I think it will all -- once it's gone, then you'll miss it.
ZAHN: Katie, what are the implications -- the male sex is one that we always sort of assume can fix things. And now, we're told the chromosomes can't fix themselves?
ROIPHE: Well, yes. I think it's a great irony, and our puritan forefathers would love to see that women are not really the weaker sex, but in fact genetically much more powerful. But I also think women have secret pockets of confidence and that it will emerge in 125,000 years that women always knew how to work the VCR. And all these things that men think that they can do and women can't do, actually we can probably figure them out.
ZAHN: So with 125,000 years left to live, what's your advice to all the cads out there?
MARIN: Enjoy it while you can.
ZAHN: Are you going to encourage them to continue that kind of behavior?
MARIN: Well, you know, even the cad toxic bachelor, like I write about, I think that while women bemoan his existence, they secretly love him because it provides the excitement and the thrills in their life. I think we'll be abstinent if it's just a bunch of women agreeing with each other all the time, which of course never happens anyway.
ZAHN: The cad exterior (UNINTELLIGIBLE) very vulnerable inner self. Right, Katie?
ROIPHE: Well, I don't know. I think it's true that we will miss men and life will be less interesting. But I don't necessarily think women will just be sitting around being nice to each other. MARIN: No.
ROIPHE: They will be talking about their feelings all the time, which will be annoying, I admit.
MARIN: Too much communication.
ZAHN: We can blame this all on the British genetics expert from Oxford University. Katie, Rick, thank you for stopping by tonight.
MARIN: Thank you.
ROIPHE: Thank you.
ZAHN: That's it for us her this evening.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
