The Left's 'No Theory of Mind' of the Right: A Case Study via Marcotte's Critique of Conservative Views on AOC's Egg-Freezing
Source: Chris Bray. "The Left Has No Idea What The Right Believes About Babies." August 14, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that when liberal writer Amanda Marcotte criticized conservatives for supposedly wanting women to be miserable, pregnant, and career-less, she was attacking a fake version of their argument that they never actually made. He claims this shows a broader pattern where the left doesn't understand or engage with what conservatives really believe, and instead invents extreme strawman versions to get angry at.
Conclusion
Leftist critics like Amanda Marcotte fundamentally misrepresent and misunderstand conservative arguments about family and fertility, attacking a strawman rather than engaging with what conservatives actually believe.
Premises
- Conservative writers (Faust, Boyd) criticized AOC's egg-freezing decision using arguments about connection, family, and living well—not about controlling or subjugating women.
- Marcotte characterized this criticism as proof that conservatives want women 'barefoot and pregnant,' believe motherhood must be miserable, and want to deny women careers.
- This characterization does not logically follow from what conservative commentators (Stuckey, Walsh, Hemingway) actually said, which was criticism of a specific lifestyle choice, not a demand that all women abandon careers.
- Marcotte's argument exemplifies a broader pattern where leftists respond to conservative statements with 'what you're really saying is...' reframing that projects extreme views onto conservatives.
- Marcotte's position is also internally inconsistent with genuine leftist principles, since a true critique of capitalism would criticize the commodification of childbirth via IVF-as-lifestyle-choice, and a true feminist should question why women must sacrifice family for corporate careers.
- This pattern of misunderstanding conservative arguments reflects a documented phenomenon described by Jonathan Haidt as the left lacking a 'theory of mind' of the right.
Assumptions
- The Federalist writers' (Faust, Boyd) framing of their argument as being about 'connection and meaning' rather than control is an accurate and complete representation of the underlying conservative position on fertility/family.
- Marcotte's article is representative of 'the left' broadly rather than one commentator's individual view.
- Genuine ideological consistency requires that a leftist/feminist critique of capitalism must also oppose commodification of reproduction and career-first ideology.
- The intent behind conservative commentary on AOC (Stuckey, Walsh, Hemingway) was solely about lifestyle/values disagreement and not connected to broader traditionalist views about gender roles.
- Haidt's 'no theory of mind' framework accurately describes a general leftist cognitive/political failure rather than being one contestable theory among many about political polarization.