H.L. Mencken, an American journalist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English, often took a jab at America’s social weaknesses during the Roaring ’20s and the Great Depression years.

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything,” he wrote. “I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.”

During last week’s Senate hearing for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, when Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee asked the judge if she could provide a definition for the word “woman,” Jackson could not.

“I’m not a biologist,” she said.

Jackson’s inability to provide an answer for something as basic as one’s gender is troubling.

Eli Bremer, a pentathlete who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, insisted that Judge Jackson’s insistence not to define a woman because she is “not a biologist” “could send the women’s rights movement back decades.”

“If Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed, I have no confidence in her ability to protect women,” said Bremer, who is running for Senate. “In a world where Lia Thomas, a biological male, is robbing biological female athletes of their titles and scholarships, how should any woman feel that their rights will be protected under Joe Biden’s Supreme Court? Nothing could be more straightforward and common sense.”

New York Post columnist Piers Morgan tweeted that Jackson’s response was “ridiculous.”

“I’m not a brain surgeon but I know what a brain is. This is where ‘progressive’ thinking leads - to a terror of stating basic unarguable facts lest it offend the woke brigade,” he wrote.

“This shouldn’t have to be said,” tweeted Stephen Miller, former senior adviser for policy and White House director of speechwriting under the last president, “but if you don’t know what a women is, you shouldn’t be in any position of responsibility - let alone decide the fate of the Republic from our nation’s highest court.”

The day before Blackburn stumped Jackson over defining a woman, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis put transgender sports back in the spotlight by signing a proclamation to declare Sarasota native Emma Weyant the “rightful winner” after she lost to Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, the first transgender athlete in any sport, at the Division I women’s freestyle swimming championship.

Thomas has been at the center of controversy in recent months after NCAA updated regulations for transgender students, triggering criticism from college athletes on both sides of the issue.

“The NCAA is basically taking efforts to destroy women’s athletics,” said DeSantis, who last year signed legislation prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports at the high school and college levels in Florida.

DeSantis is not alone in his stance that the NCAA’s transgender rules undermine the integrity of the competition. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed a similar ban into law in February and Iowa legislators recently approved a bill that would prohibit transgender females from participating in girls high school sports and women’s college athletics.

Other states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee and Texas, passed laws last year.

Opponents argue it represents state-sanctioned bullying of transgender children. Supporters claim it is needed to protect female athletes against unfair competition by males who identify as females.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says that Iowa’s bill is about fairness and equality - that transgender females threaten the very existence of sports for women and girls.

Even Caitlyn Jenner, a transgender former Olympic decathlete and gold medal-winner, sided with DeSantis in proclaiming Weyant the rightful winner. Jenner had earlier called out the NCAA’s decision to allow to Thomas compete, stating that it’s just not fair to allow biological boys to compete in women’s sports.

“It’s not transphobic or anti-trans, it’s COMMON SENSE!” Jenner said.

A video posted by the founder of an activist group called Standing for Women quickly spread through social media last week. Kellie-Jay Keen was at the NCAA swim championships in Atlanta and after seeing Lia Thomas dominate the swim events, stated “that is not a woman.”

When a male sitting nearby replied: “Everybody is different,” Keen repeated her claim - “I’m a woman - that is not a woman.”

Like Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the man counters with the biologist line. “Let me ask you, are you a biologist?” he asks Keen.

Keen’s common-sensical reply is classic: “Oh my God, don’t be ridiculous. I’m not a vet, but I know what a dog is.”

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.