misogyny

19 Jan

Obama: the President of global change

in Barack Obama, culture, Democrats, election, election 2008, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, misogyny, politics, racism, United States Constitution, women, world issues, Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Illinois, Person Career, Politics of the United States, Technology, Technology, United States
2

Watching the round-table on the NewsHour tonight, with Gwen Ifill leading several observers:

Rev. Joseph Lowery, who with Dr. King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; he will deliver the benediction at tomorrow's swearing in; Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a NewsHour alum who was also the first African-American woman to attend the University of Georgia, she's now a special correspondent in Africa for NPR and other news organizations; Ta-Nehisi Coates, contributing editor for the Atlantic and a fellow at the Nation Institute; and Rael Nelson James, a development associate for KIPP DC, a network of high-performing inner-city charter schools in and around Washington, D.C.

... my friend asked me, "If Hillary had won the election, would we have a panel talking like this, about the "transcendental" nature of her election?"

Yes and no. It would be different.

If Hillary were elected, I don't think that the world's reaction would be quite the same. The world has seen a few quite prominent and powerful female leaders. Major nations today are led by female presidents (or similar titles). If America had elected Hillary Clinton, I think the world would be relieved that it wasn't McCain and the Bush era was ending, but I don't think they would be quite so rocked to their core. For all the misogyny in the world, women leaders are not so unknown.

(Stay with me, I'm coming back to Hillary in a moment.)

If you've traveled overseas in the past few years, you might know that, as racist as America has been (and still is), the rest of the world is on balance more racist. "Ethnic cleansing" is a foreign thing, not an American thing. Frankly, much of the world truly believed that America would never ever elect a black president.

And coming out of this darkest era in the modern history of the United States -- Iraq, torture, extraordinary renditions, surveillance, unilateralism -- the contrast of the impending Barack Obama presidency vs. the Bush presidency is pretty shocking. The world is relieved, astounded, hopeful, and I think inspired. We turned from the dark side. And this former slaver nation has elected Barack Obama!

So what about Hillary?

I'll say this: If Hillary had been elected, it would not be such a profound worldwide event, but it would be an earth-shattering change in domestic politics.

America does not have a strong history of powerful female political leaders. It's not just misogyny -- that's too easy. It's also a matter of cultural habit, and blindness.

It took an exceptionally intelligent, graceful, savvy, tenacious Barack Obama to cross the racial barrier. And perhaps it's his bipartisan rhetoric that has made it possible at all.

It will take an even more exceptionally intelligent, graceful, savvy, tenacious woman candidate -- also bipartisan, I think, to win against the prejudgers -- to cross the gender barrier.

Because there is a barrier, no question.

Hillary might have been that person, but I think she truly undermined her own candidacy. Someday a woman will win. And while the world at that moment may just shrug, it will be a transcendent event in America.

(Unless it's Sarah Palin, in which case America is doomed.)

24 May

Once again, a disturbing side of Hillary Clinton

in Barack Obama, Democrats, election, election 2008, feminism, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, misogyny, politics, progressive values, racism, Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton caucuses and primaries, Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Politics of the United States, Social Issues, Social Issues, United States, United States presidential election
5

What do you think? Is she sticking around in case Barack Obama is assassinated? All these slips add up.

Liza writes:

To this blogger, Hillary Clinton has waged a campaign on bringing out the inner white supremacist out of many Americans who are frothing at the mouth over the prospect of having to vote for a black man. Of course, many other pundits and bloggers gave her the benefit of the doubt. Then her infamous, "white Americans" comment happened.

This after a long string of gaffes, innuendos and outright racist attacks that too many people in media decided to let pass and still give her the benefit of the doubt since many were coming from her own surrogates and even her husband.

Then Ketucky and West Virginia happened :

Are you telling me it is not in her mind that she has enough racists supporting her enough to go out and kill Obama for her?

Ouch. I'm not comfortable with the "for her" at the end of the last sentence, but I think there's no doubt that Hillary's dark view of the world contains scenarios where she rises from Barack's ashes.

But tell me, "feminist" Hillary supporters: How can you claim that I or Liza or any of the 40%+ women out there who don't support Hillary are anti-feminist or even misogynist? And what does declaring you'd rather vote for McCain than Obama say about your real feminist credentials? How is Barack responsible for Hillary's problems?

And tell me, realpolitik Hillary supporters: How does a woman who blunders so often make the case that she's "better qualified" to run the Executive Branch? This was Hillary Clinton's nomination to lose, and she's losing it, and losing it ugly -- so ugly that if, by some wild chance, she actually grabs the nomination, she will have alienated so many of those who have joined what's been a newly energized Democratic party that progressivism will suffer for years as a consequence.

How about a little dignity, Senator Clinton? How about acting Presidential instead of like some goon?

04 May

The right's misogyny politics

in Democrats, election, election 2008, Hillary Clinton, media, misogyny, politics, women, CDATA, Clothing, Fashion, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Pant, Pantsuit, Suit, Trousers
5

I don't like Hillary Clinton for many reasons, mainly: her slippery non-positions on some issues, her demagoguery on other issues (even when I might agree), her "taking responsibility" for her support of the war on Iraq while not taking any responsibility, and the smarmy tone of her campaign more worthy of a Rove than a progressive.

Yet this kind of misogynistic crap:

“Nixon in a pant suit” is an anti-Hillary meme that Andrew Sullivan, longtime stalwart of Tricky Dick’s party, has successfully propagated. And James Wolcott, with presumably better intentions, has followed, um, suit.

Google this:

hillary pantsuit OR “pant suit” OR “pantsuits” OR “pant suits”

By last count, there are over 300,000 web pages referencing this candidate and garment choice.

What does this fixation with “pant suits” mean?

Indeed. A loaded phrase. Because women aren't supposed to wear pants. Or, maybe, do other things men do?

29 Jul

Avril Lavigne: "Girlfriend (Dr. Luke Remix featuring Lil Mama)"

in gender discrimination, misogyny, Avril Lavigne, Avril Lavigne, Dr. Luke, Girlfriend, Lil Mama, Music, Singers, Singles, When You're Gone
2.46154

Listening to the lyrics of the song is totally different from watching the video. Most of the video is empowering for women. Lil' Mama picks up Avril Lavigne in her shiny pink car. They both appear to be promoting sisterhood and solidarity. The video does not seem to match the lyrics of the song at all.

The music alone is another matter entirely. When a love triangle is set up in pop media there always seems to be a "cat fight". On one end of the corner there is one woman who says she's better and can do more for "the man". On the other end of the ring there is a different woman that says she can do better for "the man". Instead of one woman saying it we've got two women saying it! The video appears to be promoting sisterhood, but in reality, it is used to disguise what the song is really about. The focus of this song is about how a woman wants a man to dump his girlfriend for her.

The potential lover might need some assistance in deciding which woman to pick. There are several examples laid out in the lyrics as to reasons why the other woman needs to be kicked to the curb. Mind you, they are not his reasons for dumping her -- they are another woman's reasons:

1. She is stupid.

So when's it gonna sink in
She's so stupid
What the hell were you thinking?!

2. She is less of a person.

She's like so whatever
You could do so much better

That is exactly what we women need. We need to convince men that other women are stupid and less of a person. Why in pop media are there so many women that do their men’s dirty work? If the guy is really thinking about two different women (or more) at once, why would the characters Avril Lavigne and Lil’ Mama portray be any different than the other women he’s interested in?

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