There is a lot of sexism flying around out there. It isn't as "flashy" as racism. People don't instantly react. It's subtle. People aren't aware enough to see it and how it affects our perceptions of people. Mostly, people can spot it if it hurts someone they like, otherwise, it's just the way the game is played. If you can't stand the heat...
This post came about because I was on huffington post reading some fine ranting articles by liberals about how they should denounce certain republican talk show hosts for calling the senator from Louisiana a prostitute because she managed to extract $100,000,000 from the Democratic Leadership to benefit her state in exchange for her support of the health care bill.
Those liberals are right, that is sexist, and disgusting beyond words. I spent a good portion of my childhood in West Virginia. Actually, I'm heading back there for Thanksgiving (can't wait!). This state runs on federal pork. Is WV a border state? No. But the fricken coast guard is located there. Where do you think your tax papers are kept and processed? How about the distribution of Veteran's Hospitals? Yep, the federal government provides a lot of jobs in WV thanks to the seniority system and Sen. Byrd. Also, WV freeways are fantastic, though they're always under construction. I wonder why?
Some people have a problem with "pork." I really don't. While I recognize that WV doesn't really need a new freeway every year, they do need the jobs. It's that or Walmart. WV played the system. The voters (or at least enough of them) understand how the Senate works, how seniority works. Byrd certainly understands his power. He is doing a lot to keep an otherwise rather impoverished state above water. Michigan should take lessons. I did a quick google search. Would you believe that, despite all the "necessary government expenditures" (ie pork) Byrd funnels to WV, he has never been called a prostitute? Shocking.
Sen. Landrieu has figured out how the game works. Her state still badly needs money to rebuild, money which the federal government has been loath to supply. She realized that the Democrats want their health care, so she did what all savvy politicians do in that position--she ordered up some pork.
So, is it sexist to call Sen. Landrieu a prostitute for doing her job? YES. Is it wrong to photo shop a picture of her with sperm in her hair a la Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary? Absolutely (Thank Time magazine for that piece of brilliance) Should liberals be upset. YES. Are conservatives the only sexist assholes out there NO.
Wait, what did I just say? Naturally, I skipped the bulk of the article, because I know what it says. Frankly, I probably know more about it than the author, so I went right for the comments. That's where the interesting stuff is.
Sure enough, a lot of screaming liberals denouncing this and claiming that "this would never happen to Sarah Palin", or, as one of my favorite blogs regularly refers to her, "Sexy Sarah."
That Newsweek Cover, was it sexist? Yes. Was it as sexist as calling Landrieu a prostitute? Nope. Still, both examples show how we demean women seeking public office: we're making them sexual objects, not serious candidates. Unfortunately "she looks hot" does not win women votes, and it certainly doesn't win men votes. The difference is that the media isn't constantly trying to make male candidates hot (a seemingly impossible task to be sure).
The reality is that women who are too good looking are not taken seriously. Yes, Palin plays into that at times. She overdoes the cutsie-wootsie. It makes me sick to my stomach to watch. But she would not have chosen that picture to be on the cover. That picture was taken for the purpose of being used in a running magazine, not a political magazine. It was used without her permission. It's not illegal, and she's a public figure, but it does not say good things about our media. I somehow doubt Newsweek would do a "serious" feature of a male political figure and put him in running shorts and a tight fitting top on the cover. While that kind of picture sometimes appears in such magazines (the Obama swimsuit picture comes to mind) it is not a "cover" photo, certainly not when the article is supposed to be a political assessment rather than a fashion critique.
If Democrats and liberals really oppose sexism, then we need to oppose it all the time, not just when it's convenient. Call it out when you see it, whether you hate the woman or not. One of my best teachers in high school used to say that insults are a sign of weakness. If the best you can do to fight off Sarah Palin is Photoshop a picture of her wearing an American Flag Bikini and holding an M-16, well, you probably don't know much about the issues either.
So, here are some links to let people start thinking:
Sen. Landrieu
And here, so you fully appreciate the Byrd reference, a rather critical portrait of the Sen. from WV...without any prostitution references.
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