The Sexism in the Democratic Party
I previously posted Erica Barnett's round up of liberal blogger misogyny here.
Echidne of the Snakes explains why this is a problem for all women, observing:
The sexism is not bad, because it might hurt Hillary Clinton, just as the racism is not bad, because it might hurt Barack Obama. Not really.
That is a narrow and cramped and, dare I say it?, elitist view of what is going on, a view which revolves around the people in power and their political strategies and tactics. It is also a view which ignores the real problem altogether, this:
The sexist comments and the racist slurs are bad, because they are being washed, re-clad in Armani, presented back in high society, made to look innocent, and after all this they will be cropping up much more frequently everywhere, aimed at everyone who qualifies to be their victim. THAT's what is bad about them.
How can I make that any stronger and clearer? It can be any of us women or any person of color or both that will suffer from the new domestication of sexist and racists taunts. Any Of Us.
I have not written about the sexism in these Democratic Primaries in order to protect Hillary Clinton. She looks fairly well equipped to protect herself. I have written about it because sexism hurts all women, all little girls, all old ladies, women everywhere.
Gah. Perhaps what I'm talking about is still totally unclear. But if you read widely on this topic on blogs you will find that even many feminists have this view that the sexism is not really deplorable, because Hillary Clinton really is a monster bitch. That the dangers of the sexism really have nothing to do with Hillary Clinton should be made much more obvious. And no, voting for someone else will not save a woman voter from that sexism that is being incubated right now.
Historiann amplifies this point, noting:
In many ways, the misogyny directed at Hillary Clinton this year–the blowback of which will probably be felt by women in all walks of life for years to come in thousands of discouraging ways–is part of an old story best documented by Bob Somerby at The Daily Howler. Somerby has been on the case of the insular corporate media since 1999, when he noticed the power of the preferred media narrative about Al Gore’s candidacy for the Presidency, and its curious imperviousness to the facts. And as Somerby points out regularly–you’ll never see or hear the media tell the truth about its own role in shaping our political and cultural discourses. (John Judis’s recent admission in The New Republic that the media hated Clinton and picked Obama as the Democratic winner is one of the few times when we’re permitted to see The Great Oz operating behind the flimsy curtain.)
And hey, guess what? Not being Hillary Clinton will not protect you. If Obama secures the nomination, the same sexism will soon find exclusive focus on Michelle Obama. She too is getting the Uppity Woman smack down. SheCodes at Black Women Vote discussed this in a general way, writing:
I could scarcely contain my rage when I visited our sister-blog, What About Our Daughters? and saw this hideous depiction of Michelle Obama -- not by the Tennessee GOP this time, but by the liberal Daily Kos.
So many things flashed before my eyes -- I remember my comments section several months ago, when black men and women alike asked me 'What's the big deal?' when I went apoplectic about O'Reilly's lynching statement referring to Michelle Obama -- and when people thought I was too harsh when I condemned Barack Obama for his silence concerning it.
Even up until yesterday, I had sisters telling me to calm down about attacks against Michelle Obama, with the reasoning that she is 'fair game'. Do you all realize that 'fair game' is a HUNTING terminology? And that the term 'game' refers to ANIMALS? Please find another reference to explain your thoughts in your emails to me moving forward.
See also this post at What About Our Daughters suggesting the Supposedly Liberal Doods have lost their minds. Frankly I think that "losing their minds" is a little too charitable. They think declaring themselves liberal gives them a free pass on everything: "Can't you stupid broads take a joke from people perfectly happy for you to have reproductive freedom, perform in porn, anything you like, as long as you STFU?" NO. And we will not forget nor forgive what we have read, heard and seen. I am confident that even the feminist Clinton supporters who can not bring themselves to vote for Barack Obama are not going to ignore sexism pitched at Michelle Obama, because that's not how feminism works.
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