Sarah Palin Sexism Watch: Dr. Laura: Young children should have ruled Palin out as VP

Friday, September 5, 2008

Dr. Laura: Young children should have ruled Palin out as VP

I’m stunned - couldn’t the Republican Party find one competent female with adult children to run for Vice President with McCain? I realize his advisors probably didn’t want a “mature” woman, as the Democrats keep harping on his age. But really, what kind of role model is a woman whose fifth child was recently born with a serious issue, Down Syndrome, and then goes back to the job of Governor within days of the birth?

Blog post here.

A reader posts the following insightful point in the comment thread:

The end times must be near when Dr. Laura and the left are in perfect agreement. At least Dr. Laura has been consistent in her views, not that I agree with her.

That's true. She has been consistently sexist, and the left has started to sound like that which it most fervently condemned. Which is worse?

11 comments:

Peg C. said...: Man, Dr. Laura is totally past her sell-by date. Yikes!

Great site, I plan to visit often!; September 6, 2008 at 6:52 AM
tree hugging sister said...: Oh, she DIDN'T!; September 6, 2008 at 7:06 AM
missred said...: i am not surprised. she has always espoused stay at home mommery as the ideal.

i think this is a wonderful site (found it from instapundit) and will be back regularly.; September 6, 2008 at 7:32 AM
Anonymous said...: The end times must be near when Dr. Laura and the left are in perfect agreement. At least Dr. Laura has been consistent in her views, not that I agree with her.; September 6, 2008 at 7:34 AM
Jamie McCarthy said...: "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly?"

"Because her father is Janet Reno."; September 6, 2008 at 8:44 AM
Anonymous said...: The answer to Dr. Laura's question is no. The GOP is in real trouble people. Sarah Palin should have had the luxury of another term as Governor of Alaska before she got the call but there was nobody else available that was better. So McCain made the hard, visionary choice and Palin stepped up because, make no mistake, she is probably more aware than anybody how thin the part of the GOP bench that is ethically clean (and could make that case conincingly) actually is.; September 6, 2008 at 8:47 AM
Greg Moon said...: Does Sarah Palin have ALL DAY to spend with her children as GOVERNOR of Alaska?? Somehow I think that job keeps her as busy as she'll be as Vice President.; September 6, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Anonymous said...: I don't really count what Dr. Laura said as part of the sexist attack on Gov. Palin. She at least has been consistent in her espousing of mothers staying how with their children. In fact, I mostly agree with her. In fact, if she were my best friend, I probably would have advised her to say 'no' to the offer.

However, the rank hypocrisy of the leftists that criticize Gov. Palin is simply stunning. Is it not Gov. Palin's *choice" to either stay home with her children or work? Guess not, at least in lefty land.; September 6, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Anonymous said...: Dr. Laura's credibility on this subject may be slightly impacted by the nasty, hairy-bush porno shoot she participated in as a drugged-out, hippy college girl.; September 6, 2008 at 11:35 AM
klee12 said...: Dr Laura wrote

But really, what kind of role model is a woman whose fifth child was recently born with a serious issue, Down Syndrome, and then goes back to the job of Governor within days of the birth?

The implications seem to be that the duties of being a VP conflicts with those of a mother. I respectfully disagree. I have posted my reasoning and let me just refer you to my previous post.

http://volokh.com/posts/1220635389.shtml#430157

klee12; September 6, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Anonymous said...: "Do we talk about Biden's sperm count? I admit that's a really creepy thought..."
So sexism, as you perceive it is wrong, but ageism is o.k. w/ you?; November 9, 2009 at 7:22 PM

Post a Comment

What is sexism?

All criticisms of Sarah Palin are not sexist. It would be sexist to expect that she would receive no criticism, or that she SHOULD receive no criticism, because she is a woman. I admit that some of the criticism of Palin may really be the result of ideological bias, or simply sloppy reporting, not sexism. Some of the questions are fair game in isolation (yes, of course, it's fair to talk about Palin's experience in general; it's that she's held to a higher standard than males in the race that's the issue).

The Palin piling on is a complex cultural stew. In some cases, I suspect ideological and gender bias are working together. A reader has challenged me to define what I consider to be sexism. Broadly, I would define sexism in the political sphere as the following: When the woman is held to a higher and different standard than a similarly situated male, especially but not limited to issues that have no relevance to the race and that tend to diminish the woman's professional accomplishments by playing into gender stereotypes.

Specifically, here is a list of what I consider to be sexist behavior:

Coverage of a female politician that fixates on her physical appearance, pro or con. I admit that male politicians sometimes face this (Obama walking shirtless out of the Hawaiian surf got a lot of attention, and there was a lot of attention about John Edwards' shiny hair). And I think that some women have mixed feelings about this. After all, who doesn't want to be considered good looking? But, for many women, when they are in a professional setting, and supposedly professional media commentators place the focus back on their physical appearance, as a positive or a negative, it feels diminishing of their professional accomplishments. This works both ways, of course. Hillary Clinton has been viciously attacked by some on the right for supposedly not being good looking. That, too, is sexist, especially since unattractive male politicians are generally not held to this standard. If you think about it, good-looking male politicians also find their appearance the topic of discussion in many cases, but that's not true of unattractive male politicians. It's true in both cases for women. Simply put, appearance is not relevant to competence, so why are we talking about Palin's hair and looks?
Sexual-related comments about a female politician.
Blatant belittling of one's intelligence without evidence and in a manner not accorded to male opponents (i.e. saying the woman is stupid, needs a teleprompter, needs a lot of coaching, etc.)
Implying that the woman must not really believe her positions or must be under the intellectual sway of a more powerful male. (This happens in racism too. Consider how opponents argue that Clarence Thomas is a tool of intellectual white men like Antonin Scalia).
Double standards relating to motherhood; i.e., the female politician is asked questions about motherhood that her male counterparts aren't asked about fatherhood. (Why doesn't Palin stay home to take care of the kids? Hillary, why don't you want to stay home to bake cookies and hold teas?) The reverse is also true. It's also wrong for people to demean females who CHOOSE to stay home and raise their families. I personally believe that whether a woman chooses to be a housewife, a career woman, or, like Palin, a mixture of both, is her personal decision and debate about it really isn't relevant in a presidential election.
Slurs that are typically used to demean women but aren't applied to similarly aggressive men; i.e. when attributes that would be praised in a man are reduced to a negative in the woman (b-tch, nag, etc.). The Martha Stewart phenomenon. The tough woman is a b-tch, but the overly emotional woman is too weak to lead (women can't win sometimes!)
The woman is held to higher standards for intelligence/professional qualifications than a male opponent. (Palin is utterly unqualified, but Obama is then not?)
Diminishing of traditional female roles as being silly (the PTA, chortle, chortle, chortle. She was a housewife once, how pathetic, etc.). I don't know about you, but right now I am thinking about the woman, a housewife, who ran my child's Catholic Bible school this summer, and she was quite a force to be reckoned with. I'd love to pit her against Putin.
Emphasis on female roles traditionally seen as silly when discussing an accomplished, professional woman (she was a beauty queen 24 years ago!!!!!!)
Assuming incompetence. (she's a woman, so she won't be a strong leader, etc.)
The woman becomes defined by a single gender-related issue in a manner that males do not (consider how the abortion question is defining Palin, but doesn't define Obama or even McCain.)
Issues that aren't used against male opponents are magnified out of proportion against the woman. (Bristol-mania. I admit this one might be ideological bias more than sexism, but I do think it's caught up in Palin's cultural role as a "mother")
Invasion of the personal sphere and personalization/lifestyle focus of/on the candidate. In other words, covering the woman through the gauze of personality and lifestyle issues, rather than professional accomplishment. (Why are we talking about Palin's prenatal care and amniotic fluid again? It's creepy. Do we talk about Biden's sperm count? I admit that's a really creepy thought, and I do admit that Palin invited some of this by talking about her breastfeeding to People magazine. But still.)

Sarah Palin Sexism Watch

Friday, September 5, 2008

Dr. Laura: Young children should have ruled Palin out as VP

11 comments:

About Me

Sexism Wall of Shame

What is sexism?

Blog Archive