Sarah Palin Sexism Watch: Is Sarah Palin an addiction?

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Is Sarah Palin an addiction?

This isn't sexist. It's just humorous. I'm hardly one to talk. After all, I am the author of this blog. It's just enormously refreshing to see a female conservative in politics making these waves. Funny blog post:

Help! I'm Obsessed with Sarah Palin!!

By Mo Rocca
Sep 6th 2008 8:00PM

It's been only a week and I've already earned a degree in Palintology. I know way too much about this woman: her education, her eyewear, the origin of her children's names, her religion, her ex-brother-in-law, the number of broken bones she's sustained. Did you know that Sarah plays the flute? And that her husband Todd braids 7-year old Piper's hair?

I just watched Greta Van Susteren's hour-long special on Sarah and am waiting for CNN's. Does anyone know which digital cable package includes the Sarah Palin Channel?

Obviously I'm not alone. The web is burning up with amateur Palintologists searching for artifacts that will shed light on this woman -- authentic pieces of information that will flesh out this authentic iconoclast. (Whoever she is, she's unlike anyone else we've seen in American politics.)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: Why can King Obama be a President with young children but Gov. Palin cannot be a VP with young children?

Is there a different standard for a King (male) and for a Gov. (female)?

Why is one VP (male) not asked about his young children decades before he became a senator, but one VP (female) is asked constantly?

Why are there different standards?

What if the Gov was a democrat and the Sen. was a GOP?

What would be the press focus today?

Can we be critical examiners?; September 7, 2008 at 7:16 AM
Carlos Echevarria said...: Hey, I got my degree a while ago, around April, LOL

But I know what you are going through buddy, check out my blog and enjoy!!!

I LOVE AND ADORE Sarah Louise Heath Palin, I am addicted to her, too, and I am proud to say it...can't get enough of her!!!

Did you see the Fox Special last night??? Great is really defending her. (her Clintonista husband Coales is on board with us against Barry); September 7, 2008 at 7:18 AM

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

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Is Sarah Palin an addiction?

Help! I'm Obsessed with Sarah Palin!!

2 comments:

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