Letters to the Editor
Christopher1988
Published Letters: 567 Editor's Choice: 40
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Sort of wrong, sort of right.
[Read the article: No apologies, Katie Couric!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]First of all, the article is hilarious, and I think Traister nails many of the t.v. news personalities. I also think there are simple untruths:
Hagan spies Couric greeting Whoopi Goldberg with a girly-girly "call me!" gesture, it leads to the discussion of how she was a Tri Delt at the University of Virginia who made her name doing cooking segments on "Today." If a comparable male figure were spied doing stereotypically male things like playing poker and eating steak and slapping a buddy on the butt, it would presumably not lead to a discussion of his Sigma Nu brotherhood or a critical look at the fact that he used to report sports stories or that his real talent lay in "connecting with men." That's because masculinity remains the norm.
Wrong. It would likely be connected to just that, how he’s a “regular guy” and does “guy things” and that’s why he gets the world of sports. I mean, are you kidding me, Traister really doesn't get this? Dan Rather pulls that sort of rountine, along with his "I'm just ah country boy" schtick everytime he's interviewed.
Furthermore, Couric chose a traditionally feminine image (and has used the unexpected subversion of said image to her success), so it’s not surprising a piece would note that aspect of her personality. Articles that reference Sawyer or Walters don't mention baking, do they? Of course not, because those women don’t put that image out there. But Traister seems to be saying the same thing she said in the Roiphe article: there can't be different women who do things differently, who follow different models. It's all lock-step conformity en route to the feminist utopia.
It's so obvious why Couric is re-activating the cuddly image: the more serious one is flopping. She could go in a more strident direction, but does Traister think that will lead to her success as a news anchorwoman? Dan Rather could do his best to appear as a savvy intellectual who doesn't care what middle America thinks, either. Guess how well that would fly?
I wish Couric would try more of the subtle subversion she used on Today, for instance getting into the White House to do a puff piece and then grilling Bush senior the moment he arrived. It might actually speak to those women out there who consider themselves cuddly little gals, and let men take the lead, to see someone who looks so much like themselves, and with whom they've allowed themselves to identify, charging forward suddendly with a critique of the people in power. Might even change their behavior. The Couric Traister suggests she become would never accomplish that.
Anchorpersons are entertainment personalities. People want someone they like and feel comfortable with. That is not the image Traister is suggesting, and it would only cause Couric to go down that more quickly in flames.
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Area Woman,
[Read the article: No apologies, Katie Couric!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What appalled me was that they hired--someone--anyone--from "The Today Show" to anchor a serious news broadcast. Today is fluff, and I would naturally assume that anyone hired from there was a lightweight.
I know what you mean, but I wonder if Jane Pauley could have been an exception. Her evening broadcast career sucked because she was stuck on an exploitative "news magazine," but I think she could have handled the evening news, just fine.
I totally agree with the comments that network news is simply over, and anyone taking that spot was likely to be labled the death of the CBS Evening News—under any circumstance, and of either sex. And let's not forget that Rather never gained the credibility—or, I believe, the ratings—of Walter Cronkite.
Finally, CBS should be embarrassed that quality journalists on 60 Minutes got a salary shaft for this person.
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When Did Salon Become Annoyingly Sexist?
[Read the article: Hillary is from Mars, Obama is from Venus]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]First we have a woman encouraging Katie Couric to "grow a pair," a fairly disgusting piece of sexist rhetoric. Now we have a man calling a personable, gentle candidate a woman. Is it not remotely clear to Salon how fucked up this is?