Letters to the Editor
Drewonimo
Published Letters: 109 Editor's Choice: 4
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What Joan DOES get...
[Read the article: A new low in Clinton bashing]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]@Taliesan:
I completely agree with the context you provide for the fears that people have for the fate of African-American leaders. I think you're right on and I share the fear.
But I would add that that fear applies to anyone who is challenging the status quo. Do you not think that many women have had that fear for Hillary? She has been called every sexist epithet in the book and been the subject of fairly public hate speech for 16 years now. Isn't this context similarly relevant to how others see this controversy (and the reaction, and Joan's comments)?
Don't get me wrong; racially motivated violence and violence against women are two separate phenomenon with distinct characteristics. I'm not equating them. But they are both very serious themes in our nation's history and culture and they will each create a context to how we see the way our leaders are treated.
But here's my point: You make the leap that by mentioning assassination she's referring to the present, to Obama and that "she might benefit." But that's your leap, not hers. Isn't it just as possible that she was thinking of her own mortality, having been the subject of such hatred, vitriol and threats? A man held her staffers at gunpoint in her office just 6 months ago. Perhaps that's her context.
The bottom line is that the RFK assassination (the only one Hillary mentioned) was a trauma for all of us, even Hillary Clinton. It's unfortunate that she mentioned it but I think the rest of us need to own where we take those thoughts when the topic of assassination comes up.
PS I'm a gay man and seared on my memory is the cold-blooded murder of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official. His homophobic murderer was caught red-handed but got off with a lightest possible sentence for the most insane reason. I have a friend in Oklahoma running for election that routinely gets death threats but because his opposition wants to make his sexuality an issue, he can't really go public without the whole race devolving into some other people's isms.
Anyway, I am hopeful that our better angels will prevail, that Obama will win and thrive and that our country will move towards a place where violence is not so culturally embedded that it's still seen as the chief instrument of our foreign policy . . .
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@hiker
[Read the article: A new low in Clinton bashing]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Why are you being so reasonable?? How dare you!
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@ xufapemu
[Read the article: A new low in Clinton bashing]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Your obsession with "single-post" Hillary and/or Joan supporters is interesting.
So what if some other site sends people to Joan's mag to signal that they agree with her. Why is this news or cause for concern?
If people were coming here and shouting down others or being vile, it would be one thing, but I think it's perfectly legit for a bunch of people to come here and post.
Even once!
It won't hurt any of us, I promise.
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@lateagain
[Read the article: A new low in Clinton bashing]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thank you. :-)
Which one? I've been way more talky than usual. I think it's probably procrastination . . .
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@ coldshotJ
[Read the article: A new low in Clinton bashing]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wow you took a very dark and nasty leap from the mention of an assassination 40 years ago to the worst possible interpretation. (I won't repeat what you said because we just don't need more of that.)
Is it at all possible that knee-jerk and heavy-handed over-the-top responses like yours are the reason why some people leap to her defense? No one likes a bully.
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@Xrandadu
[Read the article: A new low in Clinton bashing]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks for the explanation.
While I completely disagree with folks saying they won't vote for Obama in the general because of the way they feel Clinton has been treated, there's nothing wrong with people posting that. We can't deny that that sentiment is out there -- just as there are likely Obama supporters who woudn't vote for Clinton and there are Republicans who won't vote for McCain.
For me, part of the value of these types of forums is learning other's points of view, getting some context and occasionally being persuaded to rethink what I think of things. But a huge benefit is just in seeing what is out there and coming to understand what people think and why they think of it. I'm fascinated by the tides of emotion in relation to our hopes and fears, the themes that arise in people's relationship to public figures and, not the least, how people absorb the sewer of most commercial media and still come out thinking occasionally original thoughts.
BTW, I can't spell occasionally though ocassionally I get it right.