Letters to the Editor
Lindy from L.A.
Published Letters: 63 Editor's Choice: 1
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Joan, Please Use Your Head for a Change!
[Read the article: Thank you, Rush Limbaugh!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Joan, I'm a feminist and an Obama supporter, and it distresses me, in all honesty, to see you write about feminism and sexism in a way that simply demonstrates you aren't thinking. For example, you wrote:
Quote: "But I thought many of the letters about my post helped prove the point that sexism is more pervasive, and far less conscious, than racism is in the Democratic primary this year."
Really, Joan? It didn't occur to you that a piece about sexism might elicit more sexist comments than racist comments, while a piece about racism might elicit more racist comments than sexist comments? And that neither is dispositive as to whether there is more racism or more sexism in the primary this year?
I have no problem whatsoever with your supporting Hillary or focusing on sexism in the primary, Joan. The subject is in fact of great interest to me too. But please -- stop being so darn stupid about it! It's painful to see!
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Racism vs. Sexism - Smackdown!
[Read the article: Thank you, Rush Limbaugh!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]A couple of points: There seems to be an assumption that, if Hillary and her supporters do more complaining about encountering sexism during the primaries than Obama and his supporters do about encountering racism, then that can only mean there's more sexism than racism. But, it needn't mean that at all. It may mean, for example, that the path to the Presidency for a black man simply cannot include complaining about racism. (I'm less sure that a black woman couldn't complain about racism. After all, an angry black woman has a more agreeable image in our culture than an angry black man. Think Tyler Perry as Madea.) Hillary, meanwhile, has been able to do at least some complaining about sexism and, in so doing, mobilize her base.
In fact, why is it that all this comparing of whether there's more sexism than racism is coming from Clinton supporters? I don't know what to make of that. I wouldn't know how to begin to make that comparison. Amazingly (to me), Clinton supporters point to the fact that black men got the vote before women did as proof of something -- as if getting the vote put an end to either racism or sexism!
Finally, if either Hillary or Obama wins the Presidency (and I assume one of them will), that won't end the dispute either. These are two individuals running for President, not two prototypes. We can feel happy and hopeful and mark progress of a sort if either is elected, but it won't answer the question of whether there's more racism or sexism.
I'm just not sure that's an answerable question.
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Say What?
[Read the article: Thank you, Rush Limbaugh!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Quote: "I was questioned on this. Racism has not been around for a million years. It is less deeply rooted. And like a younger weed should be more easily removed.
Moreover, the physical differences are greater. Racism is really just a color difference. It should not exist but it does. There is more of a difference between males and females. That has to exist to maintain humans on earth."
The above is mind-boggling, flabbergasting. Utterly trivial.
You might as well say: Skin is an external organ while ovaries and the uterus are internal, therefore...
Then again, it's probably not any lamer than the original proposition from Joan, so what the heck. As you were.
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Of Chromosomes and Genes
[Read the article: Thank you, Rush Limbaugh!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well, thank you for that explanation, David, but I don't see what it has to do with whether sexism is deeper, more entrenched, more subtle, of longer standing, or anything else vis-a-vis racism.
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You Cannot Be the Editor in Chief
[Read the article: My last word (for now) on sexism]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]OMG, Joan -- you just reframed the question, didn't you? Big time, in fact. Now you're saying: "Tell me sexism hasn't hurt Hillary Clinton in this campaign."
Had you posted this from the git-go, it would've (I suspect) elicited far fewer responses than your original hypothesis: "There is more sexism in the Democratic primary than there is racism. And it's more of a problem."
With your new framing -- that sexism has hurt Hillary -- half a dozen people could've dropped by and said, "Yeah, seems like. And it's really wrong" -- and that would've been it.
Then someone else could've posted: "Tell me racism hasn't hurt Barack Obama in this campaign." And folks could've nodded in agreement -- "Got me there, pal" -- and that would've been it.
You know, seriously, Joan: You sound so much like an aggrieved junior high schooler with your passive-aggressive locker-slamming and flouncing off down the hall that I find it hard to believe you're the editor in chief of salon. That's all a gag, isn't it?
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Lategain...
[Read the article: My last word (for now) on sexism]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]... great post.
Joan, if you read only one post here, please read lateagain's.
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to: fedorovington
[Read the article: My last word (for now) on sexism]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Quote: "not really. he's killing her in spite of all this so these adversities he's "overcoming" are worthless as a comparison."
Maybe he's just a whole lot better a candidate than Hillary.
But, are you seriously suggesting that racism and sexism are the only factors at work in this primary??!! So if Hillary wins, that means racism is worse, and if Obama wins, that means sexism is worse?
God save us Dems. Please.
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so that's it, federov?
[Read the article: My last word (for now) on sexism]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Quote: "how could they not be? they have virtually the same voting record."
There's nothing else to decide the race? If it's not voting record, then it can only be racism and sexism?
How about leadership? How about management styles and skill in running their campaigns? How about all those character issues we keep hearing about? How about judgment? (And yes, I'm talking about Iraq here, but not just Irag.)