Letters to the Editor
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@Smurf
Wait.
Are you saying that at Obama campaign headquarters, a roomful of consultants is huddled around a legal pad, listing words that have a female or sexist connotation, and then is brainstorming and thinking of ways that Obama can fit those words into innocent-sounding sentences, as part of a psychological ploy?
HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA!
Wait, I'm not done laughing.
HAHAAHAHAHAHAAA!
Goddam, that's hysterical. Ooops, hysterical has a feminine connotation. I mean, I'm surprised that I hadn't been kept abreast of this development in American politics. Oops.
I mean that you are a giant vagina.
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@ample-assed anonymous
You said:
"I mentioned the size of my own butt only to illustrate that I too am sensitive to "fat girl" jokes and would NEVER make one. Those words hurt and I am the first to admit it. I was not calling her ass ample. I was calling your sense of manufactured outrage ample."
and
"he didn't want to put too fine a point on it and say that he is in the process of kicking her ample ass back to Arkansas."
I'll use small words too.
You. Made. A. Fat. Girl. Joke. (To. Make, Your. "Point.") Rather like fighting for peace and fucking for virginity.
And, FWIW, I voted for Obama in my primary.
I'm not "outraged". I'm disappointed in Obama, in you, and in so many others who fail to notice that HRC is being treated differently because she is a woman. Media pundits, talking heads, bloggers, and the voting public consistently use disparaging language against her as a *person*, not as a candidate. And when anyone speaks out against it, HRC is accused of "playing the victim."
She didn't ask me to respond. I'm speaking out because some day my daughter might want to be president, and I want to e past the point where some idiot might think it's legit to make comments about her ass, her cleavage, her pantsuits, and her cookie-baking.
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quotes of the day
One more little thing...wasn't there recently a rather poor quote by Senator Clinton regarding President Putin? Why isn't that quote, and Putin's response which highlight Senator Clinton's hawkish nature, and McCainesque inability to understand that her words will go out and be heard by those she's speaking of, the quote of the day.
See...now that's an attack.
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Jules,
we're on the same side. You hate sexism, I hate sexism. We all hate sexism. I just also happen to hate fake posturing and manufactured controversy. And I don't think it helps the feminist movement to play directly into the stereotype of "humorless harpy who always finds fault with an innocuous statement." Also, I'm for free speech. And if the feminist movement is so rigid that you can NEVER make a "fat girl" joke in furtherance of an argument, then screw it, I guess you and I belong to different feminist movements.
Why don't you check out this website:
http://www.poundy.com/
The girl who writes this blog has an entry up where she points out that some jerks are making fun of the victims who were shot to death in a Lane Bryant plus-size store last week. She tears this guy a new one... and in the rant, she makes fat girl jokes. SHE IS A LARGE GIRL. In fact, she has written a whole book about her body-image and dieting issues. So, is this essay "sizeist"? Is this "anti-woman"?
Or is it a brilliant piece of writing that is actually funny?
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@Anonymous
No, that's not what I'm say, and if you read the entire post you would have seen that.
What Obama's people likely have done is sat around looked at Senator Clinton's behavior during the campaign, and said "how can we portray Clinton negativly wihtout looking like we're going negative". Which is of course the heart of a "positive" campaign.
Senator Clinton's emotional states are fair game not because she is a woman, but because, everyone's emotional states are fair game. Giving Senator Clinton defernce because of her gender is the sort of chivalric sexism that is just as destructive as the more negative sexism that we are used to.
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Anon @ 5:46
Fear not, the Hillary-lovers will soon explain that Putin's statement that she "lacked a head" was code for the fact that Hillary "lacks a penis." Or that women "lack" about 26 cents for every dollar that a man makes. Or that the word "head" is biased against women because men are stereotypically viewed as more cerebral. Or something. I have no idea how, but I'm sure Vlad was being SEXIST.
Juliebird, you wanna take this one?
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Smurf,
Wait.
So Obama is being sexist (chivalric, but still sexist) because he's not attacking her ENOUGH?
F*ck it, I give up. You win, I'm completely confused.
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John Paul Stevens, I'm sorry......
Thin to nonexistant resume, wrong race in a country that believes there is a "wrong race", questionable ties to shady figures in Illinois, absolutely no accomplishments, no experience, no....qualifications for the job.
No wonder the Republicans are so happy lately. We are soooooo stupid to once again nominate a loser.
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@Anonymous
You are reading way to much into my posts, or just not reading them.
Obama isn't being Chivalric or sexist, he's be a solid politiican attacking his opponant for her weaknesses.
That people see these attacks as sexist is likely because they see all attacks on Senator Clinton as sexist. Treating Senator Clinton the same as he would treat Senator McCain is the essence of a gender nutral campaign.
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Juliebird
Obama's basic campaign rhetoric has been against negative campaigning. That he very, very, extemely mildly mentions that Hillary is using negative campaign tactics is not sexist.
The use of the word "periodically" is not sexist. The attack on Obama using that word, is in fact playing the victim.
People keep on telling me that Hillary Clinton's campaign is not being treat the same way as other candidates have been treat: Bill Clinton was accused of being a murderous rapist with a penchant for fraud.
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Clockwork Smurf
Well said.
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@Person
I never once mentioned "periodically." I have no issue with how he used that word.
I am annoyed at Obama for equating HRC's campaign tactics with shoe-shopping to lift her mood. *That*, IMHO, is sexist, and unbecoming.