Letters to the Editor
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Puhleeze LeCastor
You don't think when black people complain about racism, they aren't dubbed whiners as well! Maybe you don't notice because you think we ARE whiners or because you're a white woman so other people's oppression doesn't really matter to you, but it happens quite a bit on message boards anytime there is a story about anything having to do with race. It even happens here on salon. You should read what people said about the Jenna 6 on my local newspaper wesbite. It was decidedly uncivil and there were many calls to string those ni**** up. But I live in the South, so that's pretty much the go to phraze whenever black folks act all uppity.
When any opppressed group in this country says anything about how they are treated, every other group feels the need to pile on say, get over yourself, grow a pair, stop your belly aching. You have it better than everyone else, so shut up.
Hillary is most certainly an uppity female. I do think there is an element of sexism in some people's hatred of her, definitely. The same is true for Obama; I've seen letters on here which are thinly veiled racist and awful, but then I might be overly sensitive, or a whiner, or whatever. But the thing is, Obama doesn't want his supporters or his "people" to say anything about it because he knows, rightly, that all it will do will is turn people off. I've seen death threats on some message boards; I'm sure he gets a shit load of them. I don't know the last time a white woman was assasinated in this country, but there is a history of killing black activists and leaders.
The fact is, the first female president is going to have it rough, campaigning, and running the country. If she can't take it, if her supporters can't take all of the shitty things said and done to her, then she should just go back to the kitchen and make some cookies for her husband. And for the Obama supporters who are sick of the sexist comments about Hillary, tell those frat "boy" Obamatons to shut their fucking mouths. Get in their faces and say, I might be voting for Obama, but you and I should show the same respect to Senator Clinton as we would any other member of our party. That's what I've said, to anyone who disses Clinton using potty sexist language.
I keep saying I'm not going to get sucked into anymore of this Salon-nonsense...but it's so friggin addictive.
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John Edwards read the handwriting on the wall and gracefully bowed out.
We want presidents who can read handwriting on the wall. She has fewer votes, and more than enough of the votes are in. It's simple arithmetic. My anger is because Hillary's handwriting-on-the-wall simple-arithmetic aphasia is doing the spoiler thing - Her desire to win sabotages Democrats' winning. She is destroying us and can't help herself. How could she do this to us? to herself? Why shouldn't this anger any Democrat?
I would gladly vote for a woman who was the right one. Oh, Bella Abzug, please disinter.
Hillary supporters who read the handwriting on the wall - Please ask Hillary to drop out. Her savage persistence is killing us. Please help get a Democrat back in the White House.
Best -
(More, for free: google "Rabid Fanatic" +"Monty Johnston")
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Obama-Annubis will eat the souls of the disloyal
And condemn them to a very unpleasant afterlife.
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@canaldoc, @LeCastor
The problem with this article is not that it brings up sexism. Yes, let's talk about sexism, but let's start by talking about real sexism. This article does not discuss any examples of real sexism, in fact it points out a lack of any overt sexism on the part of the alleged sexists (i.e. - liberal, progressive, well-educated men). The charges of sexism are based on their (for some, but not all, intense) dislike of a very unlikeable candidate and their attempts to convince the author and her female friends and colleagues that Hillary is not the right choice for the Democratic Party. Yes there is overt sexism and probably some covert sexism directed towards Hillary in this campaign, but Rebecca made it clear that her article was not addressed to the Rush Limbaugh or Chris Matthews types, on whom we could have a field day. This was directed towards liberal "elitist" men in general (funny how "elitist" is the latest charge Hillary has thrown at Barack Obama).
This article was about as far from Obama's speech on race as it could have been in terms of starting a meaningful dialogue about gender issues in this country. Rebecca has stoked a fire in the wrong place, and people like LeCastor in particular are fueling it. Talk about sexism where sexism can be found, not in broad charges leveled at a demographic that has generally been supportive, if not single-mindedly supportive, of gender equality over at least the last decade.
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For the record, I dislike Hillary. I agree with some of her policies, although honestly, if I were going based on policy alone, I would be a Kucinich man. I wish she and her male colleagues hadn't voted to authorize the war, but I myself was not outspoken in my criticisms before the war. I did change my mind within months of the invasion, however, while Clinton took way too long to oppose it. I also don't like who she is as a person. She pushes my buttons (all Barack has to offer is a speech he gave in 2002 - maybe if she had gave the same speech, we might not be in Iraq), although I think I am mature enough to avoid developing an unhealthy intense dislike of her. I am not so shallow that my support would go to McCain if Clinton were to lose; I just wouldn't feel as good about my vote in November.
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Am I the only one?
Am I the only one who finds sexism well, kind of sexy?
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Why is this thing still occupying Salon's top space?
There are so many reasons to be disgusted with this piece: the completely fallacious header implying that only men support Obama and they do it only to prove their masculine superiority, the contradictory idea that any women who do are traitors to the second-wave feminist cause, the confusion of idealism and organization with Moonie groupthink, and the typically Traister whiny, self-righteous hectoring tone it's presented in, Salon's inhouse substitute for Paglia/Dickerson.
But why go on? The letters, for the most part far better reasoned and written, are running ten-to-one against it, and the majority appear to be from offended women.
There are legitimate reasons to criticize Obama the candidate, but this isn't about him, and if it were Traister wouldn't be capable of writing it. Let's just shake our heads sorrowfully at this roadkill of a piece and move on.