BlogHer - Al Gore - Comments

Climate change??

NHeinz — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:33:51 -0600

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I am old enough to remember back in the 1970's scientists were predicting a mini ice age. If they got it so wrong back then, how can we be sure they are right now? Now I agree we need to get away from fossil fuels for security, economic and environmental reasons butI think there are still some doubts that need to be addressed.

Noelle

I'd say yes, that's still

earlgreyrooibos — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:34:14 -0500

I'd say yes, that's still sexist, because it's still equating masculinity with strength. You've assigned strength/toughness as a prerequisite for the presidency, and by associating that with male anatomy, essentialized masculinity as tough and more presidential.

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I think what's most

earlgreyrooibos — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:32:04 -0500

I think what's most disturbing about that cover is the fact that someone actually THOUGHT it was satire. It's not satire. It's parroting back a racist sentiment without any sort of criticism or commnentary. It upsets me that someone so high up on the New Yorker staff is so ignorant as to both humor and critical commentary.

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Wish I could hear you speak

Nordette — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:07:11 -0500

Maria, I agree with Prof. Kim that you should do a book, and I'm sorry I won't be at BlogHer to hear you speak.

You posted this shortly after I posted my weekly post, which asks readers "When was the first time you realized being a woman was a disadvantage?"

I didn't have time to comment on your post here that night.

In my case, recognizing gender bias came later because race played a bigger role in my life. So I've done some thinking about the gender/race issue. I hope you'll drop by and share your experience.

BTW, I've been talking about the Jesse nuts flap at my personal blog at which I also have that video showing how difficult it was for male anchors to address "cutting off nuts."

I agree that we need to also be aware when we're showing sexist attitudes toward men, especially if applying Gloria Steinem's definition of sexism which is to create policies or adopt attitudes that assume one gender is superior to the other. My daughter and I have to watch what we say around my son sometimes.

Words are like toothpaste; hard to stuff back in the tube once out, and you'd think Jesse would know by now to assume someone's listening to him.

Thanks for a great post, Maria.

Nordette is a Contributing Editor with BlogHer.com whose personal blog is hosted on another site at this link, BigSole.

Not racist, sexist

Maria Niles — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:19:13 -0500

Alicia,

Thank you for commenting and adding context to the comment of yours I quoted. I don't think it was a racial thing and I'm sorry if I did not make that sufficiently clear. I asked the initial question about racial context because the desire to cut off Obama's balls came from an African American.

I have no issue with holding and stating the opinion that Clinton was a tougher candidate. But when you value the quality of toughness and equate it with masculinity and having testicles then yes I do believe it is sexist. If Obama needs to "man up" you are saying that being "feminine" does not qualify you to be president. You are saying that Clinton has to be "a man" and that women unless they behave as if they have balls aren't tough enough to be president. So, yes, I do believe, as you ask below, that saying Clinton has balls is just as sexist as telling Obama to get some.

Hillary was a strong, well qualified candidate without assigning her additional anatomy. Also, as quoted above it plays into conservative Republican rhetorical traps which increasingly are seeping into the mainstream media and dominating our political narrative:

Glenn Greenwald, meanwhile, explained a corollary principle: "As critical as it is to them to feminize Democratic and liberal males (and to masculinize the women), even more important is to create false images of masculine power and strength around their authority figures."

I would hope we can fight not perpetuate this form of discourse.

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Tes-TIC-u-lar fortitude

donna darko — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:09:11 -0500

Wasn't it funny when the union leader said Clinton had

Tes-TIC-u-lar fortitude.

Come on, you loved it.

Clinton has balls

donna darko — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:16:46 -0500

Conversely, was it sexist every time I said CLINTON HAS BALLS. CLINTON HAS COJONES. CLINTON WEARS THE PANTS. CLINTON IS THE MAN IN THIS RACE. All these were said by the media also. How else do you say it? Clinton is the strong one in the race? Clinton is the tougher one in this race? It's much more direct to say it this way,

Equal opportunity

donna darko — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:14:25 -0500

Maria,

Just so you and your readers know, I say this kind of thing to men of all races, especially white men. MAN UP. GET SOME BALLS, GET SOME COJONES. 95% of the men I've criticized online have been white (check out archives of feminist blogs like Feministing, etc). It's not a racial thing. Obama really does need to man up. Is that sexist? How else can you say it? Be a man? Toughen up? Be tougher? Be stronger? Get some balls seems most appropriate.

Alicia

Thanks Jill... It isn't funny to me either!

Lovebabz — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:11:30 -0500

I appreciate the Ohio blogger link! And I agree with you! The Hillary Clinton NewYorker cover wasn't funny and neither is this.

Love,

Babz

Hadn't seen

Jill Miller Zimon — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:01:29 -0500

Hi Babz -

Thanks for the heads up on that - here's an Ohio blogger's take on it.

What upsets me the most about this, and I know people may disagree, but I HATED the New Republic cover of a hysterical Hillary Clinton - do you remember that one? And I wrote about it and got into very nasty comment threads with people I know personally, mainly men, who refused to see the sexism and misogyny in it. And I would say, what if they did this to Obama? And still, groans and eye rolls.

Now - equally unacceptable is this New Yorker cover - I'm sorry - but it's just not okay in my book. It is just as bad as the Hillary cover and though, I can't believe we can even have this as a benchmark, not as bad as that Daily Kos image of Michelle being lynched which was absolutely stupefying (Kim Pearson wrote a great BlogHer piece on that).

I guess this is what I mean about the lines being all over the place and no mutual understanding across a broad enough section of society to say - you may not sell with these images, you may not satirize in this way. I don't mean in a free speech restriction kind of way - I mean in a "this is nasty, mean-spirited, plays on people's fears and does nothing to promote improving ourselves or our world."

Sorry - I just hate this stuff people try to slide by. How on earth is that cover ok? Replace it with Jews, or Latinos. Why is such caricaturing being done?

Maybe it's me and having no sense of humor. But I just don't like it.

Was that honest enough? oy - sorry.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Context

Jill Miller Zimon — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:21:51 -0500

I've been given some context by people I trust to know more than I do about such things and while the joke, such as it is, still falls flat (kind of like McCain's I don't beat my wife thing), I think your comment, Maria - about how it is still a gendered comment (with a laugh dependent on putting women down I would add) is still dead on, and it needs to be eradicated as something to laugh at. I think that's what bothers me the most. I know we value being able to laugh at ourselves, but it feels like the usage and the lines are just all over the place, and damaging.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Check...Is this Funny?

Lovebabz — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:20:33 -0500

Maria,

And Sisters

Take a look at the cover of the Nw Yorker..I posted it here at blogher...Is this Funny? I have no words for this. I can't wrap my brain around this. Speak on it if you have the will to do so.

Love,

Babz

Wow

Maria Niles — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:18:36 -0500

Thank you, Kim. I'm deeply honored.

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Thanks, Karen

Maria Niles — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:17:45 -0500

I appreciate your comment. And it is a very good point that individuals experience isms differently so we should be cautious about attempts to rank them. Love the smoothie analogy!

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Sigh, indeed

Maria Niles — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:14:51 -0500

And, interestingly, in the article I read about this incident Bernie Mac was quoted in his apology as saying "Obama is a man's man." And I just shook my head at yet another gendered comment.

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