Spring Break
The Daily OrangeHillary haters hide sexist undertones
By Kevin Eggleston
Posted: 2/25/08, 10:06 PM EST Section: Opinion
"How do we beat the bitch?"
That was the gracefully phrased question a woman posed to John McCain at a November campaign event. It was a telling moment caught on video and posted on YouTube as audio-visual proof of the sexism that is alive and well in American politics.
In response, McCain chuckled with the crowd - albeit uncomfortably - as he provided a "translation" and commended the "excellent question." It seems calling Hillary Clinton a bitch, much like McCain calling her daughter "ugly" in 1998, is absolutely hilarious, especially to a gaggle of Republicans.
You can bet that if the question had been "how do we beat the black?" McCain's jovial response would have destroyed his electability. Instead, he is now the presumptive Republican nominee.
The candidacy of Hillary Clinton has elicited sexist comments and inclinations from not just grumpy old men, but from women and young people and even members of the media. But it's the young people who worry me the most.
Currently, there are 38,244 members of the Facebook group "Hillary Clinton: Stop Running for President and Make Me a Sandwich."
More tellingly, there are nearly 50 anti-Hillary Facebook groups playing off the original name "Life's a Bitch, Why Vote for One?" Apparently the copy-cat creators didn't have the mental creative capacity to come up with their own sexist witticism.
The creator of one "Life's a Bitch…" group, Northwestern Tech Sophomore Corey Forrester, said he and others don't dislike Sen. Clinton "because she is a woman or because we are sexist, it is because she is a closet socialist."
When asked about the sexist implications of the group name, he defends it by saying it is in jest. To Forrester, calling Sen. Clinton a "bitch" is simply an attempt at a joke meant to attract young people to the anti-Hillary cause.
Katie LoCircero, a member of "Stop Running for President and Make Me a Sandwich," said she's not saying women are inferior, but she said she doesn't think Hillary has the capability to rule.
That was the gracefully phrased question a woman posed to John McCain at a November campaign event. It was a telling moment caught on video and posted on YouTube as audio-visual proof of the sexism that is alive and well in American politics.
In response, McCain chuckled with the crowd - albeit uncomfortably - as he provided a "translation" and commended the "excellent question." It seems calling Hillary Clinton a bitch, much like McCain calling her daughter "ugly" in 1998, is absolutely hilarious, especially to a gaggle of Republicans.
You can bet that if the question had been "how do we beat the black?" McCain's jovial response would have destroyed his electability. Instead, he is now the presumptive Republican nominee.
The candidacy of Hillary Clinton has elicited sexist comments and inclinations from not just grumpy old men, but from women and young people and even members of the media. But it's the young people who worry me the most.
Currently, there are 38,244 members of the Facebook group "Hillary Clinton: Stop Running for President and Make Me a Sandwich."
More tellingly, there are nearly 50 anti-Hillary Facebook groups playing off the original name "Life's a Bitch, Why Vote for One?" Apparently the copy-cat creators didn't have the mental creative capacity to come up with their own sexist witticism.
The creator of one "Life's a Bitch…" group, Northwestern Tech Sophomore Corey Forrester, said he and others don't dislike Sen. Clinton "because she is a woman or because we are sexist, it is because she is a closet socialist."
When asked about the sexist implications of the group name, he defends it by saying it is in jest. To Forrester, calling Sen. Clinton a "bitch" is simply an attempt at a joke meant to attract young people to the anti-Hillary cause.
Katie LoCircero, a member of "Stop Running for President and Make Me a Sandwich," said she's not saying women are inferior, but she said she doesn't think Hillary has the capability to rule.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 15
Iguana
posted 2/26/08 @ 9:29 AM EST
Oh my god, could you be a bigger Hillary apologist? I agree name calling should be beneath us in this day and age, but I've not seen any evidence to suggest HRC is some caring mis-understood do-gooder. (Continued…)
Amit Taneja
posted 2/26/08 @ 12:34 PM EST
Way to go Kevin! Excellent article. Say it how it is - this sort of language is 100% sexist.
Mike Long
posted 2/26/08 @ 3:42 PM EST
Whoever let you write about politics at the DO is absolutely retarded. Obviously this was a joke by the questioner, because in a previous campaign event an HRC supporter asking her a question referred to President George W. (Continued…)
Mike Long
posted 2/26/08 @ 3:44 PM EST
By the way Kev... how's that "composure" thing going on the Democratic side?
Megan C.
posted 2/26/08 @ 8:25 PM EST
You can think someone is a bitch, it doesn't make you a sexist.
I don't like Hillary Clinton at all, I think she's a bitch, but there are MANY other reasons why she doesn't deserve to be President. (Continued…)
JRS
posted 2/27/08 @ 3:56 AM EST
It's funny how vocal the conservatives are on these stupid comment boards.
Kevin
posted 2/27/08 @ 1:19 PM EST
God Bless America!
Em
posted 3/01/08 @ 4:45 AM EST
Thanks Kevin. I, for one, really appreciate this article. I'm one of many women disgusted when people dismiss sexism so quickly. It is deeply ingrained in our society and congratulations to Hillary for fighting it. (Continued…)
Eva Valez
posted 3/01/08 @ 11:33 AM EST
Thank God I'm not alone when I refuse to shed a tear for Hillary. When you run for President, you take the hits. It's not okay to call her a bitch, but liberal supporters of her and Obama can call McCain an asshole, a warmonger, a fascist. (Continued…)
MG
posted 3/06/08 @ 10:40 AM EST
"'She is a caring, hard-working and admirable woman who spent her college years as a successful student activist, organizer and change-agent."
...who voted for the Patriot Act and its re-authorization; who voted for Iraq; who war-mongered for Iraq, too; who is mongering against Iran (Iranian Revolutionary Guard); who never stood up for unions when on the board of Wal-Mart; who will owe tax payer money to her lobbying buddies. (Continued…)
Post a Comment