Is This Progress?

Like millions of other Americans, I am following the presidential election.  I don’t have a candidate that I feel really will make a difference when it is all said and done.  It seems to me most politicians say and promise one thing when campaigning, but seldom follow through on these promises once elected. 

I will admit that I was happy after 219 years; there was finally a woman, Hillary Clinton, who was running for her party’s nomination for president.  It has been a long-time coming.  I can’t say that I agree with everything Clinton has done in her political career, but it was a historical event.  One might even argue that it finally meant women were closer to breaking through that ever-present glass ceiling. 

I believed a candidate for president with Clinton’s political background would be deemed a serious contender, and would be taken seriously, despite the fact that she is indeed a woman.  It seemed like this was real progress for women in our country. 

As the campaign played out, it has been obviously clear that this campaign has been anything but progress for women.  It has appalled and shocked me, how Senator Hillary Clinton has been portrayed by the media-mainly because she is a woman. Here are just a few of the countless examples:

• Senator Clinton was called a “stereotypical bi**h” by CNN’s & ABC’s Glenn Beck
• Clinton was subject of a “joke” told on MSNBC which said she was doing better because it was “white bi**h month” (at least the news anchors denounced this “joke.”)
• Again on MSNBC, Keith Olbermann, when asked how a winner could be determined between Senators Obama & Clinton, he said, “…Somebody who can take her into a room and only he comes out.”
• Liberal radio personality Randi Rhodes (a female) called Clinton a “big [expletive] whore” at a San Francisco radio station event for Obama supporters. (Rhodes included Geraldine Ferrao in this incident as well.)
• NPR Political editor Ken Rudin, and columnist and blogger, Andrew Sullivan compared Sen. Clinton to the Glenn Close Fatal Attraction character– a crazy, psychotic, home-wrecker. 
• MSNBC’s (yet again) Chris Matthews likening Sen. Clinton to a “she-devil,” with an on-screen drawing of Clinton sprouting horns. 
• Jack Cafferty of CNN said Clinton is more like “a scolding mother, talking down to her child.”
• William Kristol on Fox News said, “White women are a problem, that’s — you know, we all live with that.”

Whether you would vote for Sen. Clinton or not, the issue is when the media is allowed to refer to her and women in general, by these degrading and sexist terms.  It illustrates how women are perceived and thought of.  This is blatant sexism, misogyny, and gender discrimination. 

How outraged would we be, the media included, if Olbermann had stated that Sen. Obama needed to be taken into a room by someone, where he (Obama) wouldn’t come out- clearly referring to being severely beaten?  When did it become acceptable to talk about beating a woman to the point where she would be so injured, she would be physically unable to move?  Or what if Kristol had said, “…black men are a problem?” 

The outrage would be deafening.   It would be pouring in from the political left and right- male and female.  As a nation we do not tolerate racial comments about a person or group’s race or sexual orientation.  Yet, when the media constantly speaks this way about a woman and a mother, it is not the outrage that is deafening, it is the silence.

Silence from people and organizations that ought to be taking a stand against this type of sexism and misogyny.  Where are the people and groups who normally stand up against this behavior?  Why are these types of comments not reprimanded immediately, and why do comments like this continue, over and over again? 

I am very disappointed, disillusioned, and wonder why more people- the media, politicians, political leaders, activists, and the other candidates for president, do not protest and speak out against these blatant sexist and gender attacks against Sen. Clinton, and in turn women everywhere?

The fact that none of these groups or individuals has denounced this type of speech against Clinton shows that they have no interest in working to disperse these sexist attitudes and remarks. It seems like this could have been a monumental stand for the other candidates to make.  What better way to show that you will work for all people when they are unfairly criticized, and judged.  In Clinton’s case, all of this hostility for more or less-being a woman?

Why stand quietly by when a colleague is continually called a “bi**h” and worse by the media numerous times?  Why not disown and condemn this type of sexism?  After Sen. Obama’s own pastor made comments that were not appropriate, Obama strongly denounced him.  I question why Sen. Obama chooses not to do the same denouncing this type of misogyny against women? Sen. John McCain has also remained silent on this issue. 

The fact is, this type of sexism and misogyny has not only happened over and over again to Sen. Clinton in the media, but it happens countless times to women every day in America.  A well publicized example happened just last week, when Sen. Obama called a female reporter “sweetie.”  

Instead of the issue being the obvious sexism in this type of comment, Obama himself said, “It’s a bad habit of mine.”  The issue is downplayed and brushed off by the media as a term of endearment.   The women who have spoken against this, and who are offended by this “term of endearment,” are portrayed as being overly sensitive, and irrational.   What would the media have said about Clinton if she had called a male reporter ‘honey,’ or ‘sweetie?’  How many women would still have their jobs, if their “bad habit” was calling their male colleagues ‘sweetie?’ Could the double standard here, be any more apparent? 

The silence on this very real issue has spoken volumes to me on the values of our so called “leaders,” and presidential candidates.  I believe real leaders for change would not let these sexist attitudes continue to foster and even contribute to the problem by remaining silent, and using their own inappropriate terms when addressing women.   It is very easy to speak about great things, and great change, but a totally different thing to live by those words, day in and day out, when a real issue is on the line.

When as a country, we allow a presidential nominee candidate (who happens to be a woman) to be called a bi**h, whore, and worse over and over again, or allow a presidential nominee candidate (who happens to be a man) to call a woman doing her job, sweetie, and we remain silent- what does that say about us?  What does that say to our children- the next generation- our sons and daughters about the value of women in our society?

As much as things have changed, and progress has been made in eliminating sexism, this campaign race has made it very clear how so many things have not changed, especially sexist attitudes towards women in this country. 

Are we still at that point, where a woman running for the nomination for President of the United States, should expect to be called obscenities, cruelly be made fun of, and be judged by her gender- not her accomplishments?  Sadly, I think we are.  Can we call this progress?  I don’t think so.  

~Sexism is a social disease- Author Unknown