The current and insidious mythomania building around Senator Barack Obama's candidacy for U. S. President is a relatively new phenomenon compared to the virulent, decades old, and vicious fabrications directed at Hillary Clinton. Just a cursory browse on the web can find over a million sources accusing her of murder, burglary, adultery, lying, blasphemy, criminal intimidation, harassment, killing cats - even of being a communist, a sociopath, and a witch!.
There's no reasoning with these Clintonphobes. There's no changing these paranoid, psychotic mindsets. There's just no basis in reality.
The media is almost as bad. If Hillary speaks assertively, she's too shrill or she's a bitch. The standard joke is that if Obama has benefited from Black History Month, too bad there's not a White Bitch Month for Hillary! If she speaks moderately or with emotion, she's too feminine, too weak, or she's faking it. If she dresses conservatively, she's too masculine. If she doesn't, she's too provocative.
Her laugh is called a "cackle," her voice "grating." She's had way too many plastic surgeries (none of course, but how else can she look so good at 60!) Her hairstyles are criticized and her eyes are analyzed. In fact, watching her "evil" eyes is a favorite sport with her most rabid adversaries.
Even for more reasonable folks, she has to walk a very thin line between strength and vulnerability, masculinity and femininity, constraints that simply don't apply to men. She is criticized by some for being a feminist, others for not being one. She's either an extreme lefty or a pro-war hawk, godless or fundamentalist, a victim of Bill's affairs or an enabler. She's an opportunist, cold and calculating. Other candidates have "well run" campaigns, her's is the "Clinton machine." Negative connotations abound and surround her media coverage daily.
Worst of all, in the minds of many, she's brilliant and ambitious! (Qualities that are expected and admired in the men running against her.) How dare she!
Where does this stuff come from? Men, of course! NOT SO FAST! That cursory browse of the web reveals as many women (particularly professional women) Hillary haters as men. Why is that? In what way is she so threatening to other women? Some say they can't support her because she is too polarizing, too divisive (reinforced of course, by the other campaigns.) Isn't this just a more sophisticated version of the age-old tactic used against women - blame the victim?
Is it simply because she is a woman? Or a Clinton? Is it sexism or misogyny? 17th century Salem reincarnated? Where's the reason or logic for this level of malicious, personal character assignation? Isn't there a level of subconscious enmity underlying this phenomenon that makes it unfathomable - and all the more frightening?
Answers anyone?
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3 comments:
My first thoughts about the 2008 presidential election were that more than anything this country needs either a woman or a person of color as leader. It is unfathomable to me that a position often called, “leader of the free world,” should still be, in 2008, an exclusive white boys club.
News anchors bloat about how great it is in America that we should have both a woman and an African-American running for president.
What’s not great about our current situation is that this is the first time that’s ever happened. What’s not great is that Minnesota has not had a woman or person of color as governor. What’s not great is that few corporations have women CEOs. Or that women make on average 77cents for every dollar earned by male counterparts.
Or that prejudice and discrimination is so alive and well from sea to shining sea.
A woman or an African American president can speak with credibility that has been missing by recent presidents. Torture? Sexual harassment in the White House? A woman or person of color can speak with urgency and truth about harassment like no white male can. It may be what is needed to remove the tarnish from the land of the free.
Our country is facing a dangerous dilemma. We are poised for one of the most important elections in our history. The world opinion of the United States is near a record low. The value of the dollar on world markets is limp. Millions worry about what happens if they get sick. We’re involved in a costly war, we’re ruining the planet, and we're mortgaging our grandchildren’s future.
But the outcome of this election is likely to be decided, or at the very least heavily influenced by, misinformation and dirty tricks rather than substantive issues. The Internet efforts mixing spam and hateful politics against Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama are disturbing and illustrate the decline of substance and the rise of unsubstantiated fact. The current Republican candidate was himself a victim of dirty tricks and misinformation in 2000. Could anyone really believe this garbage?
Yes they could and do.
The annual Edelman Trust Survey released last month shows once again that people mostly trust each other rather than government or news media. They are most likely to believe a message or opinion of a friend or peer. Increasingly, they are getting their information from personal media sources and social network sites, rather than traditional news media.
News media, it seems, are too devoted to Britney or Sir Paul’s divorce news.
This country may decide against electing Hilary or Barack, but if they do, let it stand on honest terms. Our society is too eager to follow the latest soundbite instead of searching for substance. If this is an era where we trust email and texting more than the evening news, then it is up to each of us to ensure that the truth gets through. Email a friend the truth about hateful spams and misinformation. If we stand idly by and let hate mail pass itself off as truth, then we will get the government we deserve.
What's the Big Deal About Hillary Hating? I'll bet just as many or more hate Bush.
There's a big difference between Hillary haters and Bush haters. When asked about those opinions, Bush haters always talk about what he's done: the war in Iraq, the evesdropping on Americans, the outing of Valerie Plame, the U. S. Attorney firings, etc. The Hillary haters are always name-calling and attacking her personally: witch, liar, evil eyes, bitch, etc.
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