Love her or hate her, Hillary Clinton certainly sparks debate! See the Senator Clinton media buzz in this Youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcdnlNZg2iM) which highlights some of the more sexist commentary from mainstream media and ends with campaign moments.
I have been following the comments on various blogs reporting on this video. The most frustrating comment I read is that offered by those who agree she is on the receiving end of sexist media coverage but who nonetheless refrain from standing up against sexism because they do not personally like Hillary Clinton. Why does this debate turn on whether you “like” Hillary Clinton? If you didn’t “like” Barack Obama would you refrain from criticizing racist comments against him?
As a young girl, I had myriad strong female role models within my own family; my maternal grandmother ran the household at the family farm, my paternal grandmother had graduated high school at 16, received a college education, was a C.P.A., served in the State Assembly and was mayor in her small town, a variety of aunts held professional degrees and my mother largely ran the finances, discipline and repairs in our household. I was told that I could do anything a man could do and that I could be anything I wanted to be, if I was willing to do the work required for the job. The idealism that allowed me to believe in these dreams has worn considerably with real-life experiences. Those experiences have taught me that hard work is required for any job, that luck and timing often matter as much as dedication and integrity (though you cannot substitute dedication and integrity!), that everyone has a disadvantage to overcome (even privilege white males) and that life is NOT fair!
These reflections contributed to my deep ambivalence between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on a conceptual level; both offer a fresh perspective on leadership, both are breaking barriers, both provide groundbreaking role models for children to look up to. Yet, it breaks my heart when I hear the comment that “We’re ready for a women president…Just Not HER!” or “I’d stand up for another woman…Just Not HER!”
Why are we so ready to believe the “evil” lurking in Hillary Clinton? It turns my stomach to think she voted to authorize what turned into the current Iraq War. I agree it makes me uneasy that she was accused of so many scandals and that she and her husband thrust themselves into the upper crust of wealth. I don’t feel as “uplifted” after her speeches as I do Obama’s. Yet, it equally turns my stomach to think I’ve been successfully duped by the media who is afraid of her. I become uneasy when I succumb to the negative characterizations that represent the double standards women face daily (tough, aggressive, cold) in spite of the abundant evidence that she is also in touch, diligent and relevant. I do feel uplifted by her written speeches on women’s rights and particularly on international human rights.
While I am not convinced that Hillary is my candidate, I heartily echo Saturday Night Live celebrity Tina Fey, “Bitch is the New Black!” Because for better or worse, Hillary is the women at the forefront of the women’s movement of my generation and for that, I support her. And by supporting her, I challenge everyone to refrain from the sexist comments...stop making sexist comments, and Not Just HER!
Honestly, I feel that I know and can understand Clinton better than Obama. Her agenda was a lot clearer to me, a desire for universal health care, a realistic outlook at the situation in Iraq, a women who has proven herself to be a dedicated public servant, etc. On the other hand, I feel that all that Obama has stood for during his nomination campaign was "Change." But change towards what? And change how? I still do not know what to think about him, even after all this time.
perpetual questioner
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