NY Times? What's up with this?

[heidi]

I know everyone has their own personalized definition of mysogyny and of course hatred of women because they're women is horrible.

But something in today's NY Times really struck me as bizarre.

Kate Zernike wrote a piece in the Week in Review section entitled "Can you cross out 'Hillary' and write 'Sarah'?"

And the print version highlighted the following:

To vote pro-choice or anti-misogyny. It's, um, complicated.

Oh, is it really? Basically, she's saying that the options in the presidential election are: vote for the pair that's pro-choice, or vote for the pair that's anti-misogyny.

In other words, McCain/Palin is anti-pro-choice, or anti-choice, and Obama/Biden is anti-anti-misogyny, or pro-misogyny.

What?

Obama/Biden is pro-misogyny because there's no woman on the ticket? Despite their long record of support for women's rights including equal pay for equal work, child-care support and a woman's right to control her body? And somehow, the McCain/Palin support of a platform that says that their goal is to make all abortion illegal even in the cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother is "anti-misogynistic."

Um, that's bizarre.

The choice is definitely not pro-choice or anti-misogyny, and any woman who votes for McCain/Palin because she believes they are anti-misogyny clearly has not read their position papers or analysis of same, because they'd learn that McCain has opposed legislation that would ensure equal pay for equal work, as explained here. Hell, how hard would it be for the Republicans to reinstate something from their 1896 platform in which they espoused support for equal pay for equal work. It's only been 112 years, guys - let's try and get it back in there next time, please.

I am off to ask the NY Times Public Editor why those sentences - "pro-choice or anti-misogyny" - made it into the paper, but never made it online.

I'd also love to hear Ms Zernike's explanation of why she thinks a website showing photos of Governor Palin as a Miss Alaska contestent hints of misogyny. Personally, although I am sure others would disagree with me, there's nothing misogynistic about saying "Sarah Palin ... Kind of a Babe." I think Barack is kind of hot. I also think my own governor, Charlie Crist, is kind of cute (I know, I'm weird. And I'm also wondering if his engagement is off but that's a topic for another day). And I think Sarah is very pretty and Tina Fey-ish, and I definitely do not hate women. But I'm not going to support her because I like her hair and smile, and I don't think it's reasonable to define misogyny as including any positive commentary about a woman's looks. Calling someone ugly, or saying "she's too sexy to be VP" could, of course, cross that line, but simply admiring someone's looks, even in the bare-shouldered photos she took when she was in a beauty pagent scholarship program is weird.

ETA: Damn, dailykos has a block on diaries by new registrants for a week. hedwig_snowy, I know you have an account there, and I would guess others of you do, too. Does anyone want to take this topic onto a diary there? Off to create an account there, finally, anyway... Will use it eventually.


I know, I have catch-up posts on how much fun I had at Dragon*Con and how terrific it was to see so many friends and just bump into people at random, and why I ended up teaching Nathan Fillion how to make Doctor Horrible ringtones for his iphone but that will have to wait for another day. We have to stock in water and other non-perishables in case Hannah comes towards us in hurricane mode, and also send good thoughts and prayers to everyone along the gulf coast, especially New Orleans. Maybe later today, maybe tomorrow... Hugs and "I miss you!" to everyone still in Atlanta!

Comments

[sundancekid.livejournal.com]

Besides agreeing with all of this, I doubly approve of your Miss Congeniality reference. :D

[ginsu.livejournal.com]

I read that piece also and had a similarly dubious reaction. Consider this choice tidbit:

Mrs. Clinton’s supporters will never back her, they insisted, because she is against abortion rights.

Not. So. Fast.

Inded, not so fast. That leaves out all theother reasons not to back Palin.

For example, there's her ludicrous underqualification as potential President of the United States in the event McCain dies of a stroke while screaming redfaced at the blinking waiter who brought him a steak cooked medium well, not medium.

[gmth.livejournal.com]

Or if he has another recurrence of his melanoma, which is my biggest fear.

[ginsu.livejournal.com]

True, but in my scenario, I get to insult McCain for his temper as a fringe benefit of insulting Palin for her incompetence.

[gmth.livejournal.com]

LOL, and it was masterfully done, too. :-)

[sparkly-stuff.livejournal.com]

I agree with your thoughts completely.

I can't wait for the day when no one will bat an eyelash when a woman gets nominated/elected for a top office, as opposed to the special attention,media fiascos and overall drama going on now *eyeroll*

[avidbeader.livejournal.com]

I've had a dailykos account for a while, if you'd like me to post something for you. My head's not quite up to making a coherent diary at the moment.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Hon, hugs to you - I saw your post when I was playing catch-up this morning and it's open in a tab for me to send you hugs and good thoughts.

If you want to post everything through "scholarship program is weird." with an intro that says, "a friend of mine who has a very new dKos account posted the following, and asked me to crosspost it since she can't Diary here until next week..." that would be fantastic.

[avidbeader.livejournal.com]

Done.. And thank you.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

[sparky77.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to that article. That women's logic is not the same as my logic.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Nope. She wrote:

What’s a woman to do? Or at least, the woman who so badly wanted to see a woman in the White House?

When I read that line, there was only one thing I could think.

You have to say, "This is not that time. I will not risk my reproductive freedom or my personal health to have Sarah Palin at the Naval Observatory. I will not risk having creationism taught in schools' science classes to have Sarah Palin at the Naval Observatory. I will not put polar bears at risk to have Sarah Palin at the Naval Observatory. I will not put the idea of equal pay for equal work to have Sarah Palin at the Naval Observatory. I will not agree that marriage should only be between a man and a woman to have Sarah Palin at the Naval Observatory. I will not support drilling in ANWAR or off the shores of Florida when the benefits are so small and so far away to have Sarah Palin at the Naval Observatory."

[ancarett]

Very, very good.

I'm not being fooled into voting for McCain. It wouldn't matter if I was on the list as his VP nominee: what matters are the policies of the party in question and the reliability of the candidate. Neither of which, in McCain's case, appeal to me.

[ashavah]

I really hope that those women do think that way.

[(Anonymous)]

Sooooooo agree with everything you wrote!

Off to find and gack appropriate political avatars to use in coming months. :)

[hedwig-snowy.livejournal.com]

"That underestimated, or at least underappreciated, the raw feelings of many Clinton supporters, and particularly the women among them, despite the almost flawless display of harmony in Denver."

That's BS. How many is "many"? Kate should tell us that she's just making up stuff or give us a number. Is that 100? 1,000? 10,000? Just give us a round figure, we're not that picky. The thing is, she doesn't know but she does know that it's not that "many". But that wouldn't make an interesting enough piece to fill her slot in this week's NYT...

Yeah, DKos requires you to be a user for a week before you can post a diary. Seems like a lot of wingnuts signed up about a week ago.

[hedwig-snowy.livejournal.com]

Posted it...and I already got a troll that jumped the tip jar.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/31/155517/330/339/581379

[hedwig-snowy.livejournal.com]

Deleted after being told that it had already been posted.

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

So if I'm a woman who doesn't want to vote for McCain and his anti-choice, anti-pretty much everything I believe in VP candidate who happens to have a vajayjay, that makes me a misogynist? And Obama and Biden are misogynists because neither of them is a woman? Does. Not. Compute.

[mawaridi.livejournal.com]

That is pretty bizarre. In fact, I'm almost inclined to think of McCain's out-of-the-blue (or so it seems) choice of Palin as a running mate as a bit of a token nod to the female voters who might have voted for Clinton out of desire to see a woman in office. Which is kind of sexist in itself, if that is the real reasoning behind the choice; hey, women will vote for a woman, right? It won't matter if her policies aim to restrict women's rights!

Claiming Obama/Biden is misogynist just because there's no woman on the ticket is pretty damn silly (although I would have been pleased to see Clinton named as Obama's running mate *s*)

Emphasis on Palin's attractiveness isn't misogynist exactly, but it's certainly a bit sexist. Why does it matter what she looks like? Whether the comments are she's ugly or she's sexy, both are equally irrelevant to her capabilities as VP and have no place in political discussions. Of course, there's a difference between saying "hey, s/he's kinda hot" and making it into news, so...

Since I'm not American and don't get to vote all of this discussion is pretty moot, but it's certainly one of the most socially interesting US Presidential elections I've ever seen :D

[mawaridi.livejournal.com]

Also, you taught Nathan Fillion how to create a Dr Horrible ringtone for his iPhone?!?

[schmoo999.livejournal.com]

Glad to see you back and it sounds like you and others had a great time at Dragon*Con and *squee* Nathan? Really? I would have been a big dork if it was me:)

Yeah...kinda not happy with politicians thinking cause I am a woman, a wife, a mom and former supporter of Hillary Clinton's campaign that I would just jump up and vote for whatever woman is offered up.

No I am going to vote for the one that holds views and policies closest to those that I beleive and support and that would be Obama/Biden.

[hermorrine.livejournal.com]

This gets a big ole WTF from me. I think they need to check the definition of misogyny.

[selinakyle47.livejournal.com]

I can't help but worry that Palin is exactly the kind of candidate that would appeal to my mom, a staunch Hillary supporter. My mom is on the conservative side on social issues, so Palin would be a palatable choice for her. I've tried to inch her toward Obama but she remains lukewarm. *sigh*