Despite being two weeks removed from the 2008 general election it still seems to be a meaningful talking point for not just so called pundits but everyday people as well. In the spirit of "post-election analysis" we have to look back on all aspects of the election cycle. One of the most glaring things we see that many can be excited about was the treatment of race during this election cycle. President-Elect Obama brought race to the forefront of nearly every conversation about the election. Both the media and citizens alike listened intently for what may be subtle racial jabs, and pointed out the moments when the racism wasn't so subtle. Matt Bai from the New York Times wrote an article pontificating if President-Elect Obama spelled the end of "Black Politics", Gwen Ifill made news for her book about President-Elect Obama and his relation to Black Politics, and since President-Elect Obama's historic victory, Newark mayor Cory Booker has been all over television.
But as the nation gives itself a collective pat on the back for the racial progress exemplified during this election, we have to examine all the forms of diversity that were called into question. Just as this election was historic for racial reasons, there was history on the matter of gender, and in that aspect the United States is woefully not progressive. Senator Hillary Clinton ran a very meaningful and solid campaign garnering what some analyst call the largest popular vote in Democratic primary history (about 18 million votes). Yet the amount of attention paid to Sen. Clinton's historic campaign paled in comparison to the attention given to President-Elect Obama.
There are many reasons for this. Some argue that Sen. Clinton is in some way "hyper-masculine" on account of her hawkish foreign policy, but the more pointed subtle jokes attack her for her pantsuits and short haircut. People attacked her crying as either being too feminine or faking her level of femininity. A fair number of these analyst commenting on her femininity are men. That idea reeks of male arrogance. For a man to try and define a woman's femininity is as absurd as Ralph Nader suggesting Barack Obama may be an "Uncle Tom" for big corporations. Ralph Nader was publicly embarrassed and chastised for his comments but the treatment of Hillary Clinton went (in large part) unchecked. Major media outlets and nationally renowned columnist wondered aloud what an Obama presidency would do for the self-esteem of young Black men. This is a vital thing to examine but yet equal attention wasn't given to what the candidacy of Sen. Clinton meant to young women everywhere.
Obviously Sen. Clinton was not the only women to be on the national stage during this election cycle. The other is Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. Gov. Palin is obviously a polarizing figure; those who support her think she's one of the best things to happen to politics. Those who oppose her feel that she is unfit for managing a grocery store let alone a state or country. But one thing remains true, her politics were remarkably consistent with a very famous Republican governor who made his way from the Governor's Mansion to the White House. In 1980 a good looking charismatic, affable man ran for president from the State of California. The man wasn't trained in politics, didn't hold a law degree and didn't graduate from a prestigious northeastern university. He was none other than Ronald Reagan. Reagan had his share of naysayers but none regarded him as a flat out bimbo. In political terms it's hard to argue that Gov. Palin is a master at her craft, but much of the criticism around her both from mainstream media and everyday voters was not so much in regards to her political positions, but more to her character. In an election where so much was made about the nation's diversity and social growth, the rampant sexism seems a bit out of place to say the least.
There are many reasons why this took place. First we can see that yes, the United States is still a sexist place. It is also still a racist place, but that's material for a different day. There is no reason that someone should have to use equal pay as a campaign promise. It is unimaginable that women are getting paid less for equal work, and yet they are. A second point in understanding this unfair treatment is the candidates themselves. President-Elect Obama has a likeability not seen since John F. Kennedy. As such, the women in this election were his opponents and in the media at least, people sought to tear his opponents down regardless of who they were, using any tactic they could come up with. Finally we see that in very real terms, Sen. Clinton leaves alot to be desired when it comes to her campaigning. Her "win at all cost" motif turned off many voters (particularly Black voters) because she would sometimes use what could be perceived as racially divisive tactics to get votes. This behavior helped to hide her story of a woman candidate breaking the “glass ceiling”. As for Gov. Palin she leaves alot to be desired politically. She lacks comprehensive economic solutions, has no serious stance on anything other than abortion and her foreign policy skills are weak to say the least. However these were all women who sought to politically even the playing field in the United States. Regardless of their policy positions, these candidates should have been treated with respect, and acknowledged for what they were doing for women whether you agreed with them or not. They were not. And that shows that the United States has made progress with a R (race) but not G (gender).
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Progress with a R but Not G
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3 comments:
I actually strongly disagree with this post for a number of reasons. Firstly, President Elect Obama, did not in any active way bring race to the forefront. It was an issue that he largely attempted to avoid because he wanted to make clear that he is running for President of the United States not President of the Black USA (like Jackson and Sharpton). The issue of race was repeatedly brought up by the media, in attacking his American identity. The issue of race was brought up by Bill Clinton in South Carolina. The issue of race was brought up by Sen. Clinton Surrogate Geraldine Ferera. The issue of race was brought up and focused on when questions were asked about Rev. Wright, and the media and Clinton people combed through decades of tapes of his sermons for something White America would find offensive.
It is not fair to say that dislike for Clinton or criticism or her or Gov. Palin was a result of sexism. It is actually sexist to say that because they are woman than we can not criticize them. Clinton was disliked for who she was, for the campaign she won, and for the fact that many did not see her as representing change, something they saw in Obama. Palin was disliked because she broke America up into real and fake Americans, because she questioned the patriotism of people who had different backgrounds than her own, and because she went out on an all out negative campaign. Questioning her $150,000 on clothing was relevant because the GOP had brutally criticized John Edwards for a $400 haircut. Questioning her pregnant daughter was relevant because she is against teaching sex ed in schools and against abortions even in cases of rape or incest.
Being able to criticize a female candidate is not sexist, it is right, in the same way that any other candidate can be and should be torn apart by the media for running a dirty campaign, attacking character instead of policies, or in the case of both Clinton and Palin, race-baiting. No one can say that Obama ever used "sex-baiting techniques. I have yet to hear any clear ways of have the media was sexist to either candidate, while I did hear both of them complain about sexism, while Obama never complained (because it would have hurt him) about racism once.
I would have to disagree with you as well. I think this campaign was potentially all about racism and sexism but the American public chose to ignore these things and make it about the issues. Both the Clintons' and the McCain-Palin campaigns tried to bring in the devisive issues of race and sex. Whether Hilary talked about the historic opportunity to elect the first female president or Sarah Palin tried to call Barack un-American tying his name and heritage to his politics in a derogatory manor. Look at the tone of Palin's rallies and you would not find any grounds for sexism, but you would find the type of ignorance that only racism and bigotry could produce.Ultimately this was a race about the issues regardless of the effect of the media, sex, and-or race. This is why Barack Hussein Obama is now President-Elect Obama and I believe it is a testament to a better educated and more responsible electorate; i.e. the American People.
Well, on the whole, this election was interesting to me because it tried to fit 'race' and 'gender' into two social categories and did not evaluate the convergence of the two. The only agent to embody what is quintessentially black is a black male agent. While the only agent to embody quintessential femininity is a white woman. It's amazing how no one ever mentioned how in 1972, Shirley Chisholm was the first major-party black candidate for the U.S. presidency. Yet somehow she is deleted from both blackness and femininity in the way that we construct her presence in U.S. politics. She's an alien from outer space. I think America, on the whole, still has a loooong way to go in terms of both race and gender. And if this country is both sexist and racist, what then happens to black women? How are we forced to negotiate the various spaces that we exist in? I'm not saying this to "one-up" black men because they have a tremendous burden on their backs as well. But it's just something to think about. I'm really interested in the ways in which the media will characterize Michelle Obama's femininity throughout Barack's term. If Barack has created a paradigm shift in the way we view masculinity (from something only attainable by white men into something that is also attainable by black men), will Michelle also force Americans to view femininity in a different light. We'll see how this story unfolds...
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