Looking Back: "Class Bias Distorted Her Image"

The ex-Presidential Candidate, Sarah Palin backlashes the media with her "guns blazing" in a recent interview. Palin blames the media for unfairly judging her as well as her social class. While being interviewed by a staunchly conservative film-maker John Ziegler, Palin attacked everyone from newspapers, news channels, the Republican campaign team, bloggers and the infamous stand-up comedians for misrepresenting her image, community and daughter.

    In one of her outburst's she "predicts that the media will wear kid gloves in comparison when they talk about Caroline Kennedy, "John F. Kennedy's daughter, who plans on running for Hilary Clinton's New York Senate seat. She said, "As we watch that we will perhaps be able to prove there is a class issue here that is a factor in the scrutiny of my candidacy." Ironically, Kennedy herself has undertaken the wrath of the media when she was criticized for stumbling through a series of interviews, in one of which she said, "you know" an astonishing 138 times. Maybe someone should let Sarah Palin know that she is not the only one taking heat from the media.

   Palin's attack on her own campaign team shocked a multitude of Republicans.She holds the McCain campaign strategists for repeatedly subjecting her to the memorable interviews with CBS newscaster Katie Couric. Anyone who saw how much difficulty Palin had in the first interview should have known not to put Palin in the hot seat with Couric again until she was more prepared. Even Sarah Palin acknowledged, "Going back for more was not a wise decision." The interviews with Couric exemplified Palin as naive, ignorant and ill equipped for the Vice Presidential office. The most publicized and replayed moment from the interview was when Palin appeared unable to answer the question of what recent newspaper she had recently read. Although, in this recent interview, she now describes herself as being "too flippant" in answering that specific question, and she adamantly insist that she interpreted the question as an implication that Alaskans did not read. Palin made sure to list all the newspapers she reads in this past interview with Ziegler. 

    During the Ziegler interview he plays her the clip from when Tina Fey mocked Palin, and said, "I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers." Palin reacted just as any mother would and lashed out at the underlying jab at Palin's teen, Bristol.

   Not to anyone's surprise, she concluded the interview leaving open the possibility to be a Presidential candidate in the 2012 election. Her eagerness and enthusiasm towards seeking a national office worries me. To me, she has shown she is not ready to run the country. After all the scrutiny and attacks, why would she put herself or her family through such a difficult time?

So What Exactly are the Gender Stereotypes for Women Candidates?

Warm, gentle, kind and passive versus aggressive, tough, and assertive.....which are the women stereotypes and which are the men? I can figure it out can you? Women and Men have certain personality traits that most people agree with. However when it comes to being a higher office leader which traits are social allowed in a leader and which are not? According to a scholarly article, masculine personality traits are more acceptable for an ideal leader then feminine personality traits are. They found voters weren't willing to back up a female candidate for president or vice president, because they felt as though women weren't capable of handling "traditional male issues." However this article goes on to find that there are some issues that females are capable of handling more then men. Issues such as arts, education, and health, while a male could handle issues on war, economy, and military.

female candidates can win national office if they convince voters that they possess masculine traits and are competent on 'male' policy issues.

So then a female should be okay for running for higher office if she possesses masculine traits, right? Think again. Hillary Clinton tried to play this role of being more masculine and it backfired. People accused her of being stuck between a double bind. She was conflicted upon whether to show her femininity or to be more masculine to show she was strong enough and capable of handling being President of the United States.

So then what should female politicians do then? If they are too feminine they can't handle being president, but then if a female tries to posses some male traits they get accused of being stuck in a double bind. Why are our female traits so degraded upon?!

"The Right to Bare Arms"

Believe it or not, there has been considerable discussion about Michelle Obama wearing sleeveless attire. Looking at the photo to the left that caused all the commotion, I see little to be concerned about. Why must the "fashion police" be so critical of the First Lady? True, she is making a statement that she is going to be herself and wear clothes that she is comfortable in, which I definitely respect. Her well-toned arms are something to admire, she obviously stays in good physical condition and is going to serve as a good role model for healthy living.

    Maybe we need someone who is not afraid to defy convention and to dress in clothes bought from places like Target, J. Crew and not limit herself to wearing designer clothes that few can afford. The image of Barrack Obama, before he was elected president, in a tee shirt and blue jeans when he was visiting his grandmother in Hawaii sticks in my memory as a symbol of common ground that middle class America has with the first family. It is true that clothes can make an impression and when in the public eye, are important. I do not suggest going to a job interview in blue jeans, but Michelle Obama has been wearing tasteful dresses and looks fine to me. People need to focus on issues more important than "bare arms". What about all the people suffering in Darfur, the millions of Americans looking for work and what can be done to stimulate the economy? ONce again, some people seem to enjoy attacking Michelle Obama picking up any little difference from norm that they can find. I think Michelle Obama is more normal than most of the critics, so comparing her to traditional first ladies, is like comparing pseudo royalty to an upper middle class mom. The critics don't really realize that the middle class roots of the Obama family are real and here to stay. I hope Michelle Obama continues to teach by example that living in the White House is a privilege that does not have to change who you are and that it is a good thing to be yourself.

"Fox News Racists and Sexist... No?"

Looking back for stories about Michelle Obama, I was angered to see just how racist and sexist the Fox News Channel is. Not only have they portrayed the Obama's as Terrorists with their fist bump, they have now added insult to injury by their new description for Michelle Obama as "Obama's Baby Mama." Michelle Obama is a graduate of both Princeton and Harvard Law School and she is a successful attorney. Fox News needs to apologize to the Obama's and to see our world as it is today. The Obama's are a very well educated and talented couple that place community service above their own personal wealth. The Obama's should be celebrated rather than mocked. These two are people whom we should try to emulate; they have given up high paying careers in order to help poor communities. Fox News needs to take a look at the younger generation and see that the fist bump is used very often by professional athletes and NBA players, to symbolizes a high five. Obama who likens himself to Lebron James, said "the fist bump reflects a marriage that keeps him grounded," "it captures what I love about my wife." I feel that it is refreshing to have a couple in the White House that care about each other and the American people. The use of the derogatory term "Baby Mama," is disrespectful. Fox News would never call Laura Bush or Sarah Palin someone's Baby Mama. Their comment is both racist and sexists. The Obama's have a loving relationship and a wonderful family, they should be praised for their commitment to our country and one another. Fox News racist reporting and hate mongering only appeals to the far right and shows a limited view of reality. 

Is Barack Obama a woman?

A post from the blog "Read, Write, Now" discusses a Scripps-Howard article that presents the idea that no matter which democrat won the primaries, we would still get a female president (as long as the dems. won)."

"Clinton’s female supporters who are watching Obama’s movement coalesce, solidify
and take over should console themselves there will be a woman Democrat in the
White House either way if the Democrats win the general election. The nominee
will either be a woman with double-X chromosomes, or one with XY chromosomes who votes more like a woman than most with XX."

The article makes a good point about the advancement of women's rights and women's issues - it does not necessarily take a woman to make things more equal. For example, had John McCain won the election and died in term, Sarah Palin would have become President of the US, and women's issues would have taken a couple of long strides backwards. So then we have to ask ourselves, which is better for feminism: To have a female president, or to have continuing advances in the realm of women's issues? This is an answer that is subjective to each person, but I can confidently say I would rather have a feminist male president than just a female president. Once again I agree with this article when it comes down to it, chromosomes aren't the most important factor.

The blog post says:

"The gender weirdness of this campaign continues to demonstrate that Americans
have a keenly developed, if not completely sick, sense of the politics of
sexuality and gender. Obama is suspicious because he is too much of a woman, and
Clinton is unappealing because she is too much of a man."

I am hoping that both of these individuals will help to change gender roles and stereotypes so that a woman with a short haircut and a pantsuit like Hillary can still be as much of a woman as a lady wearing high heels and a miniskirt. I hope the same would apply to men, that he can be thin and well-dressed or in overalls with a beer and both would be considered men. This election proved more than anything that it really isn't the way one dresses or walks or even necessarily their chromosomes that defines their gender, it is their actions and values.

One more thing - what does it mean when I search "Barack Obama crossdress," and "Barack Obama in a dress" and get no images, whereas the first image in "Hillary Clinton man" shows this?:

Credibility and Perception of “She’s too Sexy?”

I recently read an article that discussed the affect of people's perception of Palin and the possible relation with the unfavorable outcome that resulted for the McCain-Palin campaign. The group of people who focused intensely on Sarah Palin's looks were distracted from the important question of wether Palin was competent enough to be Vice President. The author of the article, Geoffrey Dunn, described a study conducted at the University of South Florida by Nathan A. Heflick and Jamie L. Goldenberg that was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. In this study undergraduate students, whom the study used as a representation of the entire American society, who payed more attention to what Sarah Palin was wearing rather then her political strategies and ideas ended up voting for another candidate thus reducing the votes for the McCain-Palin ticket. The studies main point was the affect of the emphasis by the media on Palin's looks and how it negatively impacted voters opinions.

 Mr. Dunn, who had a doctorate in sociology, says that he takes this study with a "block of salt" since many of these "academic" studies use "false assumptions and bad science" to recreate results that the study desires. The entire study consisted of inaccurate and poor methodology. The study gathered research by having students write down their thoughts about one of two American women celebrities, Sarah Palin or Angelina Jolie.  From that group, half were asked to write their opinions about the person and the remaining group was to discuss the person's appearance. The students then evaluated their subject in terms of certain attributes such as competence. Finally they were to identify who they were intending to vote for in the next election. The study asked questions that would not relay any insightful information. To further support the inaccuracy of this study is the number the subjects observed. The study used 133 students all ranging in the same age group, which does not relay appropriate information to draw an accurate conclusion. Also the study's participants consisted of 96 females and an underrepresented number of males totaling 37. The list goes on for all the variables that were not considered for an appropriate "academic" study. 

I frequently run into studies that are supposedly credible because they are peer reviewed articles, but this study still brought up an interesting point to further analyze. Initially, the Republican party contributed to Sarah Palin's representation as "the hottest governor in the coldest state" and as "Caribou Barbie" with signs at events and buzz words in the press. Although, they soon recognized the sexism behind these loaded words and images which led voters to question her credibility and competence. I believe Sarah Palin was hurt politically by the poor representation by the media and its focus on her looks and unintelligence. Even though Palin played into the objectification, and unfortunately for her campaign she was unable to move past the attacks and prove herself as a reliable, competent candidate. She ultimately could not prove to the country that they should place our economy and safety into her hands. Lack of knowledge and her fumbling interviews only weakened her position. 

   I still would like to know whether or not her portrayal as a sex symbol impacted our perception of her? I believe it has and there is evidence that supports this claim, other than the article mentioned above. There is no doubt in my mind that Sarah Palin was treated in an absolutely sexist manner. None of the male candidate's faced the same scrutiny on their appearance as intensely as Palin. This is simply another example of the media placing emphasis on the materialistic and trivial information of a female candidate, rather than judging qualifications based upon knowledge, skill, and ability. Sara Palin played a part in her on objectification, her winking into the camera and her choice of sexy clothing along with her pageant strides across the stage all contributed to the countries perception of her sexy portrayal. The RNC also played the sex card with Palin, but only when it was beneficial to them and then they turned the table and complained when it blew up in their faces. All in all I feel Palin's lack of knowledge compared to the competing candidates was the ultimate cause of her downfall. Even if her sexy representation lead to her portrayal as unintelligent, she still lacked all other qualities that are required for a Vice President. 

“Which more fervently permeates the fabric of American society, racism or sexism?”

After looking back at the 2008 election, I have realized how livid I am at the idea that society does not hold sexism to the same level of scrutiny as racism. The representation of the 2008 election by the media has demonstrated that it is more politically correct to be sexist than racist. Today American culture tolerates sexism to a degree at which it would never tolerate racism. Women have made significant strides in the recent presidential election. For instance, Senator Hilary Clinton became the first woman to ever win a state primary and Governor Sarah Palin became the first female Vice Presidential running mate on a Republican ticket. Even though some of us have differing opinions on either candidate, no one can deny the fact that both have made remarkable achievements for women. 

The campaigns during the 2008 election have catapulted widespread complaints about sexism and racism in the media and public perceptions. Senator Clinton definitely experienced harsh attacks by media commentators. The media has treated Sarah Palin unfairly as well, although not nearly to the same extent as Clinton. Our current President, Obama, couldn't escape the scrutiny from the media either. He was targeted by video pranks and his opponents displayed other disgusting forms of dislike. Looking at the attacks on Obama you can clearly tell that they were on the basis of race, although it was not as visible as attacks on CLinton for her gender. The question I would like to know is how come we did not see this kind of scrutiny portrayed upon John McCain?

The debate on wether American society is more racist than sexist began decades ago, when slave and women's suffragist Frederick Douglas and women's rights activist Elizabeth Stanton came to blows over the question. Although both activists advanced to rights for women and slaves, Stanton was outraged that black men were able to vote after the Civil War and women were not.

The New York Times reported in March that a poll revealed that "Americans think racism is a more serious problem than sexism in the U.S today. In a CBS News poll, a plurality of Americans, 42% said racism was a more serious problem for the country compared to 10% who said sexism was the more serious problem."

I believe that we have a greater problem with sexism in our country and the portrayal of women in the 2008 election was a prime example. Polls form the 2008 election show that white men still feel more comfortable sharing power with a man of color over a white or even possibly colored woman. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution, granting black men the right to cote, was ratified in 1870. Then 50 years later the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote on the federal level. 

I look forward to the time when racism and sexism are no longer factors in American politics. So far, the legacy of 2008 will remain as a progress for fighting racism while sexism will remain on the back burner of American minds.