Friday, May 23, 2008

'More On the Malign Acceptance of Sexism'

From Big Tent Democrat here. I, for one, have lost a tremendous amount of respect for certain blogs. I've found their behavior shocking and outrageous (and not all that coherent, much less honest). I used to be a real journalist myself.

While the Obama blogs are having a conniption because Hillary Clinton is talking about counting the votes in Florida and Michigan, it remains striking to me that these same blogs have never expressed much concern about the Media's disgraceful behavior in this campaign. Indeed, any mention of the sexism and misogyny in the Media and elsewhere makes them look down at their shoes, or worse, even defend the perpetrators. I think it is no coincidence that it has been almost exclusively women bloggers who have discussed these issues. Take Digby for instance:

It's been quite amusing reading and watching the media absolve itself of sexism over the past few days but I think it's getting a little bit out of hand when Republican "analysts" blithely assert during election coverage on national television that Senator Clinton can accurately be described as a "white bitch" --- and everyone calmly sits around discussing whether it's true or not. In fact, it's mind boggling . . .

Earlier in the day I saw Tim Russert complaining on MSNBC about how wrong it is for Clinton to suggest that the media has been sexist, when the problem is "the math." You don't get much more lunk-headed than that. . . . The juvenile, demeaning behavior [David] Shuster [a Josh Marshall favorite] and his cohorts have displayed during this campaign has taken their credibility further into the sewer. . . . We all know about Chris Matthews' ongoing insanity, the endless stuff about the psycho female "Fatal Attraction" archetype and all the rest. This isn't just a few offhand comments. It has been a campaign narrative.

A-List bloggers, this is Digby talking. Not a crazy hothead like me. Are you listening? Because she means you when she writes:

[Obama and] Clinton are fighting hard campaigns for the most important job in the world and they are not obligated to defend their rivals while the battle rages. (It might have behooved the progressive movement to have done so, however.)

. . . I would have thought that all decent people would be appalled that the media in this country thinks it's ok for their commentators to identify a female candidate for president as a bitch on national TV or sell sickening "jokes" like Hillary Nutcrackers [the one John Aravosis was hawking at his site] in the CNBC stores in airports all over the country. . . . Is it really too much to ask that the media show more respect than that?

(Emphasis supplied.) Digby is too polite to ask what is really on her mind. I am not -- is it too much to ask that so called PROGRESSIVE BLOGS show more respect than that? That they decry sexism and misogyny in the Media?

For all the talk of disgraceful behavior in this campaign, no group has disgraced itself more than the so called progressive blogosphere. I for one, will never forget what they have revealed about themselves. . . .

2 comments:

The Bum said...

I agree with you on a lot of levels. I stopped reading several blogs months ago because of their irrational, rabid anti-Hillary positions. I had been very impartial for a long time and still am to a large extent. I would have been happy with either candidate. They are both fine people. The last couple of days, though, the Clintons have really come out with some disgraceful statements. It's a shame.

the blogger said...

I've been following this election very closely and don't agree with your last two sentences. What exactly are the "disgraceful statements" that would compel you to write "Hillary Clinton can kiss my ass" and "Hey Hillary -- FUCK YOU!!!"? Talk about "disgraceful statements"! Politics is not pretty at times, but I've never heard Hillary (or Bill) telling people "kiss my ass" and "fuck you." I frankly don't understand the mentality of people who shed all their standards of decency and morality and gang up on the Clintons with such vile and vitriolic attacks, and apparently feel no compunction about doing so (you not included). What compels people to do this? It's seems almost pathological. As you say, the Clintons "are both fine people." What accounts for the disconnect? What's the basis of this "derangement"? I hope you found the blog post informative.