Misogyny,Clinton-Palin

Merkin gives a stark look at sexism, but it doesn't come as a shock, it is a topic that has been opened widely for discusssion thanks to these two politicians. Women owe Clinton and Palin more than they know ...they have helped us. It is not a problem solved, but the issue of misogyny has our focus.

The Sexism Revival

by Daphne Merkin

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The treatment of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin exposes a streak of misogyny that runs deep in American culture.

Now that the election is over and racism is ostensibly down for the count, has sexism gotten a new dispensation? Has the "unlikability" (not to mention "unfuckability") of Hillary not only cost her the presidential nomination but brought out the streak of misogyny that runs deep in American culture, affecting the way men think about women and the way women think about themselves?

And what about Sarah Palin, the breeding babe who has emerged as a comely figure of fun with seemingly not a mote of self-doubt in her constitution? Has she furthered men's natural instinct to write off women as light entertainment, chattering nitwits with a shaky hold on the hard facts, and also triggered the self-hatred mechanism in the women who refused to go along with her as a "you can have it all" representation of how far feminism had come? (Legs! Clothes! Family! Career!)

Once again, it seems to be OK to talk about women as risible in their aspirations to leadership.

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