Makes you stop and think

[buttwhale]

Read the following article for what it is. Reserve your comments or rantings until you have read the entire thing. I am not promoting Palin here, but the comments made by Dr. Lynette Long are quite profound and the resistance she has met from Senator Obama's campaign is a bit disheartening.

Comments

[redqueenmeg]

Interesting. I remember in my women's psychology class in college, the teacher said one of the goals was actually to make gender less important. That the first thing we ask about a baby should not be whether it is a boy or a girl, but perhaps whether it is healthy, or whole, or whatever.

I liked her.

[buttwhale]

I do have to say, with each baby I had I was less concerned with the sex and always wondering if they were okay and why wasn't I holding them.

As for making gender less important, I used to agree with things like this and then it occurred to me that that was probably not an idea that a woman came up with, but rather a man wanting to down play the importance of a major part of my identity. I am a woman and I am proud of that. My gender cannot be less of an issue because it is a large part of who I am. I am not ashamed of this, which is the message I get from being told that it's not as important or shouldn't be as much of an issue. Not saying that is what you meant, but that is the message that I get from statements like that.

[redqueenmeg]

I think a happy medium is what we ought to look for. Obviously it matters, and yet, I think it would be nice to live in a world where it wasn't the first thing people thought of.

[buttwhale]

Yes, it would definitely be a better world if things like, "well, you're a woman, of course you feel that way," statements were not a part of daily conversation.

[buttwhale]

"It scares the fuck out of me that people are falling for this. Dr. Long is saying everything right, but definitely saying it about the totally wrong person."

And I completely agree with you there. That is pretty much how I feel. At the same time, it helps me to understand a bit more why it seems so many women appear to be so easily swayed at this point in time. This is obviously a very serious issue for women.

I am also a bit skeptical of Dr. Long's reference's to being contacted by nameless, faceless people associated with Obama..." I was personally in contact with a member of Obama’s Finance Committee," and "
Not one to give up, I contacted a daughter of a friend of mine who is a policy advisor for Obama." C'mon Dr. Long, surely you can do better than that?!

[coolcatana]

I am no fan of Gov. Palin, therefore I am biased, I admit it. I do not agree with ANY of her politics nor do I think she is fit to lead a state other than Alaska, let alone this country. But what I do find admirable is the presence of a working mom on the ticket. I think that as role models go, we could do worse. It has taken a very long time for a woman to run for president and have an actual chance if not expect to win (Hilary). So in one respect I understand where Dr. Long is coming from. In the sense that we do in fact need more educated women in power, I agree. What I don't agree with, however, is taking a woman, putting her on a ticket to get the "gender votes" (as if we vote with our ovaries), and then when the media and the rest of the country want to talk to her, shield her away and muzzle her in the name of sexism and protectionism. By sheltering her, the McCain camp has broken down any legitimacy it had by putting her on the ticket. She's good enough to sit and wave and look cute and read a speech written for her

[buttwhale]

"What I don't agree with, however, is taking a woman, putting her on a ticket to get the "gender votes" (as if we vote with our ovaries)..."

But it's working, just like the Republicans knew it would. And it's not so much women voting with their ovaries as a statement is being made. Unfortunately it is to the detriment of our already hurting country.

It's not so much that men are devoid of having the ability to listen and understand, but they are still men. They can no more relate to predominantly female issues than I can male issues. Abortion...how can a man empathize with that? He cannot. While a large percentage of men are opposed to abortion, I can guarantee you 100% of them will never be faced with having to have one themselves. There is no empathy there. Anybody can have prejudices and I do get what you are saying, but the likelihood that both sides of an issue will be given weight is greater when the numbers are a bit more equal.

[iskender]

Steph, I'm a little hurt.

I don't need to know what an abortion feels like to support laws that respect your right to have one.

And all the vagina in the world won't make Palin better than me, for that. Doesn't that matter?

Anyway, just a note--we can take this up in the other responses we have going.

[buttwhale]

No, don't be hurt, please. It's not that a person needs to know what an abortion feels like, per se. Cripes. I'm a woman and I do not know what one feels like, but I can certainly empathize with a woman over being pregnant and not knowing what to do next and being bombarded from all sides on what is best or right for me. Sure, you can respect a woman's right to have one, but can a man truly understand the necessity of it and why it has to remain legal? Yes, you can argue about a woman feeling that way also, but I am going to give a woman's opinion on the matter a bit more weight, even if it is not the same as mine, because she will be able to actually relate to me

[redqueenmeg]

I gotta say I also can't help thinking that if Palin (God forbid) becomes VP or Pres, she will be the last woman in generations to be included on a ticket because I honestly believe that the sexism is such that people will blame her failings on the fact she is a woman, and not on the fact that she SUCKS.

And THAT pisses me off too.

[buttwhale]

Good point, Megan.

[iskender]

I think she might understand. I wish she acted like it, however

[buttwhale]

I guess I am reading the article more in a way that it is about some very serious gender issues and not so much about Palin. It also helps me understand, though I do not agree at all, why so many women are ready to vote for her.

You are right about her not exactly being the face of feminism. She strikes me as more anti-woman than anything. I am not even sure she looks the part, but that could be because she is being kept off camera these days and I have forgotten what she looks like ;-P