Michelle Obama and Feminism

[cynodd]

Mary C. Curtis writes in the Washington post, in an article titled, "The Loud Silence of Feminists," "Michelle Obama has become an issue in the presidential campaign even though she isn't running for anything. An educated, successful lawyer, devoted wife and caring mother has been labeled "angry" and unpatriotic and snidely referred to as Barack

Comments

[jaderabbit]

Well said, and deserving of a more public forum.

I think part of the problem is that racism is generally condemned, but sexism is not. As you say, people like to pretend sexism doesn't exist. So one cloaks the other, and women of any color can get hit with a double-whammy.

[cynodd]

Well said, and deserving of a more public forum.

Thank you.

I think part of the problem is that racism is generally condemned, but sexism is not.

Agree. Racism is often more horrible in its manifestations, perhaps. But it is condemned, socially. Sexism is sometimes just shrugged off, sometimes not even acknolwedged as problematic, particularly in verbal forms.

[clair_de_lalune]

When was Michelle Obama called a "baby mama"?

You have "black men" listed twice in your 4th paragraph.

I admit to not liking Michelle Obama. I think she's an idiot, based on all the stupid things she's said. And before anyone says, "yeah, but she must be smart because she's a lawyer," I'll point out that it's much easier to get into law school in this country than it is to get into medical school and I know a lot of doctors who are idiots, too. (I also don't label myself as "feminist," if anyone is wondering.)

[cynodd]

When was Michelle Obama called a "baby mama"?

June 11 on a tagline at the bottom of the screen on Fox News. Google "Michelle Obama baby mama" if you want to read more.

I admit to not liking Michelle Obama.

Yeah, but part of my point is that whether I like her or not, I should still stand up for her when she's the victim of sexism (or racism).

I think she's an idiot, based on all the stupid things she's said.

Well, she's said some politically stupid things. But I chalk that up to political naivete.

[clair_de_lalune]

--Yeah, but part of my point is that whether I like her or not, I should still stand up for her when she's the victim of sexism (or racism).--

Hasn't the fact that one can google this to find many mainstream media stories pointing out the idiocy of Fox News for having made the comment show that Michelle Obama has already been stood up for?

[cynodd]

Hasn't the fact that one can google this to find many mainstream media stories pointing out the idiocy of Fox News for having made the comment show that Michelle Obama has already been stood up for?

Point taken. But that doesn't, to me, change whether or not I should be willing to stand up for her. Perhaps it's irrelevant to do so, but part of what I'm examining is my willingness to do so.

[crabbydragon]

There is a quality of internalization to sexism that is not the same in racism. From an extremely young age boys (my experience) are taught that to be "girly" is to be despised and inferior. I imagine that girls are taght the same thing, but then told that they are necessarily, and must be, girly. While feminism examines this idea it doesn't really fully deconstruct it. If feminism where truly successful my daughter wouldn't shout from the backseat at McDonalds, "I want a boy toy," because they are simply actually cooler.

[rattlesnakeroot]

I'm conflicted about Michelle Obama. I don't agree with some of the things she has said in the media, which were off-putting, but at the same time, she is going to be treated like a pariah by some people just due to her color and gender, so I feel sorry for her

[cynodd]

I thought it was as if a magazine in the 60s had depicted Obama as a shoeshine boy eating a watermelon, while Michelle was dressed like Aunt Jemima. The New Yorker would never have done that back then, so why play up the "new" racism of today?

Well said!

We don't need an elitist magazine to show us what racism is

But perhaps some do (although if they need it, they may well misunderstand satire). I'm frustrated both by the fact that the Muslim stuff keeps getting thrown at Obama, and by the fact that he just keeps reiterating that he's a Christian (as does the media, and everyone, etc.). There needs to be more pointing out of how this is not just a simple mix-up of his name, it's racist, zenophobic, and anti-Muslim, as well.

I think Michelle Obama has some issues with white people, that's for sure.

That's what I instinctively feel, yet I couldn't find anything to point to in order to justify my feelings. Is there proof to that effect, or is it just my bias or my intuition?