Choice of word deliberate: an article like this is unlikely to not get pushback. The title alone will provoke a certain sort:
I cannot predict who will win the presidential campaign, but I already know who will lose big: all women.
I realized this when I saw a 20-something male student who attends a class in the community college where I teach, wearing a T-shirt that read, “Sarah Palin is a C-.” He wore it in public, in broad daylight, and without shame or even consciousness of what he was doing.
I took the time to advise him of the “error of his ways” and informed him of the consequences if he wore it to my class.
This encounter shook me right down to my socks.
No, that’s not a “C-minus” that she’s referring to. Although she might as well have spelled out the word: it’s apparently part of reasonable discourse today, at least for a portion of the American electorate.
Now, I’ve never heard of either Ms. McCaffrey or her group Women’s Watch Inc. before, but I expect to, shortly: and probably in the most unflattering terms possible, because, well, that’s what we’ve wearily come to expect these days. Glenn Reynolds linked to Tennessee Guerrilla Women (bet you folks over there never expected to see us throw you a favorable link, huh?{}) on this topic, and to Power Line for a related issue (a video popularized by Andrew Sullivan that I’m pretty sure that I could use to permanently end at least three friendships, not to mention utterly wreck my Sunday game). And, of course, Palin-hatred is easily the primary cause for banning on this site, these days: I have no details about other Right-blogs that aggressively police their comments section, but the random survey of the ones that don’t suggest that we’ve got a lot of people out there taking the opportunity to let out the voices in their heads.
Here’s the thing: I don’t really care if you disagree with me on the central thesis of this post, for much the same reason why I don’t really care if you don’t believe in Special Relativity. Whether you like it or not – more accurately, whether you like it or grimly don’t let yourself think about it, EVER – this election is teaching certain people that they can in fact say nasty things about women, provided that they can be properly scapegoated or trivialized first. It started with the attacks on Senator Clinton, and now it’s continuing with Governor Palin. And they will continue to attack Palin, win or lose. You’re going to all have to get used to it.
But here’s the kicker. The reason that the sort of behavior that we’re seeing here alarms and frightens feminists is because you can’t just turn it on and off when you need to and because it bleeds into other aspects of your life. And this is what is going to make things ugly among the Democrats for a while. Don’t get me wrong: I considered a lot of the recent issues brought up by gender feminists to be manufactured at worst, and somewhat nit-picky at best. But that was because I was working under the assumption that the core argument – that women should be able to define themselves, and not be defined by men – had been pretty much settled already.
Apparently not.
Moe Lane
{}I’d just like to note for the record that I was for admitting that Hillary Clinton was a real, live human being long before it was cool.
Steve Maley
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
Imagine the word that would be used if our candidate were Black and their's was the woman. -nt-
NightTwister (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 9:25AM EST (link)-nt-
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. – Winston Churchill
Exactly, when you betray lasting principles for transient partisan political gain
civil truth (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 9:34AM EST (link)Then you have no defense left when the worm turns. Which is another way of expressing what feminists like Mrs. McCaffrey are seeing:
Leftist totalitarians historically have always given women the short end of the stick. “Choice” turning into forced abortions, for instance. Abrogating the family by claiming children as property of the state.
At least a few have opened their eyes enough to see the looming abyss. Unfortunately, they may be too late in recognizing who are their real friends.
The greatest evil…is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern. -C.S. Lewis
http://www.gmsplace.com/
Along those lines
RedFox84 Monday, October 27th at 9:38AM EST (link)Palin hung in effigy
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/27/the-tolerance-of-the-left/
The parents of that 20-something moron
ILLINOIS_CONSERV (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 9:52AM EST (link)who was wearing the c- shirt should be so proud of the job they did raising their kid. He displays his IQ for everyone to see. Another example of a lack of morals and decency that some people seem to embrace. What is going through their mind when they put on a shirt like that? Is it a cry out for attention? Are they trying to assimilate into a hip, Bill Maker-like counter-culture? I don’t know. I was raised by parents who taught me to respect people and most importantly they taught me to also repsect myself. So the next time this 20-something adolescent thinks of putting on that t-shirt, maybe he should think again, show some respect, show people that his IQ is north of 50, and rejoin the human race. If he was really as tough and “edgy” as he thinks he is maybe he should wear that shirt up in Alaska, in front of Palin’s husband. I am willing to bet he would be taking his meals through a straw for a while.
The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing – Edmund Burke
New t-shirt for women (attention: PUMA's)
blooch Monday, October 27th at 10:06AM EST (link)“Obama thinks my vote doesn’t cOunt”
Upside-down Obama logo———^
“Lieutenant Dike wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.”
Not just Sara
fisk2521 Monday, October 27th at 10:20AM EST (link)I heartedly agree that the young man’s t-shirt was offensive and out of line.
I would add, however, that it has not just been Sara Palin, as a woman, that has been treated with total disrepect and lack of class over the recent past. I have seen college professors wear shirts about President Bush that would make most cringe…with no thought to whom they might be offending.
It has completely astounded me to see ‘adults’ that are teaching in our academic institutions completely disrespect our President – - not his ideas, or politics – - but peronally.
You see it on a daily basis on television – - David Letterman is agreat example. He doesn’t care what he says about McCain, or Bush, or God forbid VP Cheney. There is no thought given anymore to what is decent behavior and respectful disagreement. The attitude towards Sara is just another symptom of the classlessness of our culture and the lack of ‘inclusiveness’ and diverse ideas on the part of the Democrats.
LDavis
Imagine, if you will...
jonnot Monday, October 27th at 10:37AM EST (link)what would happen to a college student who wore a t-shirt to class that said “Obama is a pr–k”. He would be physically attacked by faculty and students alike, then would probably be either suspended or expelled. After that, the NCAAP and ACLU would run him down. Additionally, the MSM would probably cover the (racist) story for weeks. What a country!
I am afraid...
liberalrepublican (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 10:42AM EST (link)The radical right will be almost as bad.
I listened to Savage last week and he would have you believe that Mussolini would be more moderate than Obama.
“Broadly speaking, liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. … including extensive freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market or mixed economy”
When universities hire "educators" such as Bill Ayers
ILLINOIS_CONSERV (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 10:53AM EST (link)it shouldn’t be a surprise to see that kind of thing happening on campus. Everyone complains when the price of gas goes up, yet there is barely a peep when the cost of higher education spirals out of control. How much money does Sallie Mae rake in on the backs of our kids? Kids today graduate with a mortgage to pay before they collect their first paycheck. And what do our kids get in return for ths small fortune? Indoctrination to the liberal maifesto. It is a fact that “educators” with the world view of Bill Ayers is the norm not the exception. It is no wonder then that the Obama campaign is targetting the younger voters. They have the liberal playbook still freshy minted in their minds.
The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing – Edmund Burke
Savage is right...
antisocial (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 10:53AM EST (link)Do you have any arguments against his arguments? Why don’t you get on phone and refute him? I will keep the radio on and watch out for you to get on.
There is no point whining about Savage’s view on this site…
Obama Doctrine – Boot On The Throat
—————————–
What is to be done?
——————————
No. You can’t – Moe Lane
——————————
The Emperor has no clothes!!!
Lovely (n/t)
Mandy P. Monday, October 27th at 11:00AM EST (link)n/t
Mandy P.
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
-Thomas Jefferson
Dude
Mandy P. Monday, October 27th at 11:03AM EST (link)Have you been paying attention? If Obama continues on his current course- both in re: to his policies and his intolerance of even the most minor dissent- he may make Mussolini look like Mr. Rogers.
Mandy P.
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
-Thomas Jefferson
Two big differences between the right and the left
civil truth (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 11:03AM EST (link)1) The rest of us on the right repudiate and marginalize our lunatics so that they can’t do any harm to our nation.
2) We don’t excuse such behavior because of behavior on the left. That is, we police our own based upon our values rather than letting our opponents define our boundaries.
Unfortunately, you’re playing the apologist game. It doesn’t matter what extremists on the right do; the left still has to discipline their people when they step over the line. Just as we on the right need to do.
We do; they don’t.
And remember that McCain is going to serve as a counterweight against a Democratic Congress. No chance of the right extremists exerting power in the foreseeable future.
With Obama to the left of Congress, there will be no constraints on the left.
If I were you, I’d be far more concerned about a real and present danger of a leftist takeover than some potential right extremism years down the pike.
First we need to win the Presidential election and gain a reprieve and breathing room. Then we’ll have leisure to discipline those on our side who are out-of-line.
The greatest evil…is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern. -C.S. Lewis
http://www.gmsplace.com/
Astute observations (n/t)
Mandy P. Monday, October 27th at 11:06AM EST (link)n/t
Mandy P.
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
-Thomas Jefferson
No point indeed. Most here at Redstate barely tolerate Savage
Bill S (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 11:15AM EST (link)He has been roundly criticized here in the past. His idiocy regarding autism was tasteless, pointless, rude, disrespectful, and downright asinine. (Personally, I suspect he was actually referring to ADD/ADHD, but was so deep into the autism thing that by the time he figured it out that he couldn’t extricate himself)
Some of his points are valid (e.g. I agree with him that liberalism IS a mental disorder
), but he so often goes off the deep end that he more or less cancels out whatever good things he states.
“It’s such a fine line between stupid, and clever.” – David St. Hubbins
One characteristic of the hard left
ColoKid Monday, October 27th at 11:16AM EST (link)is that they believe the end justifies the means. Nothing is sacred; winning is all that counts. If Obama is elected and chooses to go there, I have no doubt that the kid in the despicable t-shirt will eagerly support laws against “hate speech” as a means of silencing the opposition.
at least Mussolini made trains run on time
streiff (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 11:16AM EST (link)I doubt Obama will be able to achieve that. So all I’m left with is impending sloppy totalitarianism.
“What keeps me here is the reek of beer, the ladies and the craic”
Thanks for writing this
ALB Monday, October 27th at 11:56AM EST (link)Moe,
As a woman, a feminist, and a McCain-Palin voter, I appreciate what you wrote.
Great point
noufa Monday, October 27th at 11:57AM EST (link)Anytime ICE conducts raids, the left will predictably cry foul. Authorities can reveal that the raid ended an international sex-trafficking operation.
But a few of the post-modern types will dig in their heels & display an appalling lack of humanity. They’ll claim that prostitution is not a crime.
Would bet these are the same folk who think the “Sarah Palin is a C-” shirts are clever.
“Obama is not a centrist. He was never centrist. He is a uniter. He does reach across the aisle. But he always do so in pursuit of progressive ends.”
-Jonathan Stein of Mother Jones 1/31/08
Or a new theme:
Achance (Diary) Monday, October 27th at 12:31PM EST (link)Let’s Put the O back in Country -
with a hat tip to Shooter Jennings, Waylon Jenning’s kid. That’s actually the title of an album of his.
In Vino Veritas
Not just the 20-somethings
olderandwiser Monday, October 27th at 10:18PM EST (link)I just returned from a weekend visit to relatives – obama voters (luckily in a solidly red state). The inevitable “discussion” ensued — one 60-something boomer referred to Sarah Palin as a “bimbo”. He appeared to know nothing about how she had had the strength of character to challenge her own party, about how she has enjoyed unbelievably high approval ratings among Alaska voters, about how she was re-elected several times as mayor, preferring to focus on her “scarey” social conservatism. There are some people who are just truly afraid of those who have genuine religious faith and allow that faith to inform their ethics and integrity and actions.
Moe, thanks for the excellent comments.
that is a good one
JLenardDetroit (Diary) Tuesday, October 28th at 2:00AM EST (link)Regards from NoMoTown (the MOTORlessCITY)
“Liberals, looking to do for? America what they’ve done for? Detroit! which is DESTROY IT!”
“I think, therefore I am Conservative”
“Conservative by choice, Republican by necessity”
“You can lead a Liberal to the Truth/Facts, but you cannot make them THINK!”
“Romney [No, not my first choice] does NOT have a MORMON problem. He has a, far too many Americans; these days; are MORONS problem!”
Follow @JLenardDetroit
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Heil “O” Hell No Obamao is NOT MY PRESIDENT! “No U won’t”
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