Careful, Joe! "Smart Woman" Jokes a Dicey Game

To begin with, let me say that Joe Biden was not my first choice for the number-two spot on the Democrats' ticket. First, he's not a woman. Second, he didn't do the job when it was his turn to grill the two most dangerous Supreme Court nominees (now justices) in recent times: Samuel Alito and John Roberts. Third, he's prone to making gaffes.

That said, Biden did a reasonably good job today in Springfield, Illinois, showing what he brings to the Obama campaign -- until he got the end. Speaking of his wife, Jill, he described her as drop-dead gorgeous. Nothing wrong with that. Who wouldn't want to be described as such by his or her partner? Then he said, that she "has her doctorate degree, and that's a problem."

It was obviously a failed attempt at humor. Or perhaps I'm just a humorless feminist. Either way, one can only hope this isn't a harbinger of gaffes to come.

The best part? Without a doubt, the sight of Michelle Obama and Jill Biden embracing, hand-holding and seeming to genuinely enjoy each other's company. How often do we get to see a black woman and a white woman like that? Black and white women have waded through a torrent of troubled waters in America. We've never quite recovered from the sexual politics of the plantation. Looking at the contenders for First and Second Lady, I caught a glimmer of redemption.

Follow Adele Stan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/addiestan

Comments

[Thad]

Shorter Adele Stan: "It doesn't matter how many landmark bills on domestic violence a man sponsors, if he jokes that his wife's obvious intelligence is intimidating, he's clearly a misogynist­."

Look, Biden's got his flaws. It seems to me that maybe people could find something about him to criticize that isn't completely absurd and inconsequential.

[LillianB]

That's not what she said.

A man selling himself as intelligent (which both Biden and Obama do) shouldn't be troubled with female intelligence (Obama isn't, as his pride in his wife shows). I don't think Biden is either (he is obviously very fond of his smart wife, too). But joking that he is isn't "folksy". It's using stupider men's prejudices in an attempt to gain votes. And that's not a good thing, that's patronizing on so many levels I can't start to list them.

It's unintelligent, too. These two should be interested in showing their different from the candidate using the c-word and "joking" that his wife should participate in wet t-shirt competitions. Women have half the votes.

[DurangoDave]

I took the comment totally differently than either of you. Think for a second... which party has a problem with PhD women being "uppity" and not knowing their place? Think about the attacks on Michelle Obama already by the right. To my ears, Biden's comment was, my wife is a hottie, but she's also smart and educated, and the Republicans will surely attack her for that, which could be a problem. Of course it was a joke. The Republicans will attack everyone, no matter what.

[JimR]

Oh, get over yourself. You are overthinking this and inserting things that aren't here.

[Promise]

I watched the Clarence Thomas hearings, featuring Anita Hill with great interest. Joe Biden was one of the good ol' boys, chuckling with Thomas over Thomas' creepy sexual escapades. I lost respect for Biden at that moment and never had any reason to regain it. However, that was a long time ago, history has changed us and I'm sure that Biden has matured. The fact that he married a smart working woman says a lot about him.

I haven't followed Biden's career, other than to read what hit the headlines, notably the plaigerism scandal. He was not on my list of first choices for Democratic candidate; I wasn't sorry he dropped out.

So I am late in coming to be a fan. I read David Brook's very favorable column, hoping that Biden would be selected as Obama's VP running mate. Then, after Obama' decision, I read the news and reconsidered. I've concluded that Biden is a very intelligent choice, for all the reasons that others have mentioned.

As someone said, he's the guy whose mistakes are all on the surface. I can live with that, after so many years of liars and pretenders. (including the Clintons) This man is real, gaffes and all. I'm sure that Obama, who is about as authentic a human being you're going to see in politics these days, sensed Biden's truthfulness, too. If he can forgive him for his really stupid remarks about him, I can forgive him his inanity at the Thomas/Hill hearings.

[rwhiteside]

Huh? I watched every second of the Anita Hill hearings, and never recall him chuckling. He took Anita Hill seriously. As I recall it, Biden was the only voice of sanity, and was the one who actually did get her on the stand (when pressured) and give her the floor. Biden let her have her say, and anybody with a brain believed her. Also, Biden voted no on Thomas.

[BluePatriotWoman]

Oh, phuleez.

I'm a certified, dyed-in-the-wool feminist from way back when (eg, hearing the word "girl" to describe an adult woman would send me into agonies of despair not to mention all of the other feminist issues that my 250 words just won't cover).

So is there something wrong with me because I thought Senator Biden's comments about his wife were charming and utterly Joe? NO!!! In the intervening years I have been blessed with the development of a sense of humor and, more importantly, as sense of balance. Joe's women's rights cred is strong and continuous.

As a feminist I would love to see a woman in the office of president or vice president. But one thing that the last 45 years have taught me -- it's not enough that the office seeker is a woman. I live in a state with two female senators -- DiFi and Barbara Boxer. What this has taught me is that having the XX gene does not automatically embue a person with values that I can get behind.

It's not that I don't have issues with the senior senator from Delaware -- I do and big ones -- but to pick on this wee bit of familial intimacy as somehow being a harbinger of doom for women? Like I said, oh puhleez.

[SurrealPumpkin]

The comment sounded to me like an ongoing family joke.

[Chaimirija]

On the money again, SP.

[jazmatician]

Thank you!

[commonsenselives]

"As a feminist I would love to see a woman in the office of president or vice president. But one thing that the last 45 years have taught me -- it's not enough that the office seeker is a woman. I live in a state with two female senators -- DiFi and Barbara Boxer. What this has taught me is that having the XX gene does not automatically embue a person with values that I can get behind."

I live in CA also and I totally agree with this statement. I got so much flack from my fellow female progressives when I tell them I'm voting for Obama.

Well said BluePatriotWoman.

[lisakaz2]

Funny but when I attention the women historians breakfast at the AHA last January, I found strong support forf O. I thought I would be an oddity but mostly everyone was for O.

[procrustes]

If I wrote a story about woman who refused to help with our airplane's emergency door because she didn't get that upgrade to First Class, no one would believe it. If I wrote that she was oblivious to the airplane spiraling in violent plunge and fire raging on the portside, no one would believe it. If the pilot collapsed and she refused to let another pilot sitting in the passenger section replace him because he wasn't female, and besides, she heard him refer to the toilet as the girl's room, no one would believe it. If her reason was that this was finally woman's chance to be a genuine front-page action hero and she, no--all of sisterhood--was being cheated of their moment. Alas, no one could fathom such a ridiculous tale.

The whole story would be, well...jus­t beyond belief. Electing the village idiot to be President, twice, is still incomprehensible to the world--beyond credulity--yet, here we are.

[gmgl]

Loved your comment below Jackson Williams, except it wasn't the late 19th century that many women weren't allowed in higher institutio­ns...try the mid 20th century they still weren't allowed in (check when they were allowed into engineering institutions or Yale for example). However your post is appreciated. One comment for Adele Stan is that if you are going to make a comments about feminism, please don't degrade it by pulling out the old cliche "humorless feminist". Gosh didn't that stereotype go the way of "humorless lesbian"? If you are a woman and offended by something just say so. We have enough hypocritical already women reaping the benefits of feminism only to bash the word feminism. Do black people apologize for or degrade the civil rights movement by saying "humorless civil rights activist" when they point out something that offends them? Yes we want the democrats to win. Have they made it that much harder by picking a man on the ticket instead of free ten point boost HRC would have given? You bet. Sigh. Blaming people who point this out like Adele Stan isn't going to help folks. In fact if you want to really help Obama, stop knee jerk blaming HRC supporters in general folks, it only drives them away. Women don't respond well to being bullied, they are just like other people about this, surprise! Go Obama '08, wish he'd made it easier.

[THEhillbilly]

"The best part? Without a doubt, the sight of Michelle Obama and Jill Biden embracing, hand-holding and seeming to genuinely enjoy each other's company. How often do we get to see a black woman and a white woman like that? "

Every day, if you'd just get out now and then. Now ask how often we see it so meticulously choreographed like that.

Good on ya for doing your part to stamp out weak humor. Humor and ipsedixitisms are the most invidious problems facing the world today.

Now, as to the true meaning of Biden's remark...t­he reason it's a problem is that it reflects the backward nature of the probable democratic party ticket. On the candidate side, the second fiddle guy is a far better fiddler than the trainee in the top spot. On the wifely side, the situation is a mirror image, with Biden's wife the one who has the doctorate.­..and besides that, she's a babe and she has always respected the country. The upstart's wife, on the other hand, paraphrasing Karl Marx's favorite tenet, says that we productive people ought to give up a piece of our pie so some loser can have it, .

[wedgie]

Respecting the country isn't about keeping your mouth shut.

You should know that. Yours is certainly wide open.

**

[cliffprice]

As a PhD, I often joke that the primary driving force to get my PhD was that before I got it and made mistakes, forgot names and addresses, got too deeply absorbed in what I was doing to be aware of my surroundings, or did stupid things, I was labeled “dumb” or “stupid.” Now that I have my PhD, all these things are expected of me and accepted. In actuality, many non-PhDs jokingly refer to PhDs in this vein and label us as spaced-out nerds or weirdoes, because often we are. I’m sure Biden’s comment was meant in this lighthearted respect. Yes, as many others advise, lighten up, Adele.

[lafrance]

geez, a bit oversensitive are you, writer. I find this nit picking on everything that comes out of someone's mouth that may not sit well with one woman or another to be overkill.
as a woman, I find to many women these days seem to have lost their sense of humor and are acting too much like those old school 1970s feminists who drove eveyone, include the women, up the wall.
Try to lighten up.

[nordstrom]

Er, Adele, I think Joe was affectionately calling his wife smarter than him. And, yes, you do come off as humorless.

[SimonNZ]

Careful what you wish for Adele.

A McCain presidency will undoubtedly give me ample opportunities to say "I told you so" as many issues you care about as a woman and a feminist get trashed (the Supreme Court has had some pretty significant 5-4 conservative decisions recently as I'm sure you're aware.) However, I think the 4 years required for me to get this satisfaction would be way too costly.

Time to stop nitpicking over trivial comments and start helping to make sure the Democratic candidates get elected.

[thefooligan5]

Part 2
Certainly woman have a long way to go before they are fully seen as being equal to men but is that any reason to blindly suggest this or that position should be filled by a woman simply because there are too many men already? By all means if a woman is the best candidate I would wholly support her; as would I if the person happened to be asian or native or disabled, etc. What you implied by your 'desired VP' statement does not constitue feminism but rather a reverse form of sexism - something which may seem tempting to many feminists given the subjugation forced upon women throughout the ages - but the fact of the matter is it does not solve anything. It gives the problem a new frame but enforcers the same hatred.

[in4success]

eloquently written and right on the mark -- i wrote the same thing earlier with a little less compassion or understanding and a bit more frustrated angst (needless to say, it was not posted -- although, i didn't expect to be. it was between myself and ms. stan -- but this is what i meant.)

[KUjHwk]

Here, here!!


- a midwest woman

[thefooligan5]

Part1
Adele, when I heard the words come out of Joe's mouth I immediately cringed. I wasn't entirely sure what bit of humour he was trying to make but it was like he built he up and tore her down in one sentence. I was impressed when he said his wife had her doctorate degree and the sentiment would have been soo wonderfully capped if he had just shut his mouth. Perhaps this was merely a his subconsciousness taking hold and making an off-hand reference to having a doctorate dgree merely creating more fodder for the ubiquitous claims of elitism from the republicans. My instinct tells me this is not the case and it merely and bad joke with sexist undertones. But I actually wanted to comment on something that you wrote Adele and how it infuriates me. "Joe Biden was not my first choice for the number-two spot on the Democrats' ticket. First, he's not a woman." I understand that you are a feminist but this sort of 'female or bust' feminism strikes me more as being misandristic. I am fully sympathetic to the plight feminists and were I more open to labels would probably be called a feminist myself but when you express that you're primary qualification for a particular position is sex, you immediately lose all feminist cred in my books.

[FogBelter]

"It was obviously a failed attempt at humor. Or perhaps I'm just a humorless feminist. Either way, one can only hope this isn't a harbinger of gaffes to come."

The humorless, corporatized world we have been reduced to in the US is just pathetic. What Biden said is called a "throwaway line" ... it was delivered as a joke and meant in to be humorous. It was not a gaffe, a lot of people, besides you, understood he was making a funny and chuckled.

Is this to be an endless war of the sexes where every comment is audited? Not every American woman thinks that way ... thank the gods.

[rparks1493]

This was an ok comment for me. I am an educated woman. Most times this can pose a debateable problem in the family but usually not a strong enough issue to warrant a divorce. It can be challenging or just challenging enough to keep a smart witty hubby like Joe on his toes and coming home for more. He did highlight that he is proud and excited to be married to an intelligent beauty! Keep it up Joe.

[Srkdqltr]

There is so much sexism and raceism out there that we all would have to tape our mouths shut and not say anything. (thats not a bad idea with some)
Things that were OK when I was a girl. (ooops younger) would not be allowed today. In some ways that is good. There are things that were said then that I would not say then or now.
I think Women and People of Color are the most vulnerable because there is nothing you can say to a white man that has the power that some words and attitudes they use about us have, and most don't know it or dont care to change. Would love to know how to fix all this.