As We Exhale, How We Reached the "Letterman Limit"

Timing is everything. Throughout his illustrious career, David Letterman had a knack for timing the delivery of his words. Unfortunately for Letterman, his timing with the national psyche was not so fortuitous. Had he delivered those same jokes a year ago, the words would have simply vaporized into the air with roars of laughter at The Ed Sullivan Theater. Yet in June 2009, these same words will forever stain his legacy. For unbeknownst to Letterman and his "boy's club" of writers, our country was about to draw a line in the sand -- the "Letterman Limit."

The Letterman Limit is about crossing a threshold. By insulting, belittling, objectifying and jeopardizing our daughters, Letterman gave the final poke to our country's sexism slumber. And with the awakening of many, our country is embarking on a new way forward. And with this new way forward, the landscape has been forever altered.

Letterman, sadly, is the casualty of the new way forward. Sadly because before we reached the Letterman Limit, he would hardly be considered among the serial sexism offenders. Letterman's undoing came with the carefully penned words of his boy's club of writers. With the utterance of the writers' pre-scripted words, on two separate nights, Letterman began to descend in flames back down to earth. Who could imagine that his descent would unleash the tsunami of the Next Wave of "Feminism"?

While Letterman is descending, Governor Sarah Palin is seeing her star rise. Some may disagree with Governor Palin on political issues; but few will disagree that Palin is a gifted politician. And whether she had sensed the cultural shift underway, or just had incredible timing, the Letterman Limit has catapulted Palin to a new level. She somehow understood that the people of this country would have her back if she went to battle. When she spoke out to defend her daughters, millions of mothers and fathers heard their own voices.

At The New Agenda -- an organization considered by many to be the Next Wave of "feminism" -- we've been taking stock of how far the country has moved forward as we reach the Letterman Limit. Letterman's jokes would barely have registered on the "sexism richter scale" that Governor Palin and her family endured in 2008. Last fall, as a new non-partisan organization,The New Agenda spoke out, most often alone, for Governor Palin. We stood up for Palin while she or her likeness were hung in effigy, knocked unconscious, called the c-word and raped in words; and when the media questioned Palin's abilities as a mother, and launched endless attacks on her children. Back then, it would have been politically unwise for Palin to speak out. Back then, these same types of attacks were also routinely launched at Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain and Nancy Pelosi. Back then, this level of misogyny, sexism and double-standards were accepted practices in our culture.

But after the 2008 misogyny-fest, our culture started to shift. This cultural shift was hardly sudden nor unexpected. Many in our media speculated that a new movement was about to be born. And it was. But unlike rising stars and falling meteors, cultural shifts never occur at warp speed. Changes in our culture take root, spread slowly and grow sight unseen until something causes the roots to break through the surface.

And what caused the breakthrough was the collective outrage at these words. Our protective instincts for our daughters and granddaughters. They need our help. They are facing a crisis of being treated as sexual objects and we can no longer remain silent. Women and men from different political parties, religions, races and sexual orientations were able to join hands, unite and take collective action. Alliances were being formed all over the blogosphere.

Perhaps the most important take-away from the Letterman Limit is that the American people are no longer willing to remain silent: the Next Wave is upon us. The Next Wave is about unity and collective action and speaking out against all sexism -- be it targeted at women and girls of the right, left or center. This time the action is not on the streets where our media can conveniently film it and show it on the 5 o'clock news, which likely explains why many have such a limited understanding of the Next Wave and its impact. The Next Wave will be fought on the blogosphere with tens of thousands of protest emails and countless phone calls. Suffice it to say that major Letterman sponsors have dropped out. And Letterman apologized not once, but twice -- the second time with a message for all young women. And an entertainment executive took out a 2 page ad in the Hollywood Reporter to announce to Hollywood that Sexism Against Conservative Women is Still Sexism. The Next Wave revolution is officially underway.

We made good use of this teachable moment. Let's be ready for the next one and not wait to talk to our girls, support and protect them.

And advice to those in the national media who have become accustomed to incorporating sexism and misogyny in their daily routine -- you might want to consider finding a new line of work. Our county has officially reached the Letterman Limit!

Comments

[sixyfivepercentwater]

I guess if you look for sexism you'll find it. I suggest you look for humor, if you can recognize it.

[mrkdds]

You take yourself so seriously that you don't get real, true satire/sarcasm do you? Mr. Letterman is making fun of the people who put this woman, and the woman herself, in a position so far over her head. He is merely pointing out how foolish our society is when it puts up a person like Sarah Palin as a top leader. Ripping apart Gov. Palin is no more sexist than the deserved brutal criticism Pres. Bush received throughout his career. The sad outcome is that women of real capabilities have not reached the place Ms. Palin has. She is the one pushing this view of woman as sex object , not Mr. Letterman.

[Ptomac River]

As a mom, and a so called feminist, I do not find Letterman's humor offensive to women, or any other group. Rather, he has the courage to call a spade a spade, and (his team has) the insightfulness to know the real deal. Give everyone a break, Amy.

[write2bheard]

Last line reads "our county has officially reached the Letterman Limit!" I think she meant country, but this may be a true Freudian slip. You may speak for your county, but you don't speak for me and millions of others who don't agree that Palin is a gifted politician. She is a hate-monger of the first ilk who seeks to impose her extreme fundamentalist views on everyone. Any gifted politician knows what they read, who they are quoting, and what the vp does. Letterman's jokes are funny because they are based on truth. Everyone talked about how hot she was, no one talked about her brilliance or the depth of her understanding because there was none. That was deliberate and intentional and makes her more fair game than the aerial hunting of wolves which she supports and advocates.

[chaserblue]

What a crock---Letterman did nothing wrong---Palin tossed her children under the bus the minute she decided to use them as props for her own ambition. She's got a daughter that had tossed herself willingly onto the public stage mincing around telling the entire country she's sleeping around popping out children without a second thought. And her oldest daughter isn't the ONLY child she used---she used I don't even know all their names---she used each and every one of her children---she used her son in Iraq to beat us over the head with how patriotic she was, while claiming only a portion, HER PORTION of the country loved their country and was patriotic. She used her youngest daughter as a prop while tossing her in designer clothes and letting her traipse around with an 1,000.00 dollar purse, while Bristol? The oldest? She used her by propping her up on stage to talk about her and her underage boyfriend and how they would all live happily in Washington DC with a forced teenage marriage---She even used Trig. So don't come whining about how "we women" aren't going to stand for Letterman's antics. Because "THIS woman" sees him as merely a comic while I watched Palin darkly milk this entire episode for once again, her own ambition.

[SimonNZ]

I agree. Get a life lady. It was a joke taken out of context and beaten for all it was worth by the right wing media.

[avocats]

Nonsense. I'm a feminist. Letterman did a joke about an 18-year-old who has flaunted her sexually active status on the cover of People magazine., while wearing a graduation gown, as if that were so consistent with teen motherhood. The fact that he mistook the middle daughter for the older daughter with Palin doesn't mean he did anything unforgiveable. Palin's complaints were ridiculous--she has put these children in the public eye and she has held herself up as a family values person, all the while--according to the father of her grandchild--letting her daughter's biyfriend sleep over in the family home in the daughter's bedroom, and traveling around the country instead of taking care of her five kids. I'm not saying she can't work and be a good mom at the same time, but her ambitions clearly take precedence over her poor small kids. And i loved her in full hairdo, makeup and manicure "roughing it" at the fishing dock yesterday--what bull.

[ssgman]

Bravo! Well said!

[cmilburn]

Some people will write anything to get on HuffPo.

[ricmarc]

And her followers were forever known as Palinites. And they were mocked and ridiculed and held up to small children as an example of foolishness and superstition and nonsense mixed with hate.

The Palintes have shown who truly drinks the metaphorical kool aid and that the base is nothing more than that, base.

They have ignored the fact that the Palin pals around with Witch Hunters and says a Witch Hunters blessing helped get her elected.

She pals around with a witch hunter for Christ's sake, the woman is not normal and to accept such behavior is not normal.

[plooger]

Your self-promotion would be funny if it weren't so damn pitiful. Sarah Palin is no more a "good politician" than Paris Hilton or Heidi Montag, contemporaries of Palin whose celebrity status has risen largely on looks and tabloid self-promotion.

I hope the 'Next Wave of "Feminism"' finds a more discerning eye when looking for their next "victim."

[ricmarc]

Paris Hilton or Heidi Montag. i must take issue with the use of these fine ladies names in the same breath as sarah palin. they are way smarter. palin is more along the lines of spencer pratt.

[RachelMc]

"While Letterman is descending, Governor Sarah Palin is seeing her star rise. Some may disagree with Governor Palin on political issues; but few will disagree that Palin is a gifted politician. And whether she had sensed the cultural shift underway, or just had incredible timing, the Letterman Limit has catapulted Palin to a new level."

I bet u feel like crap now that palin quit and letterman is still on....

[garcia83]

of all the sexists with names that begin with 'L', you call it the "Letterman Limit"?

maybe you haven't heard of a guy by the name of Limbaugh, but if so, you should check wikiquote if you REALLY want to hear what sexism sounds like.

[PartyofLogic]

As a follower of Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem et al, I gotta say that if THIS is the "new feminism", you can keep it.

The only ones who have treated Palin in a sexist manner are a) Sarah Palin, who uses her sexuality and appearance to manipulate attention and distract from her sorely lacking knowledge of basic policy, law and history and b) rabid Palin supporters who have very little to say about her other than "she's pretty", which they utter as though the opinion is a transferable skill pertinent to the job of governance.

While Letterman's jokes may have been a bit off color, everyone knows he was talking about the daughter who did get knocked up and if they listened carefully, they would also have realized that particular joke was really more about A-Rod. As for the stewardess remark, I thought it was funny. And I am a girl and until I read this article, I considered myself a feminist.

[LaHenche]

Um. No.

Let's call all of this "Post Feminism" and "Post Sexism".

Post Feminism because, hey, women can do anything and be anything they want in this day and age.
Take your whining to any single mother that came of age in the 1970s and 1980s. First time entrants to the workforce, nonetheless. The REAL pioneers here. Take your complaining to them and let's all sit back and watch you nurse your bloody nose.

Post Sexism because, hey, dummies are alive and well and will always make stupid, insensitive jokes and hold unpopular views at the expense of "minorities". Basically. RELAX. We've won already.

More important, grow up, go get a real job amongst some real people. Take you nose out of your academics and live a real life.

...everyone else has.

[tenilla]

Oh, good grief!

I have been a feminist longer than most here have been alive, but this is just embarrassing.
Sarah Palin has exploited Bristol Palin far more than any late night comedian ever has or ever
will.

Puh-lease!

[lynninny]

ditto.

[DrVandy]

Double ditto.

[garcia83]

TRIPLE DITTO.

[PatA]

Oregonbird, I love Craig Ferguson. I choose Dave out of the hosts that are on when he is..........