Is Obama Man Enough To Be a Feminist Too?
In the vitriol over primacy claims to victimhood between females and blacks, we see our two candidates draining the pustulous boil of the once-silent liberal majority. That in the end, is going to be a good thing. It might not get either of them elected against the rich white guy with the snappin' salute.
Then again, it just might.
The kids recently pulled my junior high school yearbooks off the book shelf. Ellis Junior High, 1974, was the kind of mixed-race, mixed-class public school I don't think exists anymore. Hard by the crumble-down projects in Elgin, Illinois, it served black and Latino kids on welfare, and lower middle class white kids like me, but was close enough to country club suburbia to draw students who fox-hunted and would soon head off to East Coast prep schools. The black guys came to school with picks in their huge Afros, and joints in their pockets, and we danced with them to Bootsy's Rubber Band, in parentless, pot-scented, subsidized living rooms.
We never imagined that in our lifetime, we would someday be competing for the spoils of dying-Empire America.
Looking at those yearbooks, I realized I have no idea what happened to any of those young black men. Did they get lucky, draw the affirmative action straw and get into private colleges and law school, get promoted up the EEOC ranks of a multi-national? Or, are they delivering mail, pounding nails, in jail?
Whenever I start to think about the competing victimhood claims between blacks and women, I think about those guys. The fact is, for all the "glass ceiling" and sexual harassment crap I endured, those guys started off a long ways behind where I was.
Like others (including Erica Jong, under attack on this page right now for referring to Obama as a boy) I think Obama looks boyish. And by that I mean young - not "bwah!" With his infectious grin and stick-out ears, he looks like a kid, and that's a good thing and a bad thing. I like that he's my age, he's new and fresh and he's going to negotiate with our enemies (yes! Long overdue!), say things the old fogeys would never say, and try new ways of doing. But he doesn't exactly look grizzled or "seasoned," and it's not because of the color of his skin. As we all know, in our generation, fifty is going to be the new forty.
Like many women, I feel the visceral draw to vote for a female. The nasty sexist crap Clinton has had to endure only makes me want to support her, even though I don't even like her, and I don't think she's a good leader. She doesn't have that warm, follow-me, sun-god quality that leaders in a democracy must have. In politics personality does matter, and it doesn't matter how many disastrous frat boys we elect, that'll never change.
I have a white female friend so passionately supportive of HRC that she screams the Tina Fey line "bitch is the new black" after a few glasses of wine at dinner. And accuses me of being a bad mother and sister for not feeling the pain of our not getting a female president elected this time around.
The fact is, as the UN reported some years back, women world-wide are five hundred years from parity with men. So why should we expect to get a female president right now? Furthermore, and not to make the perfect the enemy of the good, this particular female is not the best candidate anyway - she de facto offends many working women because, even though she did work herself, she really did get to where she is thanks to her husband. And, as has been repeated countless times, she's playing the game the old way.
She's phony Beatlemania in the age of the Clash.
That said, it would be nice to see some glimmer of feminism coming out of our presumptive black male candidate. I'd like to know what he thinks of OJ Simpson, for example. Would he, law professor, stand up in front of a black crowd and admit that he thinks OJ got away with murdering a white woman - unlike the countless black males who actually didn't murder the white woman, but were hanged anyway? In all cases, remember, the woman was actually dead.
More importantly, will Obama repudiate the misogynistic undertone in rap music, the tidal wave of bitch and ho vulgarity that does nothing to move young black (and white) women an inch closer to parity with men?
Calling female reporters "sweetie" is not - ahem - a step in the right direction.
Every day in America a woman gets the crap beat out of her by a boyfriend, every other day, in New York anyway, a man kills his wife or girlfriend. That's feminism 101, friends, it's where we really are on a planet where whole nations can still deny women the right to drive, use birth control or go to school, and force them to wear black blankets over their heads.
All we can do is hope this new kind of man leader cares enough to speak about it.
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NINA,
Men get beat up to but its not reported because they don't want to look like wimps. I have two Aunts who beat their husband. One of them threw a boiling pot of hot water her my uncle while he was walking down the steps. My Cousin has and still does beat the crap out of her husband when he doesn't do what she wants.
LOLOL... I can't count the number of times I have turned my back to my wife... and taken a good beating on the back and back of the head.
Luckily, it's hard to hurt me from behind... my head is hard and my back harder from my occupation as a stonemason. "MAKE NO GESTURES TO DEFEND YOURSELF!!
Taking the beating always benefits us in the long-run. She gets out her angst... and then feels ashamedly common and foolishly human after... which gets us in the proper posture for having an actual discussion
As for domestic abuse... and the laws that govern it, Iowa has the most rational solution. If the police are called ... both parties go to the slammer... then the judges get to dig through the details rather than the poor cops on the beat. It makes sense.
OMG! There is so much need of education in this world.
NINA,
Do you believe Obama is sexist? This man was raised by two women! He has a strong wife and two daughters. I am sure he doesn't even listen to Rap (he is almost 50) and would not except any music in his home as a christian that puts women down.
He does listen to Jay-Z though. and I'm sure 50cent too; i'm exactly 5 years older than O and i do.
I thought one of the people who he says raised him was his grandfather. I think that makes two women and a man. Just thought I'd set the record a little straighter. ; )
GO BO 08
NINA,
You must not have been paying attention this election year. On MSNBC on the Dan Abrhams show, Obama was asked if he thought OJ was guilty and He SAID YES!!
Question asked...
"More importantly, will Obama repudiate the misogynistic undertone in rap music, the tidal wave of bitch and ho vulgarity that does nothing to move young black (and white) women an inch closer to parity with men?"
Question answered..
"I love the art of hip hop. I don't always love the message of hip hop," he said. Even with the rappers he loves, "There's a message that is not only sometimes degrading to women; not only uses the N-word a little too frequently; but also something I'm really concerned about, it's always talking about material things."
Here is my source
http://new
Perhaps these Clinton supporters should do some basic research. Go to Obama's web site, google a few things, read his books, read some newspapers; the information that you claim you need about Obama is available if you want to look. I highly suggest that you watch Michelle Obama's speeches or interviews, available on you-tube. There is no doubt that this woman is a feminist, without having to whine about it. Her issues are feminist issues: she talks a lot about the plight of working women, the need for good wages, affordable daycare, etc. She embodies feminism.
Barack Obama's respect and admiration for his single mother is well documented. She herself was an incredible woman who overcame many odds to become a leading figure in the establishment of small loan programs to help the poor, programs that are now hailed around the world. Look it up.
As an older white feminist, I find the whining of Clinton supporters embarassing. You may not think that you are being racist, but your use of words like 'boy', or describing Obama as a 'sepia Brad Pitt' (Jong) or demanding to know his opinion on O.J. give you away. This is a huge second-wave white feminist temper tantrum, and it's not pretty.
lolola, maybe this is why Obama attracts more educated voters. They take the time to actually research his background and his policies. They aren't content to let the media and the attack ads from his opponent in the primaries and the Republicans sway their votes. I, too, am an older white voter who is all for a woman President some day. I just think this is the year we need a huge change from the establishment, and Hillary is part of the establishment. I don't believe she would be in this race had she not been riding Bill's coattails. Obama says, "The time is now", and I believe he is right.
"That said, it would be nice to see some glimmer of feminism coming out of our presumptive black male candidate.
Can you please explain why you had to add Black to this question? I know he is Black, we all know he is Black but are you saying that it affects the way he feels about feminism, a movement dominated by White women. Is that why you also asked about O.J.? A Black man who was accused of murdering a White woman.
Do you think because he is a Black man, that he can't relate to issues of White women. Are the
issues of White women so different from Black, Hispanic, Asian, Indian women?
Just Asking?
The problem is not whether Obama can relate to white women.....
Perception, Perception
You know the victim card only goes so far. Millions of "older white women" voted for Hillary. That doesn't mean that many "older white women" don't admire Obama, both the ones that voted for him already and those who think he'd make a good second choice if Hillary doesn't get elected.
Anybody who can look at Hillary and Bill's behavior throughout this election and look at Obama's behavior and come out of it thinking that she was treated badly by his campaign, is just seeing what they want to see.
Thinking you're had it tougher than somebody else doesn't make it so.
NINA:
Not feminist enough ?
You only have to look as far as Michelle Obama to understand the complete, and utter ignorance of your statement.
Perhaps Nina, your true lot-in-life is having lunch and wine with your girlfriends and discussing OJ !
Other then that, you are not worth discussion, nor reply !!!
Dismissed !!!
The problem with feminists is that they are very self-centered and think that there are no more important problems in the world than being called "sweetie". While we're at it, why don't we ask Obama how he feels about women who blame all their problems on men. And by the way, I am a woman.
Nina;
You are upset that posters are misunderstanding yours and Erica Jongs usage of the word "Boy". Upset that they are calling both of you racists. Yet you are so quick to judge Obama's usage of the word "sweetie." If you want us to give you the benefit of the doubt about what both of you meant, why not extend the same courtesy to Obama. Why assume that he may be sexist because he said "sweetie".
In addition, why aren't you up in arms about the real victim of sexism in this race. Obama has been called weak, meek , like a woman because he doesn't attack like Clinton who has been called tough and ballsy because of the way she campaigns like a man? Be upset that one can only be considered a good leader or a good defender of this country if you ACT like a man!
Yep. It's odd that the so-called feminists have participated in demonizing as well as feminizing Obama and yet they can't see it. Glad you pointed out the hypocricy over objecting to "sweetie" but protesting being upset about "boy(ish).
None of the black or latino students were lower middle class? Were all of them were on welfare? Did any of the white students buy or grow their own joints?
BTW, pounding nails can be quite lucrative. Delivering the mail for the USPS (a strong union job with decent salaries and excellent benefits) has pushed many people into the middle class.
As other posters have commented, Obama has already addressed the OJ case. A little research before writing is always a good thing. When Ms. Jong referred to Obama as the "new boy" she was NOT referring to his youthful appearance.
Your post simply reinforces the idea that many feminists need to examine their questionable attitudes about class and race.
I'd always read about women of color objected to feminism because it was run for white women and was about white women (usually meanng of priviledge, not working class white women) and I always had trouble understanding this, like when African women did not appreciate Western-based feminists condemning female genital mutilation.
I think I see their point now. It took this campaign to show me.
Once upon a time... January to be exact... many people wondered if Black Women would vote for Hillary because she's a woman or Obama because of race.
My guess is that a good many of them did neither. They voted Obama, but based on race or gender, but based on the candidate.
But still the fact is, there was a time when people thought that segment of the electorate was up for grabs and that their loyalty to Obama could not be assumed. What happened? Feminists like Gloria Steinem asked them go choose gender over race, never realizing that by doing so, they were reducing them to a couple of words, rather than seeing them as whole people with complex thought processes.
Obama's campaign never stooped to that level. They asked voters to vote for the candidate. Not for his skin color or gender.
That's why he won. More precisely, that's why she lost.
Dare I say, without incurring the wrath of all womanhood, that Sen. Obama may be more pro-feminist than Hillary is a feminist [Women can be feminist; a man can only be pro-feminist]. But you needn't be a woman to acknowledge that women are worthy of as much respect as are men. I think Sen. Obama believes that. [Sweetie is a term of endearment that doesn't belong on the political stage;however, some of my 'sweeties' are men].
Sen. Clinton, on the other hand, never seemed comfortable in her own skin as a primary candidate. She swung wide between being the victim of sexism to being one-of the-boys. I didn't see a consistant message of who she was. Towards the end, she resorted to race baiting -- the lowest common denominator in politics.
While Barack cannot serve as a model for women on how to see women, he can serve as a model for men about how to treat women. As for Hillary, I don't think she's an especially good model for my niece; my niece knows who she is --- a proud, strong, black woman who doesn't denegrate anyone.
Btw, if it makes you feel any better, Obama said publicly that he thought O.J was guilty. I supposed you do not want to discuss a legal system that routinely convicts innocent black males of crimes though, right?
That enforces drug laws disproportionately, right?
I find it ironic that the democratic nomination has come down to attempting to put a black male against white women in the oppression Olympics. These are two groups that have historically been put against each other for so many reasons by white men and we are still fighting. We both were property believe it or not, and I tend to believe many men today think of women as property, status symbols, and another thing to own to compete against other men in the perpetual game of oneupmanship. The Gop and many white males still use white women against Black men like they did with Harold Ford Jr. Also, it must be pointed out that feminism started as feminism for white women and they did not care about other races until it became acceptable and beneficial to expand their tent. To this day black men are meant to scare white women into submission and I am sick of it.
Truthhurts60 - you are so right!
It made me fume when I read other posts throughout this website about how feminists vow to undermine Obama's run for the White House. Threatening to vote for McCain. Not seeing the big picture. Not seeing that it is not only their vote that matters. Not thinking about the backlash of taking the nomination away from a Black person to appease White women voters. Not realizing how getting a minority, a Black man- the most villified person in America, into the White House, would benefit EVERY person that has been treated like a second class citizen.
If Obama gets in, then a woman -the right woman, can get in also. It also sends a message to American born descendents of immigrants that they too can have a shot at the highest office in the land.
"All we can do is hope this new kind of man leader cares enough to speak about it."
You probably haven't been looking hard enough. This is outstanding, but you have to watch the whole thing.
Obama Addresses Planned Parenthood:
http://www
Is it not enough that Obama has been held accountable for the words of Reverand Wright?
He made a statement that could have opened up a dialog to discuss the bigger questions of race in this country, an invitation that has been largely ignored.
Now you want him to answer for OJ too? Why? You have more in common with OJ than Barack does. You had a white mother, I presume. So did Barack. You had an American father, I presume. So did OJ? Barack didn't. You grew up in a racially integrated city. So did OJ. Barack grew up in Hawaii surrounded by white and Asian kids and very few blacks.
And rap music? I'm sure if asked, Senator Obama would give a very insightful view of the genre, complete with an appreciation for its artistic merits and concern over its cultural influence, with the fact that he is the father of two young daughters playing as big a roll in his opinions as the fact that he is of African descent.
As an African-American candidate, running against a female candidate, Obama has had to answer more question, both relevent and not, on race and gender than any other candidate in memory. And you insist that he answer more, though such a discussion would almost certainly distract from the far more important discussions to be had at this point.
Thanks, Seth. You nailed it dead-on.
Sheesh.
Absolutely! Thanks Seth, you got it right.
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