Like most Americans, I was quite disturbed to discover that a couple allegedly crashed the White House State Dinner and that they met our president and vice president.
In these times of war at home and abroad, security is clearly a must.
However, I suspect that something sinister lies at the root of the public lynching of social secretary Desiree Rogers.
The Politics of Pretty
Social Secretary Desiree Rogers hit D.C.'s high society with the ferocity of a Chi-Town winter; bold, unrelenting and unapologetic in her fashion sense and in her swagger.
Granted, those who knew of Ms. Rogers while she was in Chicago were puzzled at the thought of her acting in the capacity of Social Secretary, that is, being the assistant. She's known for having assistants, and drivers, and cart blanche for everything golden in Chicago.
She's a socialite; that is what the Ladies Who Lunch are known for.
And Desiree's clout and eye-candy status is a problem in Washington, especially among the good-ole' boys network.
The problem with Desiree is that she refuses to be pigeon-holed or trained and she's not the type of woman that can be easily crafted into a punchline. Starched, lifeless hair and basic black-and-pearls is not her style, and never will be.
The problem with Desiree is her flair. Flair, apparently, is a faux pas in some political circles.
At the root of the scapegoating of Desiree is that she breaks society's rules; Desiree isn't pretty or smart. She's pretty and smart. She's also modelesque. And well-connected. And wealthy. Desiree is the consummate 'hostess with the most-ess' and this is exactly why those who cannot understand her swagger are demanding that she bows down.
The lynch-mob's problem with Desiree is that she doesn't stay in her place. The lynch-mob does not understand that a woman's place is wherever she wants it to be.
And that's their problem.
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Desirée Rogers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Desiree Rogers: Brand Obama - WSJ. Magazine - WSJ
White House to Desiree Rogers critics: Back off - - POLITICO.com
Can Desiree Rogers Make Washington Fun Again? : Maureen Orth ...
"modelesque"
This article was supposed to taken as some type of humor or satire, correct? Because I find it impossible to believe that contemporary adults of ANY political persuasion would be impressed with the worthless attributes the writer references when describing Ms. Rogers. What are we in the 1950's when women had nothing to offer but idiotic traits like "the Hostess-with-the-Mostess" ? Sounds like somebody's been watching too many reruns of "I Love Lucy"! Only Lucy Ricardo would want to be "known for having assistants, and drivers, and cart blanche for everything golden" OMG! You are hilarious!
They're ALL "well-connected" and "wealthy." But it's a job in which God is in the details, and Desiree didn't watch hers.
I know this is hard to accept because we live in an age of duck and cover--where the fast talkers and spin doctors can manipulate perception and turn it into reality. The dismissal of the White House Social Secretary--and that's what it is--a firing--is because she did NOT do her job well enough and embarrassed the office of the President.
Now, if we want to talk about how she is perceived by putting herself in the public eye...Okay, I think people were shocked to see that Desiree felt she had to sit in the front rows of fashion shows, show up at parties she invited herself to, and wear outfits that screamed for attention.
She is a dynamic, smart person who will land on her feet. Unfortunately, this was a job of a lifetime and it was squandered by her inability to execute. White House resistance to allow their public servant to testify in front of a public body is disappointing. Maybe she could have enlightened us on her perspective. Instead, we get a press release saying what a great job she did.
Context, history, personal experience -- ALL of them factor into who should and should not use the words and when the words are or aren't appropriate.
If you're referring to the wh!te sportscaster who said Tiger should be "/ynched in a back alley," you really don't have a valid argument. She was totally and completely out of line considering this country's history and its penchant for /ynching.
Here, in this article, an African-American woman is referring to a mentality that is all too familiar among certain segments of the population. It was more than obvious that much of the reporting surrounding the White House party crashers and the blaming of Ms. Rogers for that breach of security was fueled by a /ynchmob mentality. Many B/ack Americans have been the victim of it, and TRUST -- we know it when we see, hear, and experience it. That phrase is precisely the most accurate one for this author to have used. She couldn't be more right.
It is the "job" of the event manager to make sure that the event goes off without a hitch, NOT to attend as a guest. With 10 years of event management experience, I have rarely had the time to even dress for the actual event, because of logistics that required my undivided attention to details.
If her desire is to "be" a socialite instead of serving them, the White House is not where she belongs
The Social Secretary is quite the lightning rod in Chicago; this event is indeed Schadenfreude to some and the sneering is really ferocious...
Had a dapper gentleman made the same oversight, would we be attacking him in this manner?
What do you think?
(For the record, I do not wear couture; :0), I do not know the social secretary and I do not approve of the allegedly uninvited couple's entrance into the state dinner, nor the oversights that allowed them access to our heads of state).
Perhaps the "consummate hostess" could make herself useful and despatch to secure MiddleEastern peace.
Desiree is an absolutely dispensible pawn.
You have a new fan! =0)
We agree:
"She works for the First Lady."
Your point appears to be proven day after day. We must do better, thankfully bloggers are also very active in discovering the backstories that mainstream media miss.