Much has been written and said in the blogosphere and the MSM about the February 7 incident when MSNBC's David Shuster said on-air that Chelsea Clinton was being "pimped out" by Hillary Clinton's campaign. Most of the commentary has focused on allegations of a pattern of anti-Hillary sexism at MSNBC, the "tastelessness" of the comment, the supposed "thin-skin" of the Clintons, and other matters.
I want to address another aspect of this controversy: the way that what is considered acceptable discourse in a presidential race can give us insight into social norms -- in this case about the level of feminist consciousness in the general population and the degree of awareness and concern about the sexual subjugation of women. Shuster was suspended for the comment, and it could potentially hurt his career even after the dust settles from this campaign. But if he didn't say it on a cable television program on a high-profile network, David Shuster's use of the term "pimped out" to refer to the New York senator's 27-year-old daughter would likely not have raised an eyebrow. In another context, people might have agreed or disagreed with the assertion, but found the language itself unremarkable. In fact, there are millions of American men (and women) who regularly use words like pimp and ho in private and public conversations, with no concern that they will offend anybody. This is in part generational, as younger generations have grown more comfortable with expressions that are regarded as crass and vulgar by many older folks. But it also reflects differences in feminist consciousness that may or may not be generational. In the spirit of exploring that angle, I've pasted in a brief discussion from my 2006 book The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help:
"Pimps and hoes"
In Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, Byron Hurt's documentary film about hypermasculinity and misogyny in rap music and video, he interviews young men outside a rap music event who matter-of-factly identify many of the women across the street as "hoes." He then walks over and asks the women what they think of being labeled this way. They reject the label and assert their right to wear short shorts and bikini tops in the hot Florida sun. The viewer is left with the sad impression that these women are either oblivious to how some men view them, or they are so beaten down that they expect it and are unfazed. The term "ho" has become such a routine part of everyday conversation that it has lost much of its initial sting. In this context, it is worth remembering that "ho" is shorthand for "whore," which itself is a colloquial expression for a prostituted woman (or man). So when men (or women) call women "hoes," they are comparing them to prostitutes. To what effect? As a growing body of research shows, some men treat prostitutes with shocking brutality. According to one study, about 80% of women in prostitution have been the victim of a rape. As Susan Kay Hunter and K.C. Reed said in a 1990 speech at a conference sponsored by the now-defunct National Coalition Against Sexual Assault, "It's hard to talk about this because...the experience of prostitution is just like rape. Prostitutes are raped, on the average, eight to ten times per year. They are the most raped class of women in the history of our planet." Contrary to the Pretty Woman stereotype, most prostituted women are young, poor and desperate. A large majority are incest survivors. Many of them are women of color. The average age that "women" in the United States get into prostitution is 13 or 14. So the term "ho" is not just a thoughtless epithet. When men (or women) call a woman a "ho," they not only demean and degrade her. In a sense they send the message to people who know her that she deserves to be treated like a prostitute. In this way it sets her up - like a prostitute -- to become a rape victim.
If casual use of the word "ho" sets women up to be rape victims, then it follows that casual use of the word "pimp" sets men up to be rapists. In fact, in the moral universe created by the phrase "pimps and hoes," the true "nature" of women is that they should be sexually subservient, and the true "nature" of men is that they should dominate and control women. In a world that operates according to the cold and unforgiving values of the marketplace, the only distinction between men is whether they own women or rent them. As the white rap/rocker Kid Rock raps in "Pimp of the Nation," There's only two types of men/Pimps and John's. And there is no doubt about which one is the true "man's man."
Over the past few years, the word "pimp" has become a non-controversial word in popular discourse. From Nelly's "Pimp Juice" beverage to the MTV show Pimp My Ride, from guys displaying "Pimpin' Ain't Easy" bumper stickers on their cars and trucks to men high-fiving each other for that "pimpin' stereo system you got there, man," the word "pimp" has not only become a routine part of the language -- it has actually become a complimentary term. To what effect? What are the possible consequences of this glamorization of pimps? First, a little reality check. The traditional image of a pimp in this country is an African American street hustler. So casual talk about pimps always has a racial subtext that perpetuates one of the most racist caricatures of black masculinity: They're sex-crazed jive-talkers who treat their women like shit. But regardless of their race, pimps are criminals who make money off the crass exploitation of girls' and women's bodies. (And boys' and men's.) Many of them are rapists and batterers. Regardless of how "cool" the image of the pimp has become in mainstream media culture, in real life pimps are incredibly cruel and callous men. The Council for Prostitution Alternatives estimates that 85 % of prostitutes are raped by pimps. Some pimps are sociopaths. As Kathleen Barry explains in The Prostitution of Sexuality (1995):
"Pimps target girls or women who seem naive, lonely, homeless, and rebellious. At first, the attention and feigned affection from the pimp convinces her to 'be his woman.' Pimps ultimately keep prostituted women in virtual captivity by verbal abuse -- making a woman feel that she is utterly worthless: a toilet, a piece of trash; and by physical coercion -- beatings and the threat of torture. 80% to 95% of all prostitution is pimp-controlled."
So let's be clear. A culture that celebrates pimps is a culture that teaches men that masculinity is about power and control. It teaches them that they are entitled to sell, abuse, and rape women. Of course many men reject that and refuse to accept the one-dimensional caricature of manhood it implies. Still, to the extent that "pimps and hoes" becomes increasingly synonymous in people's psyches with "men and women," the fight against sexual violence will be like shoveling sand against the tide.