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Well this is cheery...
Despite a Century Of Women’s Rights Progress, Hillary Clinton Still Faces Outrageous Sexism
This is basically going through the whole last century recording progress for women.
Fear of a Female President
Hillary Clinton’s candidacy has provoked a wave of misogyny—one that may roil American life for years to come.
Thing that especially stood out for me (it seems we are right when we say 'Masculinity so fragile'):
To understand this reaction, start with what social psychologists call “precarious manhood” theory. The theory posits that while womanhood is typically viewed as natural and permanent, manhood must be “earned and maintained.” Because it is won, it can also be lost. Scholars at the University of South Florida and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reported that when asked how someone might lose his manhood, college students rattled off social failures like “losing a job.” When asked how someone might lose her womanhood, by contrast, they mostly came up with physical examples like “a sex-change operation” or “having a hysterectomy.”
This is basically going through the whole last century recording progress for women.
Fear of a Female President
Hillary Clinton’s candidacy has provoked a wave of misogyny—one that may roil American life for years to come.
Thing that especially stood out for me (it seems we are right when we say 'Masculinity so fragile'):
To understand this reaction, start with what social psychologists call “precarious manhood” theory. The theory posits that while womanhood is typically viewed as natural and permanent, manhood must be “earned and maintained.” Because it is won, it can also be lost. Scholars at the University of South Florida and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reported that when asked how someone might lose his manhood, college students rattled off social failures like “losing a job.” When asked how someone might lose her womanhood, by contrast, they mostly came up with physical examples like “a sex-change operation” or “having a hysterectomy.”
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Women will be like black people, "Yeah, so? You think this is new?"
:-(
kerk
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Obama never said it would be easy; everyone stopped listening, thinking his election ended racism and proved the war was won.
There's always another mountain.
kerk
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And indeed, by bringing the issues into the light, we can more clearly see them.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko9A26yNlwg
kerk
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If you don't laugh, you'd cry. So, on the laugh side, consider the implications for all those stories where manhood means penis, if you lost it if you lost your job....
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Although seeing it spelled out like that, I guess it makes sense of a lot of the toxic masculinity. It reminds me of the waterwheel robot from Futurama:
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Mostly though what caught my attention is that both schools mentioned are my alma maters ;)
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Well, re. women then it's mostly in the context of emasculating men... Like Hillary & her pant suits, or butch lesbians etc. Like, if they're not feminine they are intruding on men's arena, and they feel threatened.
Mostly though what caught my attention is that both schools mentioned are my alma maters ;)
Oooooh.
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*HUGS*
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Every time I see tv commentators ramble on ad nauseum about Why isn't Hillary doing better? I want to scream, "Sexism, maybe?" Nobody in mainstream US media is willing to even suggest that might be an issue. I did read and excellent comment today noting that Hillary's approval rating as secretary of state was around 69% - but it dropped when she announced a run for presidency, ie, is stepping forward into the limelight rather than serving a man. (As women are "supposed" to do.)
Back around 23012 or '13 I commented to Angearia about what a hard time women have and how female leaders are held to different standards. I was speaking primarily of Buffy Summers but also mentioned Hillary as a real world example.
Actually, "Empty Places" is a pretty good metaphor here for a female leader. They must be more capable, intelligent and confident than men, they cannot appear weak or soft in order to be taken seriously, but they cannot appear too stern, tough or "masculine" either. They must get the job done but also consider everyone's feelings at the same time.
It's an impossible standard.
The fact that the show botched the metaphor of women being held to impossible standards by having Buffy in essence blame herself for everything and she just needed to pull up her bootstraps is neither here nor there at the moment.)
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Ah, but it's never been a factor before - she must have invented it, the way Obama invented racism... (I presume you've seen that story? y/y?)
I did read and excellent comment today noting that Hillary's approval rating as secretary of state was around 69% - but it dropped when she announced a run for presidency, ie, is stepping forward into the limelight rather than serving a man. (As women are "supposed" to do.)
This has been a consistent pattern in her career (and something she has commented upon). When she's *in* office she does very well when it comes to approval numbers, but when she runs she does very badly.
'Empty Places' is a very interesting one to bring up, thank you. and one side to this - esp. re. Hillary - is that we are used to seeing male leaders. And women necessarily do things differently, but it is difficult. Especially for the one that has to forge a brand-new path. Two articles from Vox which touch on this very well:
Understanding Hillary (Why the Clinton America sees isn’t the Clinton colleagues know)
Hillary Clinton’s feminism: a conversation with Rebecca Traister (The American presidency is coded male. Hillary Clinton is breaking that mold.)
You may have come across them before, but in case you haven't... Enjoy. :)