For Shame

On April 11th, there was a protest in New York City of media bias I this campaign. The main issue was the misogynistic treatment of Hillary Clinton by the mainstream media. The folks who organized it also put together a video of some examples of this treatment. The video is at the bottom of this post, but I though I’d transcribe the main parts:


CNN
“The question is, which Hillary Clinton is going to show up. The last few days, we’ve just about seen it all. At Thursday’s debate, in Austin Texas, Clinton showed a softer side. A couple of days later she morphed into a scolding mother, talking down to a child. She wasn’t finished – resembling someone with multiple personality disorder.”

Yes – portray her as mentally ill – that’s respectable. But I guess it goes in keeping with the old, misogynisitic favorite, "crazy woman" that gets pulled out every time a strong, outspoken woman has her say.


Headline News (with the headline, “Crying Game”)
Big news from new Hampshire – tonight is “It Cries”. After spending decades stripping away all trace of emotion, femininity and humanity, Hillary Clinton actually broke down and actually cried yesterday on the campaign trail. (leaning into the camera, wincing in disgust as he says it)

Let’s not forget that she (as most women in powerful positions) has not been allowed to be emotional or feminine – for fear of being criticize as a “weak woman” – as you are now basically pointing out. So she’s damned wither way. She’s either weak, emotional woman, or a hard, inhuman bitch. If a male candidate showed his emotion, we’d all be talking about how “sensitive” and kind and caring he is.


Fox News (with the headline, Clintons “nagging voice” is reason she lost the male vote)
Men won’t vote for Hillary Clinton because she reminds them of their nagging wives.

Oh My God

And. . .

And when Hillary Clinton speaks, men hear, “Take out the garbage!” (said in a high pitched, whiny voice)

Oh. My. God.


MSNBC
Let me tell you how short Hillary’s leash is. [garbled] you’re a guy going door to door trying to sell something and she said, you’ll have to wait for my husband to get home (men laughing).

Again with the flopping around to whatever suits your porposes at the moment. Now she goes from being a ball breaker to being a timid housewife. Please. Also? This doesn’t even make any sense.


MSNBC
Whenever she appears tough I think it’s good for her. I actually think she is tough. But the one thing we learned from the Lorena Bobbitt case is that there’s a great deal of resentment among women, aimed at men.

What the fuck??? Seriously? You’re bringing up a 15 year old case to make the point that. . .er. . .I don’t even know WHAT your point is. Because Lorena Bobbitt has nothing to do with anything. If you feel that Hillary has resentment towards men, then show me some examples. Lorena Bobbitt doesn’t! fucking! count! as one!!!

And don’t lump me into this either, with your “among women”, you fuck. Lorena Bobbitt’s case only proved that there was resentment on ONE woman aimed at ONE man.


Fox News
About the only people for Hillary Clinton are the democratic establishment and white women – white women are [garbled] - we all live with that pain (men laugh)

I couldn’t even understand what the hell he was saying – but I got the point – yet another joke at the expense of women. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Not.


MSNBC
Doesn’t it seem like Chelsea’s being pimped out in some weird sort of way (men laugh)

Ummm. . .I don’t get it. People campaign for other people. People that they respect, believe in and/or love. I’ve never heard it referred to “pimping” before. But then, I guess I haven’t seen one woman campaigning for another woman before, so I guess that explains it.


MSNBC
When she reacts the way she reacts to Obama with just the look – the look to him -looking like everyone’s first wife standing outside of probate court. (men laugh).

Bitter about your divorce settlement much? I hope your first wife got it all, you asshole.


Fox News
She’s trying to run away from this tough, kind of bitchy image

Again with the flip-flopping.


Headline news (with the headline, “Does Hillary Shave?”)
I can see her in there (mimics shaving face, in gravelly voice) gimme a pack of Kool cigarettes, will you. (men laugh)

This is getting tiresome.

Seriously? This is anactual topic of conversation? Does Hillary Shave? How can I not find this offensive??


MSNBC
Let’s not forget, and I’ll be brutal, the reason she’s a US senator – and the reason she’s a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front runner, is because her husband messed around. That’s how she got to be senator for New York. We keep forgetting it. She didn’t win it on her merits, she won because everybody felt “my god this woman stood up under humiliation”. Right? That’s what happened. That’s how it happened.

Wrong. Ass.


MSNBC
I think it’s outrageous that Chris Matthews has to apologize for saying something – inartfully perhaps. . .

Inartfully? Is that even a word? Also – ass.

Fox news
You know, I think someone’s gonna have to go out there and take her behind the barn. You know, I grew up in Lancaster Pennsylvania and yeah that’s kind of the term you use for that.

Yes dear, that’s a very cute, country way of saying “beat her ass until she learns her place.” Your mama must be so proud of your burning misogyny and violent tendencies.


MSNBC
And thus these advisors give congresswoman Ferraro nearly a week in which to send senator Clinton’s campaign back into the vocabulary of David Duke.

Yes – David Duke. Hillary Clinton is just like the fucking Grand Wizard of the motherfucking Ku Klux Klan! Exactly like him. Her history of fighting for equal rights and statements on how far we still have to go on race relations prove it. Except not.


And finally, over shots of the Hillary nutcracker, and bumper stickers calling her ugly, a bitch and a cunt, we hear Obama’s minister preaching that “Hillary ain’t never been called a n*@@#r. Hillary ain’t had to work twice as hard to get accepted by the rich white folk who run everything”

Ok, he’s got me on the first one, but I think this video (which is just the tip of the iceberg of the media’s treatment of Hillary) proves the second one wrong. And to drive that point home, we are then shown images of a Hillary voodoo doll, signs that say to “take her out”, a KFC with a “Hillary specials (2 fat thighs with a small breast and a left wing), a hangman game with Fuck Hillary spelled out, Hillary as a witch, a shirt that says, “Bros before Hoes” with corresponding pics of Obama and Clinton, Hillary with duct tape over her mouth, articles in Newsweek saying that “Hillary should get out now” and of course, the asinine, offensive “blue dress” articles.

Look, I have said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again. But we are better than this. Sire, I know, freedom of speech. But how about a little balance and fairness. If you don’t like Hillary – fine. If you tell me why in terms of her stats and intelligence – fine – I’ll listen. But just as being critical of Obama based on his race would sicken me, the characterization of Hillary Clinton as a nagging, man-hating harpy, while picking on her looks, her age and her voice sickens me. Take the KFC sign – dare I ask if we would see a dark meat only “Obama special”. I think not. And if we did – hoo boy, there would be an uproar – marches and boycotts and major news stories. And rightfully so! But what does it say about us that we don’t show the same outrage over this type of treatment when it is targeting a woman? If you ask me, it says a hell of a lot. And it is saying the exact opposite of what we should want for our country and our society. The world is watching – let’s behave.