Free Republic
Browse · Search
GOP Club
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Academics swap gender of Trump, Clinton for restaged presidential debate, the results surprised them
Hot Air ^ | March 7, 2017 | John Sexton

Posted on 03/07/2017 5:16:26 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

This is fascinating. A professor of economics named Maria Guadalupe was watching the presidential debates last year and had a thought. What if Trump were a woman and Hillary were a man? How would that change people’s perceptions of the exchanges in the debates?

With the help of Joe Salvatore, a professor who specializes in something called ethnodrama, Guadalupe set up a recreation of sections of the original debates using actors to play the roles of Trump, Clinton and the moderator. All the words the actors spoke were taken from transcripts. The candidates’ body language and delivery were studied and the actors did their best to match it moment-to-moment to video feeds from the actual debates. The only difference was that Donald Trump was now a woman renamed Brenda King while Hillary was now a man dubbed Jonathan Gordon.

Initially, both Guadalupe and Salvatore had little doubt what the experiment would reveal, i.e. Trump’s behavior would never be tolerated coming from a woman while Clinton’s competence would be even more obvious coming from a man. But as rehearsals for the performance of the reimagined debates went on, Guadalupe and Salvatore were surprised by what they were feeling about the two candidates. It turned out the woman version of Trump seemed more likable than they had imagined. Salvatore told Guadalupe during rehearsals, “I kind of want to have a beer with her!”

When the debate was actually performed, for a crowd of mostly academics, the audience was somewhat bewildered. From NYU News:

The two sold-out performances of Her Opponent took place on the night of Saturday, January 28, just a week after President Trump’s inauguration and the ensuing Women’s March on Washington…

Many were shocked to find that they couldn’t seem to find in Jonathan Gordon what they had admired in Hillary Clinton—or that Brenda King’s clever tactics seemed to shine in moments where they’d remembered Donald Trump flailing or lashing out. For those Clinton voters trying to make sense of the loss, it was by turns bewildering and instructive, raising as many questions about gender performance and effects of sexism as it answered.

In an interview with NYU News, Joe Salvatore described some of the specific reactions he heard from the auidence:

We heard a lot of “now I understand how this happened”—meaning how Trump won the election. People got upset. There was a guy two rows in front of me who was literally holding his head in his hands, and the person with him was rubbing his back. The simplicity of Trump’s message became easier for people to hear when it was coming from a woman—that was a theme. One person said, “I’m just so struck by how precise Trump’s technique is.” Another—a musical theater composer, actually—said that Trump created “hummable lyrics,” while Clinton talked a lot, and everything she was was true and factual, but there was no “hook” to it. Another theme was about not liking either candidate—you know, “I wouldn’t vote for either one.” Someone said that Jonathan Gordon [the male Hillary Clinton] was “really punchable” because of all the smiling. And a lot of people were just very surprised by the way it upended their expectations about what they thought they would feel or experience. There was someone who described Brenda King [the female Donald Trump] as his Jewish aunt who would take care of him, even though he might not like his aunt. Someone else described her as the middle school principal who you don’t like, but you know is doing good things for you.

Salvatore says it was personally education for him as many members of his extended family had voted for Trump. “I developed empathy for people who voted for him by doing this project, which is not what I was expecting,” he told NYU News. He added, “I expected it to make me more angry at them, but it gave me an understanding of what they might have heard or experienced when he spoke.” You can watch a bit of the rehearsal here:

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)


TOPICS: Campaign News; Parties; State and Local
KEYWORDS: debates; gender; hillary; hillarytrumpdebate; trump; trumphillarydebate
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-42 next last
Scott Adams and Michael Moore, among others, tried to tell you people.
1 posted on 03/07/2017 5:16:26 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

“Maria Guadalupe”

Should someone call ICE?


2 posted on 03/07/2017 5:18:18 PM PST by Leep (Cyclops Network News (CNN). The Most Trusted Source Of Fake News.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

They think people are sheep and all they have to do is herd them into voting for them.

It’s the POLICIES, stupid.


3 posted on 03/07/2017 5:21:39 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (President Trump is coming, and the rule of law is coming with him.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Leep

Or a priest?

4 posted on 03/07/2017 5:21:45 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Leep
I dunno... it almost works.


5 posted on 03/07/2017 5:22:29 PM PST by Lazamataz (The "news" networks and papers are bitter, dangerous enemies of the American people.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

It’s hard to wake up and realize YOU’RE the bigot.


6 posted on 03/07/2017 5:23:41 PM PST by fruser1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

The video at the link is just 2 minutes long and its worth a look. The man and woman seem to really do a good job.

The male Hillary is super annoying.


7 posted on 03/07/2017 5:24:15 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Abortion is what slavery was: immoral but not illegal. Not yet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

what if Hillary were a decent human being?

i mean, as long as we are pretending


8 posted on 03/07/2017 5:24:22 PM PST by faithhopecharity ("Politicans are not born, they're excreted." -- Marcus Tillius Cicero)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Watched the 2 minute video clip at the link... actually done quite well and very revealing of why Trump won. Clinton wreaked of self serving fecklessness while Trump was laser focused and passionate.


9 posted on 03/07/2017 5:28:06 PM PST by hecticskeptic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

And that is why Trump won


10 posted on 03/07/2017 5:40:13 PM PST by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

I agree with the audience member who said that Jonathan Gordon was “really punchable” but then again, that’s what I thought of Hillary in the actual debate


11 posted on 03/07/2017 5:41:30 PM PST by stormhill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: faithhopecharity

and didn’t smell like cabbage and urine?


12 posted on 03/07/2017 5:42:18 PM PST by Leep (Cyclops Network News (CNN). The Most Trusted Source Of Fake News.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
"...something called ethnodrama..." C'mon! Enough! Grrr...
13 posted on 03/07/2017 5:49:07 PM PST by heterosupremacist (Domine Iesu Christe, Filius Dei, miserere me peccatorem!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Leep
“Maria Guadalupe”

Should someone call ICE?


Why would anyone call ICE about someone's name? If you want to call someone to make the declaration that you are a bigot, make it to a good friend or a family member or a therapist. ICE doesn't need to know you harbor racial prejudices and would like to see random people carted off and removed from the United States simply because they don't have surnames like Carruthers, Rutherford, Washington, Hoover, but are rather called Alito, Estrada, Cruz, etc..


14 posted on 03/07/2017 5:49:30 PM PST by definitelynotaliberal (I believe it! He's alive! Sweet Jesus!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: stormhill

I thought that, too, especially about her idiotic smile. I also think that Nancy Pelosi is characterized by that same high index of punchability.


15 posted on 03/07/2017 5:52:07 PM PST by definitelynotaliberal (I believe it! He's alive! Sweet Jesus!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: definitelynotaliberal

Relax it was a joke...otherwise, wow.


16 posted on 03/07/2017 5:54:01 PM PST by Leep (Cyclops Network News (CNN). The Most Trusted Source Of Fake News.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: heterosupremacist
C'mon! Enough! Grrr...

I was searching for "ethnic" for a post yesterday. As in Bernie Madoff's "ethnic affinity fraud".

17 posted on 03/07/2017 5:55:25 PM PST by Calvin Locke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

By the time it was over, I wanted to punch the guy.


18 posted on 03/07/2017 5:55:49 PM PST by Mean Daddy (Every time Hillary lies, a demon gets its wings. - Windflier)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Leep

A tremendously high quality joke, maybe so high, the index of hilarity entered the stratosphere and disappeared.

Is that (”It was a joke.”) always the fallback?


19 posted on 03/07/2017 5:59:08 PM PST by definitelynotaliberal (I believe it! He's alive! Sweet Jesus!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: definitelynotaliberal

“Is that (”It was a joke.”) always the fallback?”

I guess the gig is up...you got me.


20 posted on 03/07/2017 6:01:46 PM PST by Leep (Cyclops Network News (CNN). The Most Trusted Source Of Fake News.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-42 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
GOP Club
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson