Posted on 07/10/2009 12:27:41 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Yesterday, on a comment thread I reminded readers of a particular sexist trick used to disembowel female pols—the old: she’s too polarizing theme. Specifically, I mentioned Hollywood’s David (Obama) Geffen’s charge that Hillary Clinton was “incredibly polarizing.” Geffen and Obama had put their male heads together and decided the best way to beat the bi$ch was to paint her as “polarizing.” Missy Maureen Dowd was contacted and she agreed to printed Geffen’s orchestrated remarks in her column.
Hillary=Polarizing now with the NYTimes imprimatur. Polarizing = Bi%ch=manipulative=shrill, and on it goes.
Today, I had no sooner posted a comment on the same thread by Toledo, cautioning folks not to fall for the women-are-too-polarizing bit, when I heard the news that Palin is leaving office. (Sorry, so tardy on this, but I’m at the beach and trying to ignore news for the w/end.) I stuck my head in over at the Daily Beast and sure nuff, got this Headline:
Palin's Polarizing Departure.
That was the header DB editors put on a short item at the Daily Beast that linked to a story over at Politico titled:
Palin resignation splits GOP. An excerpt:
These varied reactions were an echo of the debates that have followed Palin every step since her nomination as John McCain’s running mate 10 months ago — a surprise that turned out to be just the first of many surprises served up by one of the most colorful and polarizing American political figures in a generation.
Whoa…Remember the olden days, when Hillary was as polarizing as a women could possibly be? Funny how Palin is just as Polarizing as Hillary. Guess what kids. Any woman who wants to be King will be cast as "polarizing."
The MEDIA will decree this, and you will begin to believe it. After all, every study shows that the more we hear something, especially from those in authority, the more we tend to believe it.
Women are just polarizing. That is the truth and don’t deny it! So goes the media spin.
If that doesn't work in and of itself, just call them bitches and whores and sluts outright. Of course, the public is too dumb to recognized this as media's desperate attempts to keep woman from gaining real power, right? So they think and maybe they are right? Decide for yourselves!
Watch out: when polarizing is used as a descriptive it is REALLY being used as a verb, thus a hatchet, on women Let's all recognize that when polarizing is used as a verb it is always used to keep women from gaining power! Remember now... those who cling to guns and religion is NOT a polarizing statement, but those who love their country is. HA! luv the media spin. And the bigotry. Politics is all about polarization: it is an oppositional operation or we'd have an autocracy. But women who practice the art of politics are polarization at its apogee; for the men--they are the great uniters! Yak attack!
I am trying to recall if anyone has ever described Presidents Clinton, Bush, or Obama as polarizing.
No, but I agree that both Hillary and Sarah are polarizing. By that I mean (just so we're talking about the same thing), HATED by one group, LOVED by another with little in between.
Perhaps people are more willing to either really like a woman OR really hate her, while they give men a kind of benefit of the doubt and reserve judgement awhile? There are a lot more in the mushy middle with men.
I think the judging problem comes from other women- not men.
I don’t believe it’s just women. It’s anyone that is passionate about their positions and defends them. I don’t think Newt Gingrich would be a good candidate because IS a polarizing figure. People love him or him and the left has gone out of their way to destroy him.
Hillary and Sarah were both treated horribly. It is amazing that the woman was in Sarah’s position just four years ago...guaranteed to be the Democratic Nominee, but lost out. That is why I think this is Sarah’s to lose. Hopefully she learned some leasons from Hillary. Before being blasted, if you think it is not a good idea to study competitor’s campaigns than people are really just being stubborn and not realistic.
Conservative women...
Or liberal women...
You decide!
All three were/are called polarizing by their opponents. Reagan was called polarizing in his day. So was Nixon.
But the press successfully amplifies some forms of polarization, and denies or silences others. The author is quite right about repetition being part of brainwashing.
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