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Aug

28

Obama’s influence on masculinity: men should talk about internalized sexism


Please visit BlogHer for outstanding video (Joe Trippi, women of color, CA Secretary of State) and blogging coverage of the Democratic National Convention, but in the meantime, I’m grafting this fantastic interview by Maria Niles of Chris Rabb of Afro-Netizen because it directly and specifically refutes some of the stereotypes described and maintained by commenters (sorry, John, I do mean you, among others) in this post about whether John McCain’s superficial tough guy image outstrips Barack Obama’s more cosmopolitan and dare some of us wrote near-metrosexual presentation.

Again, please listen to the entire interview – Rabb does a great job making the case about men’s role in the gender politics and moving forward. I’d transcribe it because he says so many excellent things, but I am a lousy transcriptionist, unlike the old stereotype of women.

By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:29 am August 28th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Gender, Michelle Obama, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, WH2008, Women 

Comments

5 Responses to “Obama’s influence on masculinity: men should talk about internalized sexism”

  1. 1 Cynthia Samuels on August 28th, 2008 10:04 am

    Thanks so much for grabbing this for us! Very impressive and encouraging.

  2. 2 John Ettorre on August 28th, 2008 11:12 am

    I’ll be interested to check this out soon. But as you know, I’ll be skeptical. The one good thing about living in Cleveland, as opposed to D.C. and Chicago where I once lived, is that you almost never encounter a guy here who says he’s a feminist. When I hear that (only rarely, thank god), it’s time to cue the eye roll and a fast search for the exits. And of course stereotypes tend to have staying power because they always contain at least a kernal of truth.

  3. 3 Mark McNally on August 28th, 2008 4:30 pm

    But will it play in Peoria?

    No.

    But thanks for the chuckle.

  4. 4 Jill Miller Zimon on August 28th, 2008 4:43 pm

    Umm, Mark, based on the demographics of Peoria, IL, Barack Obama’s home state, I’m guessing that yes, it will:

    As of the census[29] of 2000, there were 112,936 people, 45,199 households, and 27,345 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,543.4 people per square mile (982.1/km²). There were 49,125 housing units at an average density of 1,106.3/sq mi (427.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.29% White, 24.79% African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.33% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 2.16% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.51% of the population.

    There were 45,199 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. Individuals made up 33.2% of all households, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04.

    In the city the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.

    The median income for a household in the city was $36,397. The per capita income for the city was $20,512. Some 18.8% of the population was below the poverty line.

    That’s from Wikipedia.

  5. 5 Daniel Jack Williamson on August 29th, 2008 4:14 am

    Whoa! Hypocrisy alert!

    What’s with the bashing of Cindy McCain in a supposedly pro-feminine monologue?

    Cindy McCain WANTS to be perceived as arm candy?

    What do magazines want from Cindy McCain? Her favorite recipes, for crying out loud! More than that, they want her recipes to be ORIGINAL!

    Cindy McCain is an (especially, financially) empowered woman who didn’t need John McCain to be her sugar daddy. Arm candy, NOT! Why should we expect to shoehorn her into the role of domestic goddess, conjuring up new recipes in the McCain kitchen on a daily basis? As the DNC got underway early this week, Cindy McCain was in the Republic of Georgia, to see what she could learn of facts on the ground. That’s hardly the kind of woman who aspires to be nothing more than the pretty adornment that clings to her husband’s arm.

    I can think of many women who would love to enjoy the empowerment Cindy McCain enjoys. She’s bought several homes. She wears expensive shoes. She travels by private plane. I can think of many women around this country who, if they had $100 million at their disposal, they would live a life even more lavish. So should we be demeaning her choices of what she does with her money? At the same time, her life is not consumed with shopping sprees. She adopts a daughter in poor health after a visit with Mother Theresa. There’s a lot more to this woman than the material things she acquires, even though the Obama camp, with a commercial that aired in Florida, wants you to think of her as a “Material Girl” of sorts.

    What does it say about John McCain’s masculinity that he doesn’t feel threatened by the fact that she’s worth more money than he is?

    I think it’s a breath of fresh air that Cindy McCain married for love instead of money. I’ve seen promos of too many reality shows that reveal just the opposite tendency.

    Jill, you are an empowered woman. You have an earning potential better than most Americans. You have chosen who you are married to and chosen the family life you want to have. What if someone you didn’t know said something off the cuff that indicated you were just a trophy wife, arm candy, a woman of means who, because she lives in Pepper Pike, doesn’t understand the rest of America, and then go on to disparage you for what you might have bought at the mall? What if someone said it while your spouse was engaged in a political campaign? I think Cindy McCain is inwardly hurt by such remarks, but she’s a real trooper to turn the other cheek.

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