What do you think of "Condi" and "Hillary?"

[Orrex]

:rant:

I ask because I can't think of two male political figures in the media who are likewise referred to with such colloquial familiarity. I don't like Dr. Rice at all, but she does have a doctorate and she is Secretary of State after all. I don't recall CNN referring to her predecessor as "Colin" all that often. I've routinely heard local (western PA) commentators comment on her legs, too; when did we last hear about Rumsfeld's gams?

And Senator Clinton is a Senator, for pity's sake! How often did they refer to Bill Frist as "Bill" or Rick Santorum as "Rick?"

* * * *

Parenthetically, my job in the finance industry used to require me to answer the phone and address client concerns/requests/complaints. I once took a call from a broker who needed some bit of research performed, and I told him that it would take me a few days to get it together.

"Can't you have one of your girls take care of it?" he asked.

Sure, I'll get one of "my" "girls" right on it. We've got a whole office full of "girls." Sometimes they go wild, and it's hard to get any work done, with all these "girls" prancing about...

[Hoosier Dem]

1. I never thought of this...but you are correct.

When Kissinger was secretay of state, I never remeber him being referred to as "Hank" or "Kissi" (sorry, couldnt resist that one).

Even recently, Janet Reno was always referred to as "Janet Reno" or "Attorney General Reno", never as "Janet" or "Jan"

[hlthe2b]

2. Press is much more likely to refer to "Condi" as Dr. Rice...

But I will include her in the obvious disrespect the press shows prominent women. Former SOS, Madeline Albright ALSO held a doctorate. Did anyone EVER hear HER referred to as Dr. Albright?

On the male side, I so rarely heard President Bill Clinton referred to anything as Clinton that I think there is also confounding of the issue by political party. Just as when they refer to us as the "Democrat" party, we need to start calling them on it--big time.

[bumblebee1]

3. That's one that gets me thinking

Madeleine (sp) Albright was always refered to as Sec. of State Albright. I never heard the press ever talk about what great legs she or AG Janet Reno had. I sure hope Speaker Pelosi isn't referred to as Nancy.

I've always hated working women being referred to as girls. I was always under the impression that girls still attended school (K-12).

[Book Lover]

4. And there is no easy solution

How do we, or the Speaker or Senator themselves, demand a respectful manner of address?

As for the "girl" issue, don't even get me started... Fortunately, I work at the periphery of academia, where that manner of speech in discouraged.

[goddess40]

5. our local city council does the same thing

all the men are Mr. so and so and the females are called by their first names.

[Captain Hilts]

7. 'Females'? You mean the 'women'. What you described is unacceptable. nt

[Captain Hilts]

6. Rice has an unusual name and it's now habit to refer to prez's wives by first names because...

their husbands have the same last name.

When you say 'Clinton', no one is sure exactly whom you're talking about.

[Orrex]

8. That works, except...

"Dr. Rice" isn't really any more unusual than "Gen. Powell," so there's no reason that the media can't afford her respect at least equal to that shown to her predecessor.

Likewise, Senator Clinton can easily be referred to as "Senator Clinton," thereby eliminating any confusion.

[Princess Turandot]

9. Replying to your parenthetical..

a board committee meeting for an organization that I once worked at was held in the offices of a major investment bank, because the committee chair was its managing partner (and wanted better snacks than we'd give him, no doubt!) After one such meeting, which ended about 6:30PM or so, I left the room behind one of the other trustees and the chairman. We had to walk past an interior work cubicle area to exit, which was still pretty busy.

The other trustee (an old guy living on family money) looked around and asked the chair how he managed to 'get his girls to work so late.' The chairman turned around and looked at him and replied "For starters, Harold, we don't call them girls."

That ended the inquiry.

[Atargatis]

10. Just another reminder that women, regardless of their position

within the power structure, are not due the same level of respect as a man in the same position. A reminder that women can be "spoken down to" with impunity. That we can regard women as our "lessers". Just a subtle reminder of women's "actual" place, rather than our "advertised" place in society.

[Katherine Brengle]

11. Right?

This annoys me as well.

I'm thinking about writing an op-ed about some situation or another and referring to all of the male pols by first names or nicknames only - we'll see how confused people get...

Putting that idea on my list lol.