Should women be offended by the latest Republican labels of Hillary?

[mtnsnake]

...whether you're a Democrat or Republican or whether you like Hillary Clinton or hate her? Just by their choice of words alone, these labels are not just meant for Hillary, but they're meant to categorize women in general.

Karl Rove, Ken Mehlman, and the Republicans are not just pre-campaigning against Hillary with this latest round of rhetoric aimed at her. In their condescendingly subtle style, I believe they're also belittling women everywhere as inferior because they feel threatened that one of you will one day become President.

Case in point:

The three words of choice that Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman are using in describing Hillary are "angry, brittle, & relentless."

Well why it is that when a woman shows such staunch characteristics as Clinton has, she's considered "angry, brittle, & relentless", but if a man shows similar qualities, he's considered as ambitious, strong, and determined?

(edited a word for clarity)

[NJCher]

1. relentless?

Cool. They must be weary.

Brittle is an interesting word choice. I wonder what press flack at the GOP came up with that one.

Words are about connotation as much as denotation so I have to wonder what they were thinking. So how did "brittle" test, Frank?




Cher

[Cerridwen]

2. Also "strident" and "shrill" are coming back into vogue, I've noticed

Angry women are somehow a bad thing, probably because, as we "all" know, it probably means she's PMSing and being hysterical rather than actually being angry which would mean she has something/one to be angry with/about. /sarcasm

I've noticed they're test driving the "angry Democrats" theme, too. I guess what's effective against the women is effective against the wussy (read effeminate) Democrats. /more sarcasm

[mtnsnake]

16. Excellent analogies, Cerridwen!

:toast:

[Cerridwen]

30. Thank you, thank you. I'm looking for the bowing smilie. LOL n/t

[havocmom]

3. "angry, brittle, & relentless" seemed to sum up Bob Dole pretty well

and I fear Hillary would lose for the same reasons. Always figured the GOP let Dole run against Clinton cuz they KNEW anybody would lose to him that year and they might as well let Bob do it in consideration to his long years loyaly being the party bad-ass on the Hill.

That said, yep, there is a double standard about how certain personality traits are described and considered. And, no, it ISN'T fair. But it IS and we have to deal with what is before we can get into position to change any of it.

THAT SAID, any candidate who comes off a bit shrill and cold isn't gonna win.

I think she is one of the greatest political minds around, but she doesn't come off warm and friendly. Male or female, THAT is what is needed before the public will even give a listen to a candidate's message.

Gore is brilliant and caring, but he knew he had to 'warm up' how he came across. It was his only real weakness and he, at least, recognized that fact.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[Cleita]

8. I got fired from more than one job for insubordination when

I would answer, that I would smile when they gave me a reason to, like a nice raise in my paycheck.

[BrklynLiberal]

14. Wow! I JUST got fired from a job for giving that exact answer!!!

My boss told me I had to not only accept what he said, but to accept it with a smile. I said "For $1000/week I would happily pretend to be happy about what he said." Two weeks later he said he had to let me go since he could no longer afford me.

I am currently on unemployment, and submitting resumes.

[Cleita]

20. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Why can't these bozos get it through their heads that we are hired to work, not entertain them with our smiles. Other than that we would be slaves.

On edit: One way to get around the bad reference you are bound to get is to tell the job interviewer, usually a women, that he couldn't keep his hands off of you and you told him to stop or you would report him for sexual harrassment, so he fired you and he's giving you a bad reference in retaliation. It works like a charm. Women have all been there and believe it's possible.

[mtnsnake]

11. So double standards are ok because it's traditional?

Yeah, let's keep them "brittle" women out of public office. Keep 'em at home in the kitchen where they belong, smiling and looking pleasant! Good gawd.

[Name removed]

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[Marie26]

15. That's true

Women will smile, say "I'm sorry" when it's not their fault, & say "thank you" when the person has done nothing for them. I do all of the above, though I say I'm a feminist. It's indoctrinated & hard to get rid of.

[Rob H.]

28. No one's ever said that to me, either

It's a good thing, too, because normally I'm very reserved. That, and it would just look weird if I were to walk around grinning like an idiot for no good reason. :P

Welcome to DU, BITERIGHT! :hi:

[Cerridwen]

31. A favorite urban legend I've heard

A female flight attendent was told by a male passenger, "Smile, sweety" to which she replied, "You smile" which he did and then she said "Now hold it for 8 hours."

End of urban legend about women and smiling.

[Cleita]

5. Of course it's meant to be insulting, like calling Democrats in

general "headband liberals" a direct reference to the headbands Hillary used to wear.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Women should be offended by Republicans! n/t

[Cleita]

22. I'm very offended by them.

We should think of some labels of our own like Prozac robotized conservative women.

[C_U_L8R]

7. It actually seems a more fitting description

of Bush and his whole cackle of corrupt cronies.

whine whine whine ...that's all they do...
with hateful venom and racist intent.

[leftofthedial]

9. women should be offended that repukes even still exist

they're like some evolutionary anomaly--cave-dwelling, monosyllabic, grunting troglodytes.

[beyurslf]

10. Brittle = weak

[mtnsnake]

19. Exactly.

Thanks for picking up on that.

It's part of the reason why I posted the question in my OP: "Well why it is that when a woman shows such staunch characteristics as Clinton has, she's considered "angry, brittle, & relentless", but if a man shows similar qualities, he's considered as ambitious, strong, and determined?"

[beyurslf]

37. Exactly. They just dont say "weak" because it turns some people

off as an attack on her as a woman. But "brittle" gets the same negative reaction without people thinking they are attacking her as a woman.

[bigtree]

12. I do think that Hillary draws the republican's sexism into the open

your reaction is one that would likely be duplicated throughout the nation if the GOP persists in targeting her.

[pnwmom]

26. Hillary draws some Democratic sexism into the open, too. n/t

[Marie26]

13. Republicans have always

assigned Hillary w/every stereotype of a modern, feminist woman. Why do you think her name strikes such fear in the hearts of Freepers? I think it's interesting that Hillary was called "manipulative, ruthless, arrogant," etc. throughout the time she was First Lady. While Barbara Bush, the truly ruthless & arrogant, was beloved. :eyes: That was because Barbara Bush fit the stereotype of what women "should" be - at home, grandmotherly, etc. Hillary broke that mold because had a career outside the home, & was instantly punished for it. They're not reacting to Hillary herself, but an image of the "Feminazi" monster that Rush has scared them with. I think the reaction to Hillary Clinton does show how much sexism still exists in America.

[Cleita]

21. Even Nancy Reagan got her share of volleys from her own

party because she played the glamorous movie star in the White House. She couldn't even update the White House China without criticism. I remember how they all clucked when Barbara became the First Lady. Now they had "a real First Lady", fat, frumpy and white-haired just as they like em.

[alfredo]

17. I think we can frame it to our advantage.

[BrklynLiberal]

18. It all goes along with the principles of the Christian Reconstructionists

and Dominionists.
The Repukes are reflecting their attitude toward women.

The status of women would be reduced to almost that of a slave as described in the Hebrew Scriptures. A woman would initially be considered the property of her father; after marriage, she would be considered the property of her husband.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/reconstr.htm

Women would be generally relegated to hearth and home.

http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v08n1/chrisre1.html

Death is also the punishment for apostasy (abandonment of the faith), heresy, blasphemy, witchcraft, astrology, adultery, ''sodomy or homosexuality,'' incest, striking a parent, incorrigible juvenile delinquency, and, in the case of women, ''unchastity before marriage.''

According to Gary North, women who have abortions should be publicly executed, ''along with those who advised them to abort their children.''

http://www.apologeticsindex.org/r10.html



For info on Dominionism and The Republican Party see:
http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/TheDespoilingOfAmerica.htm

http://www.theocracywatch.org/dominionism.htm

[BlooInBloo]

23. I think it's because women are just as sexist as men....

... if I've learned anything from the recent women-are-sexist threads.

And the best of it is: you know it's correct, because men said it!

:sarcasm:

[mtnsnake]

24. I'm glad you added that "sarcasm" smilie at the end of your post!

Ya had me worried for a second. LOL!

[BlooInBloo]

25. I don't think I shoulda had to.....

... but figured better safe than sorry...

:)

[Catrina]

27. Relentless and angry (when justified) are great attributes, imo.

Think of Bush's repetitive statement 'I'll stay the course' ~ that worked, giving the impression that he was 'resolute' 'unyielding in his commitment to what was right' etc. But only if you didn't think past the statement itself and whether taking that position was actually a positive thing to do.

I always wondered why no one pointed out the folly of 'staying the course' when you're headed for a cliff, eg. They could have instantly used his own words against him by creating a mental image of the Captain of the Titanic. I've noticed he doesn't say that too much anymore.

I think whoever used those three words to describe Hillary, may not know the meaning of the word 'brittle' ~ it gives the ignorant an impression of someone who is 'hard'. But brittle means 'weak' ~ 'breakable' and I'm having a hard time connecting 'relentless' with 'brittle'. They contradict each other, imo.

Ask a freeper when he repeats them to explain how something that is 'brittle' can be 'relentless'! If she's weak and easily breakable, how relentless can she be?

So, which is it? Is Hillary hard, unyielding, tough, iow, 'masculine' as opposed to 'feminine' (the freeper dream woman with all its connotations) or is she weak, easily broken iow, 'feminine' rather than 'masculine'? I can't wait for my next encounter with a freeper to ask him to explain all this to me!

They're so easy to confuse ~ when you have nothing else to do, it's a fun way to pass the time.

[yardwork]

32. Everyone should be offended by sexist labels of any kind

In many countries in the world women are elected leaders and representatives of the people.

In the U.S. we can't seem to stand the idea of being represented by women, even thought half of us ARE women. What a great progressive nation we are. /sarcasm.

[pitohui]

33. yes i'm offended

frankly i'm sort of offended that republicans still exist at this time of century but the stupid and the evil will always be with us

women are always held to a different standard, relentless isn't one i've heard, but angry and brittle? yep, that's aimed at all women

how often do you hear men labeled angry and brittle?

[Solly Mack]

34. Of course it's offensive - but women are hardly the only ones that

should be offended by it.

It should offend anyone and everyone who has any respect for women.

It's the double standard - as you pointed out quite nicely, of the exact same attributes and characteristics in a woman being denigrated while a man would be praised for them.

[Minnesota Libra]

35. As I said in another thread about Hillary, what people dislike.......

.....about her is that she has learned all the rules set up by THE BIG BOYS. To top that off she has also learned the one most important political rule of all. Know when to back off so you can come back and fight another day.

Hillary Clinton has also learned another important rule that republicans and even some democrats were hoping she'd never kno about. How to beat the BIG BOYS at their own game using their own rules. For a man to learn these rules is one thing but for a woman to learn these same rules AND BE GOOD AT THEM is quite another matter and they hate it too.

That in a nut shell is what everyone doesn't like about her.

[KyuzoGator]

36. Those words are tame...I've been hearing "Hitlery" for 14 years now.

You know, Hitlery the feminazi.

Whatever the fuck that means.