Friday, January 11, 2008
'It works both ways'
OK, last post (hopefully) on the New Hampshire primary. Brighton Reader notes that both genders send off unintended signals that make members of the opposite sex grit their teeth:
Ellen says Hillary found that balance. Charles says Obama didn't, noting that his "You're likeable enough" line may have been more significant than the tears. I also thought Obama's line was jarring and ungracious, perhaps suggesting many men don't like it when men don't act like gentlemen, just as many women don't like it when women don't act like ladies. It's a form of gender self-policing of civility. ... Of course Charles ties it all back to Obama's stand on Iraq. What a surprise. ...
Update -- Laura McKenna's calls for self-policing:
OK, last post (hopefully) on the New Hampshire primary. Brighton Reader notes that both genders send off unintended signals that make members of the opposite sex grit their teeth:
At least part of Hillary Clinton's victory margin among women came from what I call the "Lazio Effect."
When she ran for the Senate in 2000, the debate between her and Rick Lazio was brutal (and yes, this political junkie watched it). Moderator Tim Russert brought up the Lewinsky mess, seeming to insinuate that HRC was somehow responsible, and Lazio made a snarky remark about the truthfulness of the Clintons. He should have ignored it and changed the subject. His stomp across the stage, waving a piece of paper and demanding she sign a pledge, didn't help. Overall, his performance made him look like an immature bully. Women did not like it, and I think the same thing was at work in New Hampshire. Not so much the remark from Obama "You're likeable enough, Hillary," but the tone of a lot of the national coverage was getting mean, gleeful at the prospect of her defeat. ...
But it works both ways. Mitt Romney benefited from Shannon O'Brien's snappish demeanor during their final gubernatorial debate in 2002. Shannon: "That's because you have no principles." Mitt: "That's unbecoming." Men gritted their teeth, hoping they would never have a boss like her.
There is a different dynamic, and balance, when different sexes clash on the fields of political debates. Each must avoid becoming the caricature that the opposite sex dislikes.
Ellen says Hillary found that balance. Charles says Obama didn't, noting that his "You're likeable enough" line may have been more significant than the tears. I also thought Obama's line was jarring and ungracious, perhaps suggesting many men don't like it when men don't act like gentlemen, just as many women don't like it when women don't act like ladies. It's a form of gender self-policing of civility. ... Of course Charles ties it all back to Obama's stand on Iraq. What a surprise. ...
Update -- Laura McKenna's calls for self-policing:
Lessons learned? If you really want women to vote for Hillary, pick on her clothes and her tears. Call her strident. Call her bitchy. But if you take gender out of the equation, then women are going to weigh her other qualities on the same scale as the guys. Hillary is like my little sister. Only I am allowed to beat her up.Fine. As long as it works both ways ...
