Tim Wise, a most eloquent and well-respected anti-racist, posted this piece on his blog today:
June 19, 2008
So, I’m just wondering…
Ain’t Michelle Obama a woman?
The reason I ask is this: During the Presidential primaries, there were numerous examples of sexist media commentary aimed at Hillary Clinton, from comments on her cleavage, to her pantsuits, to her laugh (described as a “cackle”) to her voice sounding like “the voice every husband knows” when being asked to take out the trash. Messed up stuff for sure. And white women, by and large, rushed to her defense, angrily (and correctly) denouncing the misogyny that was so commonly on display these past few months.
And yet, as Michelle Obama has come under fire (much of it also blatantly sexist in nature) these white women, many of them self-proclaimed feminists, have said virtually nothing. So when commentators have called her aggressive, or “angry,” or “hard-edged” (just a few of the words I’ve heard used to describe her)–and indeed, these are sexist in nature because they imply that women should be passive, sweet and soft, almost as an archetype–white women by and large say nothing in her defense. And worst of all, when FOX News recently displayed their infamous on-screen caption about Michelle Obama, describing her as “Obama’s Baby Mama,” there was little if any outcry from nationally prominent white women and/or feminists, including the ones who were so animated in their defense of Hillary Clinton.
Where is the New York state chapter of NOW, whose leader Marcia Pappas absurdly and grotesquely compared Obama and John Edwards’s treatment of Clinton during the primary debates to a “gang-bang?” Why no words of feminist outrage for the black woman, being attacked by white men? Hmmm…inquiring minds want to know.
Ain’t she a woman (to borrow from Sojourner Truth)?
Or do black women scare white feminists, just as much in 2008 as they did in Truth’s day, by challenging the way in which womanhood has been racially-constructed as white, and white women typified as the prototypical woman, the norm, the ideal, the standard?
To continue the thought I was trying to begin with the Open Letter to white women who, despite being progressive, are threatening to vote for McCain…once again, their whiteness is showing.
…”If I have the honor of taking the oath of office as President, it will be with a deep and abiding faith in the country I love.” Senator Obama
This ad will run in 18 states: Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Virginia.
14 of these states are ‘red’ states that Bush won in 2004. Which shows that he will ‘pursue’ all votes even in states that Democrats have never competed in.
A California woman has filed a lawsuit against Victoria’s Secret, alleging that she was injured while putting on her thong, KNBC-TV in Los Angeles reported.
Marcrida Patterson, 52, said she was injured by a defective “low-rise v-string” made by Victoria’s Secret. The item is part of the company’s “Sexy Little Thing” line.
Patterson claimed she was putting on the thong when a decorative metal piece flew off and struck her in the eye. She suffered permanent damage to her cornea, according to the lawsuit.
A copy of the June 9 complaint was posted on the Web site TheSmokingGun.com. The site reported that the lawsuit does not specify monetary damages.
Patterson’s lawyer said a “design problem” caused the piece to fly off and strike Patterson, according to the Web site.
The Web site reported that a Victoria’s Secret representative requested to examine the thong before the lawsuit was filed. The request was rejected by Patterson’s attorney, according to the site.
So, now we know that thongs can definitely hurt.But can they kill?
Senator Obama made an important decision that will impact how he’s able to compete in the general election, and it’s important that we understand the decision, its implications, and the challenge ahead.
Obama’s commitment to public financing remains firm; his commitment to a democratic form of campaign contribution still stands.Obama has argued that his reliance on small contributions is consistent with the central goal of campaign finance reform, which is freeing politicians from big money patrons who will then be ‘owed’ favors.
As it stands, Obama received contribution from over 1.5 million Americans – making his campaign one of the most democratically financed and supported campaigns.
The problem isn’t the amount of money in politics; it’s the source of the money.Our goal shouldn’t be to keep money out of politics — but rather to keep bigmoney out of politics. Public financing is critical to prevent big corporations and the wealthy from continuing their domination of what might otherwise be a truly democratic political system.Public financing should be about preventing plutocracy and facilitating democracy.Political communication, grassroots organization, door to door canvassing, political rallies all cost money — but they are critical for engaging everyday people in the political process. Let’s face it, the long heated, expensive, primary battle has engaged more people in politics today than in decades.Read the rest of Robert Creamer very informative article here:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/obamas-opt-out-of-public_b_108240.html
