I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Edwards, wife of presidential hopeful and former vice presidential candidate, John Edwards. She always impressed me as down-to-earth, strong, interesting, fun -- the kind of woman that I'd enjoy having in my circle of friends. In fact, I like her a lot more than I like him -- he's never impressed me all that much and, after the way that he folded in his debate with Snarly Dick, I'm not eager to see him as the Democratic candidate for president.
So I am pretty fucking disgusted to see her pull crap like this:
"[Hillary Clinton] and I are from the same generation," she said of the senator and former first lady. "We both went to law school and married other lawyers, but after that we made other choices. I think my choices have made me happier. I think I'm more joyful than she is."
Sweet Hathor on a Honda. How many times do we have to go through this? Elizabeth Edwards ought to know better.
The women's movement is all about giving women more choices in their lives and about supporting them in those choices. It is not fucking helpful to have women, like Elizabeth Edwards who have chosen (or who are forced by economic or other circumstances) to stay home and raise their children, criticize women who have chosen (or who are forced by economic or other circumstances) to raise children and work outside the home. Similarly, it wouldn't be helpful for women who work outside the home to criticize women who stay at home with their children. This should not exactly come as news to anyone with a third of Elizabeth Edwards' obvious intelligence.
Engaging in idiotic speculation about how "joyful" another woman is or isn't about the choice that she's either made or had forced on her does nothing except to divide women, to play an "us against them" game that only has one winner -- the patriarchy. I've got no goddamn idea who is "more" joyful; joy isn't, IMHO, a zero-sum resource that diminishes in one woman's life when another woman gets a big heaping helping of it. Nor is it a constant; there are days when I love my life so much that I can hardly breathe and there are days when I'd like to rip the universe a new asshole.
If Elizabeth Edwards wants to help her husband run for president against Hillary Clinton she'd better fucking find a more helpful way to do it than by insinuating -- as, let's admit it, she was clearly and calculatedly doing -- that career women like Hillary Clinton are cold, "joyless," frigid bitches. And I don't give a flying frap if she called Hillary Clinton up and apologized afterwards. She knew what she was doing when she did it and she's being sent out to do it because if her husband did it the whole world would call it unacceptable.
Elizabeth, don't demean yourself like this again. I mean it.
11 comments:
Sweet Hathor on a Honda. How many times do we have to go through this?
Apparently, a lot more.
In a way you could view this as progress, Hecate. Usually, it's working women sneering at the choices of non-working women or vice versa, or non-professional women sneering at the choices of professional women or vice versa.
But here we have a professional working woman sneering at the choices of another professional working women. At least they're keeping their anti-feminist rhetoric all in the family.
Surely Elisabeth Edwards has better things to do with her time?
I was a stay at home mom for sixteen years. Didn't plan on it, but since my first kid was born in Italy and only Mr. QL had a work permit, it just worked out that way. I had to put up with listening to all the working moms exclaim that they would just get too bored if they stayed home. Like somehow they had more on the ball than us dull stay-at-homes. After having a few shit fits, I decided it ignore the issue entirely. Everyone has to do what they think is best in their particular circumstances.
I hope Elizabeth Edwards has her own recording of the interview with Ladies' Home Journal--by now, she oughta know. But, then again, with the LHJ, maybe she wasn't expecting to be misquoted or given the magic ellipses treatment.
Clearly, given the measures she and her husband took to have another child, raising children is a very important part of her life and perhaps identity. And, just based on her appearances, she strikes me as one of those people who simply are more cheerful and optimistic than the man of us.
But, if the quote is accurate, she not only needs to apologize, she needs to continue to make amends--on behalf of all women and their choices. If the quote is mangled or doctored, she needs to learn she must make her own tape of any interview--and jump on the distorters.
jawbone
If I had Senator Clinton's job to do, I wouldn't be joyful either. There's serious shit going down. Should she be laughing about it? She'd look like a loony.
Hecate, I believe it's the dog whistle again. I think 'joyful' is one of those code words that Christianist SAHMs use to describe themselves. I could be wrong, and I can't remember where I saw it, sorry. How I wish we could make this shit stop, but I think it will only get worse. We only think we've been having a culture war. It hasn't really even started yet, IMO. :(
I could hear the lawyer for Hillary say, "I object! This witness is not here to testify of Hillary's mental state! That's the job of FOX "News"!"
I am with you on this one. She is, perhaps, turning into a politician... God forbid...
I agree. Why WHY WHY do women have to stoop to such levels? I'm totally ashamed of her. I'm really disgusted. I loved the Edwards' because they finally seemed like two real Americans, not back-stabbing politicians. They just lost my vote. Run Barack, RUN!
I suspect she's setting herself up in the "candidate's perfect wife" role, thus she is outlining the contrast between herself and Hillary in preparation for John Edwards' run Pres in 2008. It's very helpmeet-y language and exceptionally clever--walking the fine line between fundamentalism and modernity. I have no doubt that it makes Edwards' candidacy all the more appealing to my mom, who has sworn she will never vote for Hillary.
It reminds me of something Scarlet said on Pandagon: "It’s exactly the same sort of boiling hate I feel whenever I hear the '…but her greatest source of fulfillment is her children/being a mother is her greatest role' sort of cliche, which reminds us that, even if we win Nobel prizes or Academy awards, we are never as good as our wombs and the fruits they are supposed to bear."
And yes, I also agree that it's evangelical code-speak.
Thirdly, who the hell cares if Hillary Clinton is "joyful" or not. "Joyful" should not be on the list of criteria for effective politicians, and nobody but nobody would suggest that a male politician should be "joyful." Let's hear about some, say, "competent" female politicians, for once.
While searching for images of "angry goddess" and Hecate, I came across this archived blogpost. Belatedly, please let me thank you for posting it. I'm (allegedly) male, but I'm also a (pro-)feminist and "neopagan" (for what it's worth) and a writing teacher; all that said, your blog strikes me as something that I'll be reading regularly. If you ever need a Chicago-based agent for undermining the patriarchy, please don't hesitate to ask. ;)
Très bon blog et merci d'en faire profiter.
voyance par mail gratuite
Post a Comment