Still Just a Woman

I've got a new piece up at CifA about how male members of the US media are (ab)using their platforms to remind female politicians of their place:

This week produced a rather stunning trifecta of condescending diminishment, care of rightwing radio host Peter Boyles, the Fox comedy duo of Dennis Miller and Bill O'Reilly, and ye olde misogynist standby, MSNBC's Chris Matthews.

Boyles, a Coloradan radio personality whose show is carried by Clear Channel, was discussing President Obama's signing of the economic recovery bill at a ceremony in Denver, which was attended by Democratic representative Diana DeGette. Boyles repeatedly referred to DeGette (pronounced with a hard G) as "Vagina DeGette" or "Vagina DeJet."

Sure, she may be a member of the United States Congress, but, more importantly, she's a woman – and women aren't anything more than their vaginas, anyway.

[...]

Meanwhile, secretary of state Hillary Clinton was bestowed the coveted Hardball Award by Chris Matthews yesterday... What a good little girl, Matthews seems to say, as he delivers her pat on the head...

Sure, she may have achieved massive career success, come closer than any other woman to winning the American presidency, delivered an iconic speech on women's rights, attained admiration and respect from all over the world, raised a brilliant daughter, and inspired millions of women, but, more importantly, she can still defer to men with exemplary submissive obedience – or what would merely be called "doing your job" if Clinton were an equally powerful man whose ambition wouldn't have been used to miscast him as a voraciously self-interested egomaniac.

Read the whole thing here.