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He Said, She Said: The Awful Theatrics of the Kavanaugh Hearings
From Vanity Fair:
....In two acts, the hearings broke down the vast distinction between how men are interrogated and how women are; what women can get away with, and what men can. The proceedings changed so abruptly from one act to the other that even the committee-appointed “female assistant,” who was there to distract the viewers at home from the visual of a male-dominated chamber, was quickly dispensed with. Instead, the latter half of the proceedings were dominated by angry male voices, condemnation of the highest-ranking female member of the committee (that’s Feinstein, who used a point of personal privilege to defend her handling of Ford’s letter and her office against the accusation of leaking), and disparagement of the only party fielding women for this committee.
The filter of decency came off. And as the assembled men decried the media circus surrounding them, the hearing became exactly that: a cluttered, showy, three-ring spectacle, where the paramount issue became not ascertaining what really happened between Kavanaugh and Ford, but which party knew what and when. (Despite several direct and indirect attempts to induce Kavanaugh to shift his indignation into a call for an F.B.I. inquiry, Kavanaugh hemmed and hawed for ages. Finally, Kamala Harris pointedly took his evasion down “as a no.”)
The Republican men did not speak to Ford directly, save for Grassley—but each G.O.P. senator on the committee went out of their way to individually offer their condolences to Kavanaugh for being accused of sexual assault. At times, Kavanaugh was clearly looking to the men seated at the committee table for their sympathy, comfort, and acknowledgement; on camera, you could see slight smiles or moments of recognition flit across his face. Ford had Mitchell. Mitchell, who has no power; Mitchell, who was dismissed from the position she was asked to fill as soon as the conservative men could speak among themselves once more. The distinction between the way Ford and Kavanaugh were each treated could not have been made more plain.
....
This day was full of testimonies, yes. But the proceedings themselves are also testament to how completely different the rules become, all else being relatively equal, when the gender of the person in the hot seat changes. Ford and Kavanaugh are both respected thinkers in their fields; educated well; raised similarly, and near each other. They share many of the same privileges. Ford distinguished herself by not just being a woman, but declaring that she is a victimized woman. And as soon as this body tried to sensitively handle that difference, the structure of justice—the structure of this exhausting, ludicrous two-act play—practically fell apart.
The filter of decency came off. And as the assembled men decried the media circus surrounding them, the hearing became exactly that: a cluttered, showy, three-ring spectacle, where the paramount issue became not ascertaining what really happened between Kavanaugh and Ford, but which party knew what and when. (Despite several direct and indirect attempts to induce Kavanaugh to shift his indignation into a call for an F.B.I. inquiry, Kavanaugh hemmed and hawed for ages. Finally, Kamala Harris pointedly took his evasion down “as a no.”)
The Republican men did not speak to Ford directly, save for Grassley—but each G.O.P. senator on the committee went out of their way to individually offer their condolences to Kavanaugh for being accused of sexual assault. At times, Kavanaugh was clearly looking to the men seated at the committee table for their sympathy, comfort, and acknowledgement; on camera, you could see slight smiles or moments of recognition flit across his face. Ford had Mitchell. Mitchell, who has no power; Mitchell, who was dismissed from the position she was asked to fill as soon as the conservative men could speak among themselves once more. The distinction between the way Ford and Kavanaugh were each treated could not have been made more plain.
....
This day was full of testimonies, yes. But the proceedings themselves are also testament to how completely different the rules become, all else being relatively equal, when the gender of the person in the hot seat changes. Ford and Kavanaugh are both respected thinkers in their fields; educated well; raised similarly, and near each other. They share many of the same privileges. Ford distinguished herself by not just being a woman, but declaring that she is a victimized woman. And as soon as this body tried to sensitively handle that difference, the structure of justice—the structure of this exhausting, ludicrous two-act play—practically fell apart.
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/09/kavanaugh-hearing-theatrics-circus?mbid=nl_CH_5bae6f8ae5ae6a094d001913&CNDID=48170372&spMailingID=14337052&spUserID=MTc1MTAxMjc0ODY2S0&spJobID=1482306277&spReportId=MTQ4MjMwNjI3NwS2