There is a huge difference between calling out bigotry and "defending" Sarah Palin

[ruggerson]

I think 99% of us want to see this far rightwing nut go down in flames.

McCain's pick of a COMPLETELY unqualified person as Veep demonstrates incredibly poor judgement.

But, if someone objects to "whore" or "bitch" or "cunt" being used to describe her, that doesn't mean they are "defending" Sarah Palin.

If McCain had picked a completely unqualified black conservative nutjob, I doubt we would have seen DU erupt in an orgy of racism. And if we had, then it would be totally appropriate to call that behaviour out.

Try to use your reasoning skills. I know it's rough sometimes.

[MuseRider]

1. Thank you ruggerson. n/t

[RadicalTexan]

2. I totally agree.

This woman pretty much sums up everything I *don't* stand for. But calling her sexist names achieves nothing, and sells out your (our) female DU sisters.

[nini]

3. I also think women need to deal with this to be taken seriously

If women want to be treated equally they need to shrug that crap off. I am NOT offended if someone chooses a word like bitch to insult me anymore than if they had said prick to a guy.

By making a huge deal out of this you are saying women should be treated differently and THAT is the bigger issue to me. Men are called pricks, dicks, bastards etc.. which are all male oriented insults. Are they whining about it that they're being insulted because of their sex? Hell no.

The issue isn't she is being called those things - the issue is she's a woman and for some reason should be treated less aggressively. As a woman I don't want to see a difference in how we're treated from men be it positive or negative.

That being said - insults should not be taking precedence over issues and policies. That's the bigger issue here.

[lligrd]

4. Can't You Just Say Vulgar Words Instead Of Listing Them All

I've actually never seen anyone use them in a post except to accuse others of using them. I am asking that those of you complaining about using them quit using them yourselves.

[ruggerson]

6. well then you've been reading with your eyes closed

my favorite was "fuck that, break the bi***"

[blondeatlast]

5. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I would have thought this was obvious.

I thought wrong.

[tammywammy]

7. Recommended

[whatchamacallit]

8. I haven't seen those posts, and if I had I would condemn them

What I'm referring to is the almost play by play repeat of the the primary. Practically any criticism of Clinton was met with bogus claims of sexism. Palin feels like Deja Vu.

[Solon]

9. In some people's twisted minds, it is defending Palin...

She's a conservative, homophobic asshole, look I even cussed, yet I didn't use her gender as a basis for criticism! OMG, I must be a "troll"! According to some idiots on this board.

[blondeatlast]

12. May God have mercy on my soul, Solon--I agree with you. There's Fudgicles in Hell today. nt

[Solon]

13. Looking at Perky's thread, and beachmom's from yesterday, apparently a woman's place...

is in the home, not at work. I frankly don't care about Palin herself, its the implication of this generalization that I object to. Fake feminists and others really piss me off when it comes to this shit.

[Lyric]

10. There's also a difference between using those awful words and

using terms like "Barbie", "hyped-up beauty queen", etc.

I'm a lesbian feminist former Clinton supporter who objects to the terms you stated, but dammit, she IS a Barbie. She's an insult to real, hard-working women everywhere. I'm sick and tired of women getting chosen for promotions based in large part on their looks, and this is the biggest fucking promotion of them all. It pisses me off, and I have NO problem with people calling her the shallow suit-with-boobs that she is.

In my book, women who want to strip away the civil liberties of other women don't deserve much consideration. I'm having a lot of trouble mustering feminist outrage over a woman who'd gladly set us all back to being the fucking property of assholes like John McCain. The terms you mentioned are disgusting, and I oppose them too, but not the rest. She is what she is; let her own up to it.

[whatchamacallit]

11. Well said. n/t

[LeftishBrit]

14. I agree!

[Donald Ian Rankin]

15. I don't think the words are so much the issue.

I don't think calling Palin a "bitch" is especially sexist - rude, and not terribly informative, but not sexist and no worse than many of the things McCain is being called ("whore" is a slightly different kettle of fish).

I do think that many of the attacks being launched on her are clearly attacks on her gender - questions about whether McCain picked her for her looks, suggestions that she'll make "puppy dog eyes" in debates, that she's "X in a dress" (when did anyone ever refer to a male republican as "Y in trouser"? etc. And I think that's far more unacceptable (calling her a "whore" comes into this category).

Using bad words is less bad than saying bad things.

[meow2u3]

16. I simply describe Failin' as an ignoramus

who doesn't know her ass from her elbow about foreign policy or the duties of the Vice-Presidency.

Let the Repunks drop the n-bomb on Obama; this way, Americans with half a brain will know how bigoted McLame really is. We're better than stooping to hurl sexist slurs at Failin.

She's simply an ignorant twit who, if (s)elected, will not only be easily manipulated by the warmongering neocons in the Bush/Cheney regime, she possesses a heart and a soul as cold as the tiny Alaska town she hails from. I don't care if a repuke is male or female--to me, a wingnut is a wingnut--twisted!

[applegrove]

17. I concur.

[sandnsea]

18. Oh noes, that's three times

Get out the ice skates.

I've been shocked at who the ones have been who have been making some of these remarks.