Calling Female Politicians Crazy Is Crazy & Yeah, It’s Sexist Too
This month with the release of her new book “Going Rogue” we have been in the midst of a Sarah Palin media storm. Which means we have also been in the midst of a calling Sarah Palin crazy storm. Which also for some reason leads to calling other female politicians crazy (yes, I’m talking to you CityPages). Last week the Twin Cities publication CityPages put the above image of Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann (R) on the cover as a parody of Palin’s new book managing to make fun of not one but two female politicians in one tacky move. Not only was this CityPages millionth “history of Michele Bachman” piece but they had go in the way, way back machine to cover things like Bachman hiding in the bushes (yes, CityPages has done this before).
To be clear, I am not a republican, I am a moderate democrat. I just don’t like any female politician being referred to as crazy. Why? Because this is something the media doesn’t do to male politicians. No matter how crazy the men are. In fact male politicians many times do things way crazier than female politicians ever do but never get called crazy for it. Why? Because they are men. I first became aware of this phenomenon while Hillary Clinton was running for President in 2008 and was often being called crazy in the media and by many of my friends while she was not actually acting crazy at all. Mrs. Clinton was regularly called “crazy” for her foreign policy towards Iran, and that she would retaliate if they would attack Israel. As we know now with Clinton in place as Secretary as State, her firm stance towards unfriendly nations in anything but crazy and is gaining her respect.
The media are not the only ones to blame here. I have a number of young women friends who are involved in politics that I believe would call themselves feminists. There is just one thing they do that I can’t stand. They love to have cut outs of Sarah Palin at parties. And then they put weird things on the Sarah Palin cut outs and take pictures with it. I do not understand this. I find this so sexist. I try to say to my young liberal friends, “Imagine if conservatives were doing this with and Obama cut out. Wouldn’t you find that racists? Just a tiny bit?” But for some reason it is alright to do this to women.
Members of Obama’s staff actually had a Hillary Clinton cut out that they used to take to parties with them. There are pictures of Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau grouping the Hillary Clinton cut out at one party. I think he should have been fired for this. Why? Because if the equivalent racist event would have happened at a party with a Michelle Obama or Barack Obama cut out that staffer would have been fired and there would have been more outrage. As I said before, people accept sexist treatment of women. Even if it is the Secretary of State.
Do you still not believe me that women politicians have a harder route than men when it comes to being called crazy? Do you just think that Sarah Palin and Michele Bachman are the two extra special, extra crazy people out there in America that deserve this treatment outside of everyone else? Let’s use South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford as a case study. The man lied about going on the Appalachian Trail and was actually in Argentina with his mistress. The best part is when he gets totally busted and has a press conference, he has a complete breakdown, and cries in front of everyone. I think anyone would admit that neither Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, or Michele Bachman has ever done anything close to as truly crazy as this. The man CRIED in front of the press. If Sarah Palin did this I think that she would be somewhere locked up in a padded room in a straight jacket right now. But a man did this, so of course he is still Governor of South Carolina.
How do we get to believe that these women are crazy? There are a few steps that the media and others use. First of all the story must have the word “crazy” somewhere in the headline. Second of all a crazypants picture of the female politician is needed. Third, you have to take an incident that really isn’t that crazy and then make it sound like the woman is unstable and may just crack at any moment. This combination of crazy headline, crazed woman picture, and story of a woman on the edge is like cocaine to the addicted American public and cannot be refused.
The reason I feel so strongly about this is I truly do not believe that we will have a female President in America until women politicians start to get a fair shake by the media and by citizens. We all need to pay attention to how women in politics are being represented not only in the media but by opposing political parties and those around us.
By the way CityPages, when are you going to do a crazy Tim Pawlenty cover story? Oh that’s right, never.
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You raise a good point, and I say that as a male, moderate Republican. I even admit to thinking Michele Bachman in the “crazy” camp. The closest example to similar treatment towards a male politician I can give you off the top of my head is the Left’s relentless beating of Pres. Geo. W. Bush as stupid. (And, yes, I admit he was NOT the brightest bulb in the drawer, but like every President he got people he trusted to give him advice in areas he was less familiar with.)
I wholeheartedly agree, and encourage us to look at the parallels of the view we give women in business, and the subsequent media coverage of their successes and failures. The “crazy” mantra extends to these ranks: Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo, is one recent example. The “bitch” mantra lives on as well: See Safra Catz, president of Oracle. And their failures are subjected, in my view, to a harsher level of short-term scrutiny with no looking-back admittance of their impact: Carly Fiorina is to this day demonized for her days as CEO of HP, but arguably she made the tough decisions that paved the way for her successor, Mark Hurd, to enjoy the praise of more recent years of success. I have hopes in women like Indira Nooryi at Pepsico, Marissa Mayer at Google, Sharon Sandberg at Google, and so many others who will steer the next economic wave – and I hope media wakes up and gives them a fairer shake. KG
Hi John,
Thanks for commenting – I really appreciate it. Although I agree that George W. did get called stupid A LOT the reason it is not the same as Hillary, Sarah, and Michele getting called crazy is that he is the only male politician being called stupid. The only thing that those three women have in common is that they are all politicians, yet they are all called crazy in the media frequently. It would be a different story if Al Franken, Obama, and Bush were all being called stupid. This is why I think it is sexist when female politicians are called crazy. But then again, I am just Judy.
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