Progressive Sexism
Megham McCain got grief for posting a picture of yourself on Twitter. Cenk Uygur of the The Young Turks said McCain was "asking for it." Could a progressive pundit use a worse choice of words than Uygur.
Keith Olbermann refered to conservative blogger Michele Malkin "as a mashed-up bag of meat." Another poor choice of words.
[Malkin's] total mindless, morally bankrupt, knee-jerk, fascistic hatred, without which Michelle Malkin would just be a big mashed-up bag of meat with lipstick on it.
Progressives, you can diagree with a conservative woman, without making sexist remarks. Progressive values are about promoting equality. Not bashing women.
Labels: feminism, keith olbermann, meghan mccain, michelle malkin, sexism, young turks
posted by Michael Hussey @ 10:52 PM
5 Comments
5 Comments:
Why Meaghan McCain doing anything is even a topic of conversation is beyond me. I followed her on Twitter because she's one of those people that everybody follows, but a couple weeks ago I made a point of unfollowing her because, quite frankly, she's boring. Why even give attention to somebody who's famous for doing nothing besides being the daughter of a famous senator who also happens to be an asshole?
And as far as the Young Turks show goes, I've always wondered how progressives can embrace a show who takes its namesake after a movement which took governmental power in the Ottoman Empire during its final, let's genocide all the Armenians, years. I certainly don't think the Young Turk government in which people like Mehmed Talat served should be celebrated in any positive aspect. Perhaps the talk show's use of "Young Turks" doesn't represent this, but it can still be seen as a celebration of that government movement -- which I think is sick. What's next, starting a talk show called "The National Socialists"? Maybe they could air their shows from beer halls -- nothing wrong with that! I mean, Jesus.
Talk about sinsitivity! Sheesh. If a man can't call a woman a name without everybody taking it as sexest then no more name calling children. I have no problem expressing agrivation with a little name calling, must be because I'm a bastard.
Cenk Uygur's family is Turkish.
That doesn't mean a German host should reach into his heritage and call his show "Hitler Youth". I'm more offended by Uygur's taking of the "Young Turk" nomenclature then anything else.
I know, too, that Nazi comparisons (especially how quickly I brought them up here) are usually akin to overreach in a conversation, but I think the comparison is apt here because what the Young Turks did to the Armenians is the actual situation which prompted the creation of the word "genocide" -- the word hadn't existed before the Young Turks forced its creation because writers needed a way to accurately describe the crimes they perpetrated against the Armenians.
Tas, I am not defending the Young Turks. I'm just explaining why Cenk Uygur picked the name. I agree that it is not an apt title for a progressive talk show.
I agree completely that saying a woman is "asking for it" is rather misogynist. No woman asks for verbal or physical abuse simply via a photograph of herself, no matter what she's wearing. Ugh.
Keith Olbermann, however, is well-known for using intense and graphic language to insult members of BOTH sexes--in fact, the "mashed-up bag of _________" construct is a recent favorite that he's applied to people like Rush, too, not just Malkin. He added the lipstick as a gender indication, that's all--a reference to Sarah Palin's self-describing "pitbull in liptsick" comment.
Too many people jump all over KO for sexism; I see his language as that of many liberal men his age, language that was absorbed before political correctness took hold. It wouldn't be my choice of words to describe Malkin--I'd probably say something truly nasty, since that's what she is!
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