I can't think of a time when more conservative women are attacked and portrayed (by television, news and entertainment) as being stupid, vapid, and/or sexed up bimbos with hardly a second thought given to such heavily biased judgments.
The latest case in point was last night's "comedic" sketch of Michele Bachman (R-Minn.) on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" -- mocking her response to the President's State of the Union address last Tuesday.
In the sketch, actress Kristen Wiig, playing the Congresswoman, explained that as a result of technical difficulties in her first attempt, CNN was giving her a second try. What followed was an idiotic, bumbling attempt by Bachman to communicate to her audience, by looking off camera and using a flip chart that was angled away from her viewers. What comedic brilliance. The late Gilda Radner must be rolling in her grave...
This once-funny show made news with the 2008 presidential elections (with Tina Fey's impersonations of Sarah Palin) and 2010 midterm elections (by trashing Delaware's Christine O'Donnell). As we begin 2011, SNL has made it quite clear that they are picking up where they left off.
Unfortunately, SNL is just one crude example. And while it's nothing new, I do get tired of the constant attacks on conservative women. Here are a few more --
During a June 9, 2009 discussion on NBC's “Today” show about Palin's role within the GOP, comedian Chuck Nice told his co-panelists the following. “But, Sarah Palin to the GOP, this is what I've got to say, she is very much like herpes, she's not going away.”
Co-panelist, John Abrams said, “That's the advantage of being Chuck Nice. You can say something like that and there's no repercussions.” Before moving on to other topics, Nice informed viewers, “Everybody is laughing. I don't care. The band is cracking up.”
Keith Olbermann of MSNBC - recently fired from his job on that liberal news network - compared Michelle Malkin to a “big, mashed up bag of meat with lipstick on it” during his Oct. 13, 2009 “Countdown” show because he believed she encouraged death threats made to a woman who posted a video of singing their praises to President Barack Obama. His message was clear: perspectives from conservative women were not appreciated or welcomed, and if a woman stepped out of line, she deserved whatever treatment she received.
Another example is Playboy magazine writer Guy Cimbalo who released his 2009 list of top ten conservative women against whom he'd like to commit violent sexual acts. In his “So Right It's Wrong” article, Cimbalo explained that he “might despise everything” about women like Michelle Malkin, Fox News's Megyn Kelly, “The View's” Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Mary Katherine Ham and Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann, “but g--dammit, they're hot!”
Cimbalo listed the physical attributes of each woman along with short explanations of why a liberal male shouldn't be attracted to them. For each woman, a “hate-f--- rating,” was used to tell others just how good the sex would be.
Elizabeth Hasselbeck of "The View" was described as “the clean-cut American sweetheart who elicits our filthiest thoughts.” Cimbalo called Bachmann the “lusty congresswoman from the Twin Cities who's got some great twins of her own.”
The new governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, is the most recent example of the hateful way conservative women are treated in the media. Last year, during her campaign to be governor, her fidelity and faith were questioned. A blogger and a lobbyist alleged they had had affairs with Haley. According to the Culture and Media Institute, of the 42 stories mentioning Haley on the day the election was held, 37 mentioned the unsubstantiated claims of infidelity. Three months later, there has been no proof, but most articles still mention the allegations.
I'm sure there have been inappropriate comments made about liberal women, but not in the mainstream media. Careful not to show any sign of sexism - the CBS, NBC and ABC literally gush over the success of 1) Hillary Rodham Clinton as the first woman who had a legitimate chance at winning the presidency, or 2) representative Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House, or 3) Katie Coric being named the first sole female anchor of a major news organization (CBS).
So why attack conservative women? They are easy targets because smart women aren’t supposed to be conservative. While we will continue to see conservative women made fun of in the media, what you won't see is this: liberals taking on Hasselbeck, Palin, Haley and Malkin based on the issues. And that is the reason they hate them so. Because the libs know they're wrong on the issues, so they base their attacks on stupidity and appearance.
Try to smile the next time "Saturday Night Live", MSNBC and Playboy magazine talk about Bachman's looks or call her a "balloon-headed" woman. Feel good because she is taking something from them they desperately want—their power.
Fight on, conservative women.
Squirrel Factory? Sounds like a high school basketball team of some sort! Good blog, Kernel B. Only "progressive" women have any view points worth considering. What would conservative women know about family values, sanctity of life issues, and politics? Clearly they're out of touch with the pertinent issues of today (gay rights, animal rights, right to choose, etc...) hence the need to belittle and bash them (and their children) ad nauseum.
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