So here's a fun little news story that Stephen Colbert graciously brought the media's attention to, about a Fox News host named Bill O'Reilly who openly made sexist remarks on his news channel (the best parts are his two female co-hosts' reactions at 1:57 minutes in the video). He begins the conversation on the topic of Hilary Clinton's potential running for the presidential office. He starts off by saying, "There's gotta be some downside to having a woman president". Excuse me, but what? He proceeds to try and defend himself by mentioning a number of different countries' approaches to women and their roles in society. I don't even know where to begin.
His stereotypical point of view that women are inferior makes me quite literally nauseous. This stereotype that he holds has been constructed over centuries and centuries of ignorance, and has only been made more formidable through modern media's attachment and portrayal of this stereotype. These ideas that women are more emotional, maternally inclined, and too soft to make logical decisions is an extreme, a compilation of "Single Stories" that do not cover the entire picture. Although they are not false observations, they have been blown out of proportion enough to disqualify women from equal positions as men.
It makes me so agitated that these views of women are still being portrayed in society and the media today, and even worse are still being held true as facts. In the media, women's bodies, emotional states, and capacity to perform less than that of men have been singled out and focused on as the only qualities that women possess, ruling out any other potential qualities that make women unique or more successful than men.
After watching Bill O'Reilly, I watched a refreshing little video to calm my agitation that might give you some hope for the future of women:
I watched the Stephen Colbert video and I have to say I am completely shocked as well. HIs views on women are founded on nothing but his own prejudice, and frankly, his fear of loss of white male supremacy. I appreciate Colbert for making fun of O'Reilly.
ReplyDeleteYou go Charlotte! I totally agree with you and it's shocking how prominent sexism is in this present day. It makes me upset also that women have worked so hard through the years to gain rights, and yet there are still people shocked and upset over having a female president. People should be more upset about is having prejudicial people influencing in public media. It's really lame that the women of our country have worked to pass laws to protect women's rights but people don't always support those rights anyway. Thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteChar, I completely agree! No one has the right to say women are inferior to men and cannot be president. Of course, a woman can be president. It's pretty sad thought that even in present day that women are still faced with discrimination. However, we women have to just show everyone that we are more than capable to get things done!
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