The Palin Principle

I was admittedly a little intrigued when Sarah Palin was added to the GOP ticket a few weeks ago. For about 10 minutes I even thought just maybe the McCain campaign peeps might have made a brilliant move. All of a sudden, the media was buzzing with Palin-mania and even though I was weary of her politics, I thought well hey, it could be cool to see a woman make it to the White House after all.

Then Sarah Palin opened her mouth.

All good buzzes wear off eventually. As a moderate feminist (I'm not sure if feminists can be moderate, but I like the way that sounds), I quickly realized it's not at all about the idea of any female rising to a powerful position in government. The probability that the McCain camp concocted the Palin VP nomination in an effort to sway Hillary supporters in their direction seems more than likely. That merely perpetuates a sexist ideology. I mean, come on. "Oh...she has a vagina--well gosh darn-it, mighty Republicans, you get my vote!"

Give me a fucking break.

Figuring out why women are opposed to Palin was the theme in a piece running in The Chicago Tribune:

Do the guys who picked Palin in the hopes of nabbing Hillary Clinton supporters really think one size fits all? We've waited so long for a woman to make it to the White House and the closest we can come is one who can't volley with Katie Couric? And what if Palin's deficiencies make it easier to claim that women aren't fit for high public office?

The thing is, I don't despise Ms. Palin at all. Her beliefs don't mesh with mine and she hardly represents the kind of person I want to see voted into the second highest post in the country. The real issue I have is with the gender-challenged, patriarchal fucktards who jumped on the chance to entice a woman with no reason whatsoever to be immersed in this political maelstrom. They scooped up Sarah Palin from her quaint little Alaskan refuge and literally threw her in with the sharks. She comes across like an idiot when she can't coherently answer questions about foreign policy and McCain's stand on various issues, but what the hell?? How can someone be expected to be schooled in "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Running For The Job Of VP Of The US (but were afraid to ask)" in a couple weeks? They're setting this poor woman up epically. It makes me angry. Because then when McCain loses, she gets to be the fall-guy. Or fall-girl. Or whatever.

And that my friends, is exactly the kind of crap that sex discrimination feeds off of. The role of the patriarch is reinforced, because cute little hockey moms are better off making moose stew or something. Let the smart, strong men make the big decisions and ru(i)n the country, you go on and take care of your duties cutting the ribbon at the Wasilla Ice Sculpture Carnival. What actually scares me more is I get the sense that Palin plays right into this sexist game. And this is really why, in spite of me feeling a little sorry for her, I will not support the McCain/Palin ticket. Some see Sarah Palin as a sex traitor...I'm not sure if I'd go that far, but then again, consider that it might be...

...a mistake to look at Sarah Palin and analyze her actions and her place in this campaign in terms of the struggle against patriarchy. She doesn’t struggle against it, she endorses it. That she has found a way to rig the patriarchal system to HER benefit and through her to that of those closest to her is to be expected, that’s what conservatives do no matter what group they belong to. Looking at Palin as any kind of first for women (second, actually, as we are not supposed to remember) only leads away from reality. She is out for number one, not for women in general. Her nomination is as meaningful for progress for women struggling against patriarchy as Clarence Thomas has been for the equality of black people or the Log Cabin Republicans for gay people. In the struggle against patriarchy, she’s just a patriarch in disguise.

So there. I put it out there. My anxiety and frustrations about the Palin Problem. Having said all that, I'd totally top her. Gag her, spank her and mess up that pretty little school-marm bun of hers. Like they always say, if you can't beat the patriarchs, you might as well...*beat* them. JUST KIDDING!




Ok, maybe not totally kidding... ;)