Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Why the "Lipstick on a pig" quote is important

By now everyone has heard Obama's "lipstick on a pig" quote. Those who are for McCain and Palin have chimed in that it is obviously a sexist remark made about Palin. Those in the Obama camp point out that he has used the phrase before and that even McCain has used the phrase. So who is right and who is wrong? Let's look a bit deeper.

It is absolutely correct that both Obama and McCain have used this relatively common phrase before. McCain admits he has used the term numerous times. Obama used it to describe Bush having given General Patraeus an impossible mission. I don't think anyone is in disagreement that it is an often used phrase in Washington.

So what is all the hubbub about? In law you can help prove a crime or criminal mindset by showing a propensity to do that crime over and over. If I go out and get drunk on the town, I may or may not be an alcoholic. If I go out and get drunk on the town repeatedly, I probably am an alcoholic. The underlying question then is whether or not Obama is sexist. While some people have said that his "lipstick on a pig" comment is not worthy of much attention, it certainly could not be said that his being sexist is not worthy of attention. So is Obama sexist or not?

Having researched the topic, there is no doubt in my mind that he is. Not wishing to make such a broad statement without proof, I submit to you that Obama has a history of making sexist statements which can only lead me to believe, he is a sexist.

Indeed Geraldine Ferraro, a Democrat that has the honor of being the first female Vice President nominee called Obama sexist. She has since thrown her support behind him, picking party over gender now that Hillary is not an option. But let us look to Hillary herself who continually alleged that Obama and his starstruck media was sexist.

Then you have the numerous little jabs that Obama has taken at women. If you come to the conclusion that Obama is not sexist, then surely you cannot say he is not chauvinistic. While in Allentown Mr. Obama said to a woman at the Tama Manufacturing plant that "you look like you might be a dancer. "You're big time. You are gorgeous." Then while in Scranton Obama tried to convince a Hillary supporter to change allegiance by suggesting "I'll give you a kiss." At an address at Tulane University Obama stated, "You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out" when referring to attacks aimed at him by Clinton. Finally, when asked a question by a female autoworker, Obama said "hold on sweetie" avoiding the question so he could go pose for a photo shoot.

While none of these jabs in and of themselves constitute blatant sexism, when viewed in light of the totality of the evidence, they show a pattern. This coupled with the fact that Sarah Palin had already taken personal possession of the lipstick comments with her "lipstick on a pitbull" comment makes Obama's use of the phrase very questionable. In fact, right after making the comment, Obama began to talk about Sarah Palin. This leads to the conclusion that either Barack Obama is a reckless unintelligent person who does not have a good mastery of the English language, which is not the case. Or, he is sexist. You have the information, you decide. One way or the other, the "lipstick on a pig" comment is more important than some are letting on.

1 comment:

Roy Lofquist said...

Dear Sir,

The real problem is not the lipstick/pig line in and of itself. It is that in locker rooms and redneck bars the inevitable response is "No problem. Just put a sack over her head".

Ironically this is anti-sexist. The quickest way to get into a situation in those places that's settled in the parking lot is to insult a woman or the flag.

Women are going to find out. They're going to talk to their husband or their father or their son. Viral.

Of course Obama doesn't know this. That's what happens when you get an advance degree in Stupid in the Ivy League.

Regards,
Roy