On Sarah Palin September 9, 2008
Posted by sarah in: random , trackbackThe media frenzy over Sarah Palin’s nomination for John McCain’s vice presidency is quite astonishing. Here in Europe too she’s been a big topic of conversation. Although she’s obviously a formidable woman with lots of charisma, good looks, and a brain to boot, I can’t really muster much support for her as a woman or a politician.
Her nomination also poses a bit of a feminist dilemma: on the one hand I think the obsession with her personal family life is totally excessive and reeking of sexism – in the way that female politicians are commonly judged by different standards to their male counterparts -; on the other hand, doesn’t she invite these criticisms herself by proclaiming to be ‘just a hockey mom’. If she is basing much of her political image on her strongly pro-life and pro-family beliefs, surely it’s not entirely unfair to turn the argument round on her and ask if she really is that great a mother by standing for vice-president of the US with a baby in nappies with a mental (and probably physical) problems?
And let’s not even get started on her ‘pro-life feminism’!
Anyway from the tens of thousands of words pouring onto the internet about her, these are some goods reads I’ve found on the topic:
- A letter from a city councillor of Wasilla, published on the My 2 Buck$ blog last week
- Michael Tomasky’s blog at Guardian Online
- Some great reporting and opinions at the Huffington Post
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