Communication, Innovation, Debate

Sarah Palin

Feminine value, virtue or vice ?

There is a lot of debate at the moment in America...we all know why, but over and above the presidential debate, there is much discussion on what Sarah Palin has done or not for feminine values...Hilary Clinton was the object of both positive and negative criticism and did an amazing amount to try and break through the glass ceiling. What is it about Sarah Palin that makes her so different as a political 'object' ? 
From a purely European point of view, she is frighteningly pro or anti...and only obtained a passport last year...which, I suppose,  is more than many of her fellow Americans. She winks and smiles alot more than Hilary...but somehow Hilary was an established politician, senator, lawyer and, whatever your political leanings, she demanded respect. Palin on the otherhand is a bit of a mystery...Annie get your gun meets Miss Wasilla ??

I couldn't believe this comment I found on the 'Women in front' debate in the European Union. I mean, c'mon, Hilary Clinton was in the race...OK she didn't win but Palin isn't the first woman in America to make a splash on the political scene ! :

"Emma Bonino, a former European commissioner who is now vice president of the Italian Senate, said she "doesn't like" Sarah Palin but was nevertheless pleased that a woman had now joined the US presidential race. 

"I regret that the Democratic side did not choose any woman," Bonino added. "

And then I was somewhat relieved when I had a look at the Huffington post and found something sensible from an interview with Isabel Allende :

"Many women today are experiencing a conflict between wanting to see a woman in the White House and the fact that Sarah Palin's views are in complete opposition to the progressive agenda that many feminists tend to advocate. What is your reaction to this?
IA: Sarah Palin does not represent the interests of women in this place and time. Do we want to go back to the 19th century? Or maybe medieval times? I hope that no thinking woman, young or old, will fall in the gender trap. Palin may be a woman but she certainly acts like Rambo and thinks like Cheney. As a woman I demand the right to control my body, my income, and my beliefs. As a mother I want to protect my family from poverty, inequality, ignorance, racism, bigotry, fear, violence and patriotism (an excuse for war). As a citizen I support freedom of the mind, curiosity, knowledge, technology, information. As an American I embrace the world and want our country to recover the international respect and admiration that the Bush administration has squandered. Mc Cain and Palin do not represent me and never will."
www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-schnall/renowned-women-speak-out_b_128024.html

And then on another blog I discovered a quote from the Republicans '10 reasons why Sarah Palin should be vice President...' where the notion of feminism was turned on its head :

"Palin’s is a feminism of a different, newer sort – call it ‘Feminism 2.0’ – a feminism that is not hostile to men, and that respects and honors women who work hard to balance a traditional home life with professional ambitions. Palin works hard to achieve such a balance:  three days after giving birth to her fifth child, for example, she conducted a meeting concerning a proposed natural gas pipeline"

Well whatever kind of feminism she represents, she has certainly made a splash and I am intrigued by the intensity of the debate. Value, virtue or vice..what is your view ?

Ecrit par Caroline le Vendredi 3 Octobre 2008, 19:39 dans "Feminine values"

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