I've been trying to put my finger on exactly why Gen Xers like myself are not supportive of Sarah Palin. Now, you could say it's because I'm a liberal democrat (which I am). However, I can respect John McCain - but why not Palin?And then I figured it out. Actually, feministing.com had the answer. To paraphrase, a lot of Boomer feminists were upset by the Obama victory over Clinton, because Obama represented that guy they lost the job/promotion/whatever to. However, many Xer feminists don't like Palin because she represents the "incompetent yet babelicious woman is promoted over her head, then the boss orders the attention of the entire team/department/etc. to focus on ensuring that 'we' shield her from "mistakes" (or worse, we get blamed for her mistakes)."
Check out the post for yourself and report back what you think.
7 comments:
I think you really hit the nail on the head regarding a lot of my issues with her. I'm still sort of on the fence with my personal vote, although I know which way I'm leaning.
I think she would have made a much better impression had she been able to jump in and sound like she really knew her stuff, instead of throwing out soundbites, and I think that has a lot to do with why so many women struggle with her. It's not her kids, it's not her role as Governor, it's the impression she gives. Particularly in contrast to Senator Clinton.
For me, also a liberal Democrat, it feels like she's playing for the wrong team.
I definitely agree with the posts (both yours and the feministing one) - the reason she grates on me so much is that she has one obvious gift (spouting off good-sounding snippets) and she and those who support her act like that one gift is all that's needed to be a good vice president or president. I've worked for two women at different points in my career who were promoted way too far because of abilities that were ultimately irrelevant to their new job. And our company suffered in both situations because of the women's incompetence. I can't even imagine how much our country will suffer if we do this with Sarah Palin.
My dislike for Sarah Palin goes beyond my dislike for her extremely reactionary views and her lack of intellectual acumen. For many women (and this includes women outside of Gen X), Sarah Palin represents the person who got the job or promotion over more qualified people. And instead of using skills, aptitude and hard work, the Sarahs of the workplace cozy up to the boss while undermining everyone else, especially women they find as a threat. I've had women like this slander me, try to take credit for my ideas and pass their work onto me while they don't do a damn thing. Sadly, many bosses aren't the wiser because their egos are being stroked and they're not being very observant.
yep, that's why i don't like her. among all the winking and fake southern accent.
Actually, Jen, I think Sarah Palin sounds more Midwestern. I'm from Milwaukee (as you know), and there are so many women who sound like her.
I do not.
Last night I caught the last twenty minutes of Disclosure, the 1994 Demi Moore/Michael Douglas movie, where she comes into his workplace and is placed above him (there's this other plot about sexual harassment, but that's a subject for another day).
Anyhow, at the end, there's this scene where she tries to set him up to take the fall for her bad decisions, but he turns the tables on her, and she's standing in front of the board of directors, spouting marketing-speak (no offense Suzanne) trying to worm her way out. It's clear she's not as smart or experienced as Michael Douglas.
I thought of this scene as I read your post about Sarah Palin. You have completely got it. While not an American voter, I too have the same ill-ease with her, and now I understand why.
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