SEXism in America

"The Maverick and the MILF" - Bill MaherBill Maher on the John McCainJohn McCain/Sarah PalinSarah Palin ticket.

Before Bill Maher made that comment – I had no idea what MILF stood for. I looked it up and before anyone sends a comment back that it was cable and was supposed to be a joke – I will only say –that you'd be barking up the wrong tree. Sexism to me is more dangerous than racism today– because somehow is socially ACCEPTABLE. Far worse, it crosses all age levels, educational levels and all beliefs.

Northeastern University Professor Gary Goshgarian said: "Women may seem to have made tremendous progress professionally and academically, but they are held back by indirect sexist comments and attitudes. They are caught in a catch-22. If they react against these seemingly small slights, they appear to be overreacting or too sensitive. But to let them pass may signal that such comments are somehow acceptable."

I used this quote earlier this week in one of my comments on another article while trying to explain that sexist comments are not funny. The argument it is "in humor" is too often used as an excuse by both male and females to allow sexist comments to be made. I find it apprehensible that as far as women have come on other issues, a female is still considered to be an acceptable joke. Racism is not acceptable in media but sexism is funny.

As an example – take the following quote about Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor: "Let’s hope that the key conferences aren’t when she’s menstruating or something — or just before she’s going to menstruate. That would really be bad. Lord knows what we would get then." G Gordon Liddy.

This is funny? The woman has come from the projects of New York City to be sitting in front of 100 United States Senators for confirmation hearings for the possible benching on the United States Supreme Court – which is the greatest achievement in the United States, and her "female" construction is a comment out of someone’s mouth and we as females are suppose to accept it as a comment made in humor?

Insults on female politicians have hit all time high. When Hillary ClintonHillary Clinton was a Vice Presidential contender Chris MatthewsChris Matthews said: "The reason she’s a US Senator, the reason she’s a candidate for President, the reason she may be a front runner is her husband fooled around. That’s how she got to be Senator for NY. We keep forgetting it – she didn’t win it on merit…" and Chris Matthews still has his very own show. He is still considered to be a top-notch media anchor. What if instead of that comment he had said: "The reason he’s a US Senator, the reason he is a front runner is his father in from Kenya and he’s half black. That’s how he got to be Senator for Illinois." Does anyone really think that Chris Matthews would still have a show if he had made that summation about the candidacy of the other frontrunner?

David LettermanDavid Letterman basically got away with his comments about Sarah Palin – because she was a female and jokes about females are acceptable. The problem is, when allowing sexism to overtake the qualifications of a female candidate, you essentially deny that hard work ethic and diligence have played a greater role in the advancement of the female than the wardrobe she may wear or the spouse she may have chosen. Sexist jokes tread a fine line between what is acceptable and what is not and as more and more women achieve higher heights in business and in the political arena the sexualization of women seems to be increasing. The media’s exploitation of females as sexist objects when they run for political office should never be tolerated and credentials should carry both male and female candidate’s equally.

Recently, I wrote another article that appeared on www.allvoices.com and my personal website www.viewpointright.com . It was a discussion on the political execution of Sarah Palin. One of the comments that struck me as straight to the point was by BorderExplorer (a contributor to www.allvoices.com .) BorderExplorer said: "Our most recent presidential nomination process and election proved to me also that sexism trumps racism in this country. The prevalent unawareness about this reality is particularly discouraging to me."

Sexism crosses all lines and all political parties. It is acceptable only because we continue to allow the jokes to be told and to not offend. A woman’s acceptance of sexism is in no way helpful to the advancement of females to an equal treatment status with men. If women are to expect that they not be judged on hair, nails, body and clothes for an office at the White House or at IBM then women should stand more together on the main stream media’s exploitation of females.

The only way this will ever change is when there is a zero tolerance of sexism.

The National Organization for Women stated: "NOW hopes that all the conservatives who are fired up about sexism in the media lately will join us in calling out sexism when it is directed at women who aren't professed conservatives."

That was a direct quote calling out the sexism directed at Sarah Palin.

I agree with NOW and I am a conservative.