|
Nobody in here said sexism doesn't exist, in politics or anywhere else. Bending to the stigma, by offering up token protection of women that just reinforces the stereotype isn't going to be helpful. Thus the point about Rekers.
Rekers was not lauded for his engagement with a homosexual prostitute. You want to talk about stigma, look at homosexual contact between men. Nobody seems to think it unfair to expose every detail of it in the papers is unfair to the men involved. Because well, they're men and men can take care of themselves.
I think it's much more fruitful to acknowledge that this issue does have relevance to O'donnell's life as a politician (chiefly, that it makes her a hypocrite, not that hypocrisy is in short supply amongst politicians). Give her a chance to address it and move on because, honestly, there are much bigger problems in politics. The entire sideshow were we're told how evil gawker is because a woman shouldn't have to deal with it does not help eliminate stereotypes. It reinforces them.
What you're talking about absolutely reeks of paternalism...'These poor, pitiful women just can't be expected to answer for their actions the same way that men do, society is so unfair to them. We have to protect them from themselves, by hiding their sexual history. They'll never obtain high office if we just expect them to stand on their own, without special protections. Because, you know, they're women. And women need special protections.'
__________________
The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game.
|