Racism, Gender Bias, and Lipstick

Racism, Gender Bias, and Lipstick

How ironic could it possibly be that THE country that is the shining light for democracy around the world will have it's presidential race decided because America doesn't trust a black man, women want a woman, and all the media wants to talk about is lipstick?

Now if you've just had a guttural reaction to that sentence I suspect you're not being honest.  I've been listening to numerous interviews with 'average' American voters across the country conducted by various radio and TV stations, and kept feeling like there was something underneath their comments that I couldn't quite put my finger on until I heard a fellow from Kansas on NPR.  

He went on a bit, then said that he just couldn't vote for Obama because he was black, not he said, because he himself was racist, but because he knew there were many racists out there (he worked with several) and that they would cause a problem, which would hurt his presidency.  His wife chimed in that she was going to vote for Palin because she was a 'real mom' - she didn't really care one way or anther about McCain.  

They were just being honest.

Journalist Mark Naison goes a bit further by stating that the very things that bring fear to the rest of the world - a presidency backed by religious fervor, no cultural understanding of the rest of the world, and one prone to using military first and thinking later, is exactly what the American public relates to.  We are proud of our anti-intellectualism (thank you Homer Simpson), distrust people with college degrees, especially advanced degrees, and want our heroes to be just 'regular guys'.

And the media isn't helping.  It's running around tripping all over itself trying to figure out how to ask difficult questions without stepping on anyone's toes - with the result that no questions get asked.   No one can ask Palin anything about her qualifications fearing that the Republicans will scream 'piling on' and 'media bias', and no one can ask Obama how race will affect the presidency.  

Seems to me we got where we are because the media used to be so independent that it just asked whatever it wanted, ultimately getting answers to tough questions.  I'm currently reading a book about Ben Franklin's early publishing career.  He fought regularly with the local government who continually tried to censure him. In spite of periodic threats he continued to write about all politicians - never talking down to his audience, and was very successful.

Well, that was a long time ago, before Homer showed up.  We're going to make up our minds based on whether someone is a Muslim, non flag pin wearing, anti American, and because who couldn't love a god fearing woman with five kids, and oh, do you know her son has got Down's syndrome?

But there is an upside.  Kids don't care.  All the polls say that the younger generation is much less biased than their parents.  We've just got to hope that they get to voting age very, very quickly - before the rest of the world finally gets fed up with us, and we become the dumbed down version of the British Empire, fallen from grace.

Oh, the pig thing.  Palin makes a remark about lipstick on pit bulls and hockey moms, Obama makes one about the old and new Republicans, and McCain makes one about Hillary's Health Care plan.  Are any of them personal attacks? No, but who cares, they're headlines.