2008 Woodie Awards
America's fear of Hillary rooted in sexism
Catherine Morrisey
Issue date: 10/29/07 Section: Editorials
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Hillary Clinton is likely to become the next president of the United States. This, no doubt, leaves much of the nation in fear. This is probably due to the fact that most Americans don't know precisely what to fear, they just think they should be afraid.
The trend in this country is ironic. Women have held power in plenty of countries - Germany, England, India, Sri Lanka, Iceland, Argentina, Latvia and Pakistan, to name a few. It should also be no surprise that a number of traditional societies have been ruled by queens. At the end of the day, however, Americans are the people who call themselves progressive.
The trend of women rulers and fear of women ruling is an age-old paradox. Cleopatra, the heir to a throne held by god-kings, could rule over ancient Egypt while in the world's first democracy, Athens, women were allowed no role whatsoever in public life.
In ancient times, women could be monarchs; in the modern world they have slowly won the right to be politicians. The American presidency, which has become both a political office and a kind of imperial throne, combines both roles.
This may help explain why the idea of a Hillary Clinton presidency causes so many people to start foaming at the mouth.
It's almost impossible to find a more mainstream politician than Clinton, yet there are millions of Americans who are convinced she's some sort of Maoist lesbian hippie. Though most Americans can't identify a single issue she has voted for or against while being a senator, they still know she will plan a cultural revolution in which hacky sack, artificial insemination and vegan tofu salad will replace baseball, motherhood and apple pie.
The problem, you see, isn't her middle of the road voting record and even initial support of the Iraq war. The problem, to put it bluntly, is that Hillary Clinton is a woman. And women, as modern science has recently confirmed, have cooties.
To put it another way, like so many other things in American political life, it all goes back to the 1960s. The '60s represent a cultural revolution in American life.
The trend in this country is ironic. Women have held power in plenty of countries - Germany, England, India, Sri Lanka, Iceland, Argentina, Latvia and Pakistan, to name a few. It should also be no surprise that a number of traditional societies have been ruled by queens. At the end of the day, however, Americans are the people who call themselves progressive.
The trend of women rulers and fear of women ruling is an age-old paradox. Cleopatra, the heir to a throne held by god-kings, could rule over ancient Egypt while in the world's first democracy, Athens, women were allowed no role whatsoever in public life.
In ancient times, women could be monarchs; in the modern world they have slowly won the right to be politicians. The American presidency, which has become both a political office and a kind of imperial throne, combines both roles.
This may help explain why the idea of a Hillary Clinton presidency causes so many people to start foaming at the mouth.
It's almost impossible to find a more mainstream politician than Clinton, yet there are millions of Americans who are convinced she's some sort of Maoist lesbian hippie. Though most Americans can't identify a single issue she has voted for or against while being a senator, they still know she will plan a cultural revolution in which hacky sack, artificial insemination and vegan tofu salad will replace baseball, motherhood and apple pie.
The problem, you see, isn't her middle of the road voting record and even initial support of the Iraq war. The problem, to put it bluntly, is that Hillary Clinton is a woman. And women, as modern science has recently confirmed, have cooties.
To put it another way, like so many other things in American political life, it all goes back to the 1960s. The '60s represent a cultural revolution in American life.
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