Gloria Steinem apologizes.

[fbc]

In a case of talk-show Interruptus, I misspoke on the Bill Maher show recently, and apologize for what's been misinterpreted as implying young women aren't serious in their politics. What I had just said on the same show was the opposite: young women are active, mad as hell about what's happening to them, graduating in debt, but averaging a million dollars less over their lifetimes to pay it back. Whether they gravitate to Bernie or Hillary, young women are activist and feminist in greater numbers than ever before.

https://www.facebook.com/GloriaSteinem/posts/10153237059092854

Good for her. No doubling-down or doublespeak: "I mispoke. I apologize."

[Duckhunter935]

1. I give her credit

I guess she did not like the blowback she was getting. Notice Hillary did not call out any of her campaigns people like Bernie called out those Bernie bro supporters.

[daleanime]

17. +1

[beam me up scottie]

50. Agreed.

She took a beating on social media and walked it back.

[artislife]

64. Which she should have

Her glory days were during the ages she short shifted.

They were fighting for civil rights and against the war.

We are fighting for civil rights(with people getting killed while black and being sent back to certain death) rights and against the wars!

We also have a planet that is in stage 4.

[NWProf]

78. More likely she wanted to sell a few more books

The nice thing with being an older person is that you have seen a lot of stuff go under the bridge of life. When Nixon misspoke, Gloria would have been all over him. Nixon would have returned fire and neither would have walked back anything.

The not so nice thing about getting older is that more and more of your friends die and unless you have many activities that introduce you to new ideas, you tend to calcify in your thoughts. Another term for this is the "get off my lawn" syndrome.

The 80 year old Gloria Steinem that I watched on Bill Maher was not the G.S. I idolized in the 1960s. Her reasoning seems to be that because younger women do not follow blindly the Feminist Thought of the 60s and 70s there is something wrong with them. It must be the "follow the boys" to get the boys. The fact that it might be that young women have not been co-opted by the system and are responding to the facts as they see them with no "life experiences" coloring their thoughts, simply never occurs to her.

But I suspect that the real reason Gloria had a change of thought and is attempting to calm things down is that she has a book she is plugging. It is not going to boost sales to have half the target group mad at you.

[beam me up scottie]

82. A point I made yesterday: if Palin had said that the left would be united in calling her out

Instead most Hillary supporters not only didn't object, they agreed with Steinem.

Implying that intelligent young women are hormone crazed idiots just because they support another candidate was beyond the pale.

The apology might soothe most but it won't be forgotten.

Good luck getting those women to support you in the ge, Hillary.

[bvf]

91. That *was* pretty telling, wasn't it?

Blowback's a bitch, especially when it comes on the heels of a comment that flies in the face of one's lifelong philosophy.

Madeleine Albright should follow suit, if only for repurposing an otherwise laudable sentiment in order to condemn those who don't support her chosen candidate.

[PoliticAverse]

2. Better if she hadn't used the Nixonian term for 'lied'...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5264357

[fbc]

6. The proper thing to do when someone apologizes is to accept the apology gracefully.

imo

[PoliticAverse]

11. Sorry but having lived through the Nixon administration and and having followed events quite closely

I have a real aversion to the term "mispoke". Additionally "I apologize for what has been misinterpreted"
is sort of a non-apology apology.

[JudyM]

59. Misinterpreted. That is the whitewash that keeps it from being an authentic apology. Even if she

uses the terms "sorry" or "apologize."

[cali]

4. Wrong. Classic non-apology apology

She says her comments were misinterpreted.

[fbc]

8. I disagree.

She didn't say misinterpreted. She said misspoke. Those things are pretty much opposites.

[TTUBatfan2008]

10. "apologize for what's been misinterpreted"

She didn't need to say that part. Just say I apologize. I'm glad she admitted it was a mistake.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

23. She said both. nt

[elias49]

24. "Misspoke" is worse than misinterpreted.

People misinterpret things all the time. We're human. It's the fault of the interpreter.
"Misspoke" is the fault of the speaker.

[roguevalley]

69. misspoke doesn't change anything. she said what she believed the

first time. This is a bow to public censure. She meant what she said the first time and what about her transgender comments about Caitlyn Jenner?

[m-lekktor]

12. aaah. i didnt read closely. nt

[Wig Master]

18. Yup

"Sorry you misinterpreted me"

[Duckhunter935]

20. yep, I should have picked that up

Good catch on the non-apology

[Bjornsdotter]

61. Exactly!

I also hold Ms Steinem to blame for the song "Where the Boys Are" that keeps running through my head.

[Jefferson23]

5. Good, that was such a disservice to her legacy, best she apologized..kudos. n/t

[cyberswede]

7. That's a good apology. Glad she did it. nt

[farleftlib]

9. What a non-apology

How about "I said something insulting and incorrect and I take it back. I'm truly sorry." That would be an apology.

[snagglepuss]

16. +1

[Duppers]

77. +10

Farleftlib, your statement would have been a far better statement for her.
Her's is too wishy-washy for me.

[ejbr]

13. Good for her

I thought it was a contradiction of who she is

[onehandle]

14. Too late. The 'Not Hillary' Party have dismissed you. nt

[daleanime]

19. Because we all know....

That it's not possible to disagree with someone you respect. Thanks for letting us know how you feel.

[senz]

28. A couple of days ago some denied ever seeing the term "Not Hillary Party."

[Glamrock]

15. Rock on!

I love Gloria! I watched her say it and had the same reaction as Bill. Glad she acknowledged she was wrong. It's primary season and people get a little overzealous (I know, not here at DU ). So I'll cut her some slack. I love an idealist who stands by their ideals. Apology works for me.

[Empowerer]

40. Gloria Steinem is a groundbreaker who was fighting for womennn's rights

before many DUers parents were even born. She's earned our respect, gratitude, and, yes, some slack. She screwed up and she apologized. Unless anyone here can claim they've never made a mistake or misspoken, they should simply accept her apology graciously and move on. This loop has closed.

[Eric J in MN]

21. I accept her apology. Being interviewed about politics by a comedian

...can understandably cause someone to misspeak, because of the competing needs to be political and to be entertaining.

[senz]

35. Sensitive observation.

[kath]

22. Her original statement was crystal-clear to anyone with a functioning brain. It was not a vague

statement that could be interpreted in multiple ways. To say it was misinterpreted is utter bullshit.

[Duppers]

80. Exactly! nt

[demmiblue]

25. 'Misspoke' and 'misinterpreted' really kind of ruins the apology.

Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem was one of the first feminist-oriented books I bought as a young, female college student.

What a shame.

[farleftlib]

29. Yes it does

I couldn't quite get to the apology part through all the caveats and excuses. She's too smart not to know this.

[jillan]

26. As a woman, as a feminist I have no problem accepting this 81 y/o Icon's apology.

Gloria Steinem is a true hero. A true fighter.

[asjr]

73. Amen to that!

[saltpoint]

27. I say thank you to Ms. Steinem.

She has shown the Republican candidates what it means to be an adult. It may be setting way too high a standard for most Republicans, but that's no fault of Ms. Steinem's.

[Kelvin Mace]

30. Not an apology.

She blames others for "misinterpreting" what she clearly said. The she claims to have "misspoke", a politicians excuse for when they accidentally say exactly what they mean.

[72DejaVu]

31. Good for her

Now, how about Susan Sarandon?

[farleftlib]

34. What did Susan Sarandon do?

Why should she apologize?

[72DejaVu]

36. Implied several times

that women who support Hillary are "voting with their vagina".

[beam me up scottie]

43. I've heard women admit they're supporting Hillary just because she's a woman.

They admit that Bernie's policies are better but they want a woman in the white house. That's what Susan was referring to.

She never implied that women were hormone crazed idiots like Gloria.

[72DejaVu]

45. Yeah so?

Does it have to be the same to warrant an apology?

Sanders supporters were owed the apology from Steinem. Clinton supporters are owed an apology from Sarandon.

[beam me up scottie]

46. So if it's true then no one is owed an apology.

Susan never implied that all women vote with their vaginas.

[72DejaVu]

47. No, just those who support Hillary

[beam me up scottie]

48. Nope: SOME of the women, those who do actually vote based on gender.

She didn't use a broad brush to tar all supporters like Gloria.

[72DejaVu]

51. Even if I granted that point

"Vote with your vagina" would be considered an insult by anyone other than Sanders supporters and Gamergaters.

[beam me up scottie]

52. It's an expression and Susan is a woman and a feminist, she gets to use the v-word to make her point

It's only offensive if you're uptight about the word vagina.

[72DejaVu]

54. Aw, thanks for the elucidation

So, I'm a male. If I call Bernie a dick, you won't alert on me, right?

[beam me up scottie]

57. Now you're comparing using gender based slurs to referring to gender based votes?

In your fictional scenario your calling Bernie a "dick" is like someone else calling Hillary the c-word.

If that's the kind of person you are, go for it.

[72DejaVu]

74. Ah , no

I'm just trying to find out what the new rules and standards are since the revolutionaries took over.

[beam me up scottie]

76. No new rules, gender based slurs like your wanting to call Bernie a "dick" were never acceptable.

But like I said, if that's how you roll please proceed.

I might not alert but someone else probably will.

[senz]

71. Be logical.

The male corollary to "vagina" is "penis."

Most (but not all) of the alternative terms are used as slurs. "Dick" is most certainly a slur.

Know the difference.

[chervilant]

72. No alert from

this quarter, either, but I am adding you to my IL. Buh-bye.

[72DejaVu]

75. My grief knows no bounds

[Bernardo de La Paz]

84. We are adults & can say vagina and penis. Slamming the d-, c-, and n- word around, not so much, ok?

[beam me up scottie]

85. It's disturbing that we even have to explain that once, never mind twice.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

87. Exactly. Slurs are slurs for a purpose & other words are thus available for erudite discussion. nt

[Duckhunter935]

49. no, just some

And it is entirely truthful

[senz]

37. Susan Sarandon has nothing to apologize for.

Ms. Steinem made the mistake of belittling young women -- something that would have horrified her younger self. She went against her own beliefs, but it was nothing more than a clumsy mistake.

[emulatorloo]

32. Well done, thanks for posting n/t

[senz]

33. She regrets her mistake and more or less apologizes, and I'm okay with it.

Gloria Steinem has a huge backlog of well-earned good will, and she is now over 80, which makes nearly everyone more fallible.

I still love her.

But I do wish she could appreciate the good will that Bernie equally deserves and could fully understand why he deserves it. I would like her to comprehend the beauty of this man. I would like good to know good.

[Blue_Adept]

38. Unless you do any amount of talk shows or talk events

it's hard to understand how you can get caught up in a moment and say something that just makes sense in your head but comes out completely wrong.

I've run and been involved in a number of panels at conventions for years and you see it regularly and have done it myself.

[stevenleser]

41. I would love to see the folks under this OP criticizing her do 40-50 appearances

On shows where you have folks vigorously trying to oppose you or attack you and see how they would fare.

I'd pay money to see it.

[PoliticAverse]

53. You're accusing Bill Maher of attacking her and claiming that caused her to "misspeak"?

For those that missed the interview:

[stevenleser]

55. I said nothing of the kind. Nt

[PoliticAverse]

56. I must have imagined you wrote "on shows ... vigorously trying to oppose you or attack you". n/t

[stevenleser]

58. You imagined a specific insinuation against Maher. Nt

[PoliticAverse]

79. Yes I thought your comment in a discussion of the Steinem-Mahr interview might actually be about

that interview.

[Blue_Adept]

81. We went off on a tangent here

That's all.

[Bluenorthwest]

92. Well steve Gloria actually has a huge amont of exerience and demonstrated skill in highly

adversarial interview conditions, contentious and aggressive interviewers who were out to make her look bad were regularly demolished by Gloria when she was the age of the women she now denigrates. She was astonishingly skillful back then under very aggressive inquiry.
She's also a very transphobic person who uses what I think of as hate speech against transgender people. Because of that I do not care for her at all.
She's a fitting endorsement for Hillary really.

[stevenleser]

93. Yes she does have experience. And that doesn't affect what I said at all. nt

[Bluenorthwest]

96. Yes steve it was my opinions not about you but about Gloria. Imagine that.

Anything to say about what I said about Gloria, in spite of it not being about you? She's got a hideous history of very hateful speech about transgender people. Does that make her a great endorsement to have? I think maybe if you are Ted Cruz, yes.

[stevenleser]

97. Nope, you addressed your comment to me. And you did it again just now. nt

[Hoyt]

39. Watching Maher, I didn't feel she meant it like it sounded. Poor choice of words, but I can only

imagine what nutty comment most of us might make in that situation.

[stevenleser]

42. Yep. Nt

[Empowerer]

44. That's exactly the impression I had when I heard her say it

But I also cringed and thought, "Ooh - that's gonna leave a mark ..."

[Hoyt]

60. Exactly. When one is an 81 year old icon and still hip, I'm willing to be a bit lenient.

[Jack Rabbit]

62. I'll be generous and accept the apology as a Sandernista

However, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a young woman.

[sarge43]

63. "....for what's been misinterpreted..."

Really? So, it's our fault for not catching the nuance? Sounded to this old bat like the classic sexist cliche of "They only do this to get a husband".

Unfortunately, screws up are remembered long after an attempt at redemption.

"One aw shit wipes out a hundred attaboys."

[840high]

65. ..+1

[A Little Weird]

66. Apology accepted, now let's move on. n/t

[passiveporcupine]

67. I am OK with her apologizing, but

what's been misinterpreted as implying young women aren't serious in their politics

She's still trying to say it was "misinterpreted". It wasn't. It was just a stupid thing to say.

[in_cog_ni_to]

68. Yeah, she misspoke alright and

Pissed off a LOT of young (and older) female voters. She said...they're following boys to Bernie.

misinterpreted as implying young women aren't serious in their politics

Here's what she said..

"When you’re young, you’re thinking, 'Where are the boys?' The boys are with Bernie."

There's no "mismisinterpreted" there. Sorry. She said what she said.

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[no_hypocrisy]

70. "Misspoke" is not equivalent to "I was wrong".

[arcane1]

83. Eh, I'll take it, but I won't apologize for apparently "misinterpreting" it. n/t

[Kalidurga]

86. I am probably the only Bernista that wasn't offended by the original statement.

I thought it was a terribly funny thing to say. It was so over the top ridiculous and stupid that I couldn't find it in my heart to be offended. I just wanted to say there there Gloria it will be all right, young ladies do have minds of their own and it's okay if many of them don't agree with you these days, you still broke some ground and your legacy will be intact I am sure.

[Matariki]

88. Good on her

it was sad to see someone I respect go where she went with that statement. Her apology doesn't really explain her statement, but at least she apologized.

[jalan48]

89. Like so many of our generation Gloria became a yuppie. Money matters to some men and some women.

[Motown_Johnny]

90. But they are all still going to burn in Hell... Right?????

[Bluenorthwest]

94. That's not an apology and Gloria is a transphobic 1%er who said just what she meant.

She always does, and she's said far worse than that. Look it up people

[m-lekktor]

98. I think she revealed what her and many of the wealthy, white 1% "feminists" REALLY

think and say in private. She HAD to make an official apology because it was arrogant! and Fuck this "icon" bullshit, nobody is above criticism.

[Truprogressive85]

95. ok

When is DWS going to apologize ? for calling young women complacent ?

[Jim Lane]

99. Only a quasi-apology but still better than anything Albright has managed.

Albright's analysis of eternal damnation has certainly been interpreted as meaning that women should vote with their vaginas. If that was a misinterpretation, Albright should speak up and explain what she meant, or better yet just retract it.