http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=291138Published on Sunday, April 13, 2008
Sexism in the primaries
By Deborah Atkinson
Fayetteville
Since our election primaries began, I have become increasingly concerned over the media’s reaction toward Hillary Clinton. Rather than honor their duty to report accurately apart from any personal prejudices and biases, the media have frequently lost their ability to objectively report on the Democratic debates.
Why?
As a clinical psychologist, I look to the psychiatrist Carl Jung, who said in the years following the Holocaust that people should not fear looking at the unconscious, but instead be fearful of failing to do so. The unconscious refers to behaviors, feelings or thoughts that are outside an individual’s awareness or outside the awareness of groups and societies. This is important because the unconscious can be a powerful force when it involves toxic conflict and emotions such as fear, anger or envy, especially because these emotions can be accompanied by behavior that harms others.
As a psychotherapist, never have I been so convinced that we need to heed Jung’s warning.
I believe the media’s reaction is a reflection of the widespread sexism that simmers within our society. And even though Americans want to think of themselves as enlightened, I believe we are not.
Simply put, sexism is discrimination against women. Sexism is attitudes, conditions or behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender.
It happens when the news media dissect Sen. Clinton’s every gesture, comment and mood. For example, journalists trade comments on her likability — is she unemotional (“cold”) or too emotional? They talk about the unacceptability of her laugh (“cackle”) or the tone of her voice (“shrill”). Yet, these same journalists overlook the physical aspects of the male candidates. For example, no one ever comments on Sen. Obama’s widely placed ears or how he cocks his chin up in an arrogant sort of way when he talks. They never mention that one side of McCain’s face is larger than the other or that he must read his favorite quote by George Washington from a card because he can’t remember it. No, that would be cruel.
Embedded bias
Sexism can also be embedded in what is not said. It happened during the early debates, when Clinton was ignored by the facilitators while Obama and Edwards tripped over themselves to support each other. The news commentators never addressed these dynamics or the Obama and Edwards alliance that left Clinton out of the discussion.
Sexism happened again t recently during NPR’s interview of Sen. Clinton. The commentator asked Clinton how she reacted to the cable news and others’ pronouncement that “She has no way to win unless she wins ugly.” Clinton reacted by pointing out that the question itself was a double standard. She said Obama could be asked the very same question, as he was in the same situation, but only she was asked.
Some may argue that media coverage has been more aggressive and more detailed simply because of Sen. Clinton’s past high-profile history. However, even during Bill Clinton’s presidency, Hillary was mistreated. Donnie Radcliffe’s book, “Hillary Rodham Clinton: A First Lady for Our Time,” addresses the media’s dislike of Hillary in the chapter, “They Shoot Candidates’ Wives, Don’t They?” The chapter addresses the media’s reaction when Hillary did not fit the stereotype for a first lady. And remember John McCain’s cruel joke at a 1998 Washington GOP fundraiser: “Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father.” Have we forgotten the field day the media had with that?
Others would argue that Bill Clinton’s high-profile role in the campaign is an excuse for the media’s behavior. However, why is it acceptable for Obama’s wife to actively campaign for her husband, but not acceptable for former President Clinton to support his wife? And why would his involvement ever provide justification for cruelty from the media?
Jung gives us a way to understand how we can be so unaware of the actions of ourselves and of others. He used the term the “shadow” to explain how difficult it can be to discover one’s hidden feelings or thoughts. Like our own shadow, we can only see the unconscious indirectly and sometimes not at all. As we turn, it distorts or slips out of our sight. That is why the role of the media is so important. We need objectivity, honesty without distortions. Instead, the media have modeled inequities through hate-filled, aggressive and demeaning language.
Our country narrowly defines women. When women pursue their own ambitions, they must do so in the narrowly defined way that our society has sanctioned, otherwise many people are threatened.
Some men feel challenged by a strong woman such as Clinton and may feel the need to dominate her in an aggressive, demeaning way. Women who identify with male-centered values may be disgusted by a strong woman and may seek to put a strong woman in her place with insults. This is what we see played out in the media. It is even more transparent in live news programs and discussions which allow for a more unguarded, spontaneous example of these dynamics.
The media have modeled, in a perverse way, that strong, knowledgeable women are unlikable and should not bother to run for president because they too will be treated in the same way that Hillary Clinton has been treated. During these primaries, the media have told our little girls, our sisters, our wives, our mothers, “Don’t bother to run for president; they will just chew you up and spit you out.”
Deborah Atkinson, Ph.D., is a psychologist who lives in Fayetteville.
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