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Obama apologies because of 'sexist' comment

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Well, I think the problem is that it is an unnecessary compliment.

Kamala Harris may not want people to believe that her looks contributed to her attaining the position of power that she now has.

At the end of the day, before, she was just a name on a piece of paper. We had no reason to believe that she had attained her job through means, other than hard work.

Now, there are a few feminists that will be in arms and taking about it reinforcing the secondary status of women and etc. However, obviously, that is off the mark.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Aj12
For the president of the United States to say in public, it was a stupid comment.


See I'm not so sure. It depends on what your definition of a President should be. I personally respect someone who's more sincere, human and admittedly flawed than someone who's statesmanly hollow.

These things can of course be a bit of a PR 'mare but then, should a political representative be whittled down to nothing more than a nodding dog incapable of saying the slightest thing that may cause 'offence'?
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 22
I think she is pretty decent.

To be fair to the man, he's got taste.
Original post by jreid1994
So its now inappropriate to call women(of course it only matters when it's a woman) "Tough, dedicated, an excellent addition to the field and good looking"?



He didn't say that . I thought it sounded odd when you wrote it.

“She's brilliant and she's dedicated, she's tough…She also happens to be, by far, the best looking attorney general...It's true! C'mon”
Next thing you know he'll have to apologise for hugging his wife.

I suppose if the attorney-general was offended it's right, but I can't see her being so.
Original post by DorianGrayism
He didn't say that . I thought it sounded odd when you wrote it.

“She's brilliant and she's dedicated, she's tough…She also happens to be, by far, the best looking attorney general...It's true! C'mon”


What a disgusting chauvinist he is.... Come on!
Actually he said this, is this sexist?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22049070

Mr Obama said she was "brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough, and she is exactly what you'd want in anybody who is administering the law and making sure that everybody is getting a fair shake".

Then he added: "She also happens to be by far the best-looking attorney general in the country... It's true. Come on. And she is a great friend and has just been a great supporter for many, many years."


Posted from TSR Mobile
Complimenting a woman is not sexist. Commenting on a woman's appearance in a professional and public situation where it is irrelevant, especially in a room full of men, trivialises her as both a professional and a person and is inappropriate. It's a matter of context.

This kind of thing doesn't happen in isolation. It's the same problem as when newscasters only ever comment on what female politicians are wearing. It's a level of irrelevant scrutiny that is almost never applied to male politicians and unfairly forces women to try and meet an extra dimension of expectations. There is such a thing as 'benevolent' sexism:

We define benevolent sexism as a set of interrelated attitudes toward women that are sexist in terms of viewing women stereotypically and in restricted roles but that are subjectively positive in feeling tone (for the perceiver) and also tend to elicit behaviors typically categorized as prosocial (e.g., helping) or intimacy-seeking (e.g., self-disclosure) (Glick & Fiske, 1996, p. 491).

[Benevolent sexism is] a subjectively positive orientation of protection, idealization, and affection directed toward women that, like hostile sexism, serves to justify women’s subordinate status to men (Glick et al., 2000, p. 763).


borrowed from http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psysociety/2013/04/02/benevolent-sexism/
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Bonoahx
Next thing you know he'll have to apologise for hugging his wife.

I suppose if the attorney-general was offended it's right, but I can't see her being so.




Look at that bastard! Supporting the patriarchy by perpetuating the myth that women "need to be hugged"! Ugh, he should submit a formal apology. Women are strong, animal like creatures who procreate asexually. Male sexuality needs to be ILLEGAL. Don't you know RAPE = HOLOCAUST.

And if you disagree with me, you're mansplaining.

I should highlight, it's okay for me to use derogatory gender-based epithets, but not you because remember, I'm oppressed.





:awesome:
(edited 10 years ago)
Obama does make me laugh sometimes but these sort of opinions are better said in private.
Original post by betaglucowhat
Complimenting a woman is not sexist. Commenting on a woman's appearance in a professional and public situation where it is irrelevant, especially in a room full of men, trivialises her as both a professional and a person and is inappropriate. It's a matter of context.

This kind of thing doesn't happen in isolation. It's the same problem as when newscasters only ever comment on what female politicians are wearing. It's a level of irrelevant scrutiny that is almost never applied to male politicians and unfairly forces women to try and meet an extra dimension of expectations. There is such a thing as 'benevolent' sexism:



borrowed from http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psysociety/2013/04/02/benevolent-sexism/


I have read it, pseudoscience at its best. You can't tell me polite compliments are sexist?

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Original post by jreid1994
I have read it, pseudoscience at its best. You can't tell me polite compliments are sexist?

Posted from TSR Mobile


You've read it yet you ask me a question that the piece answers at length, and that I answer explicitly in my post.

There's even a followup where the author deals with what you're asking for a second time:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psysociety/2013/04/03/benevolent-sexism-an-addendum/
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by betaglucowhat
You've read it yet you ask me a question that the piece answers at length, and that I answer explicitly in my post.

There's even a followup where the author deals with what you're asking for a second time:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psysociety/2013/04/03/benevolent-sexism-an-addendum/


I read it, what's your point? No you're right men should find women aesthetically repulsive :top: on top of that we should never have an opinion on our female friends or co workers.

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Original post by jreid1994
I read it, what's your point? No you're right men should find women aesthetically repulsive :top: on top of that we should never have an opinion on our female friends or co workers.

Posted from TSR Mobile


My point is you're either wilfully dishonest or stupid, and either option means you're not worth talking to.

betaglucowhat
Complimenting a woman is not sexist ... It's a matter of context.


jreif1994
You can't tell me polite compliments are sexist?


betaglucowhat
I answer explicitly in my post. [Complimenting a woman is not sexist]


jreif1994
No you're right men should find women aesthetically repulsive :top:
Reply 33
Original post by jreid1994
I don't think that these type of feminists have sanity any more they're picking the wrong fights, don't get me wrong women still don't do well at the top end of the career ladder and that needs to be changed, but calling this comment sexist? He might as well not mention her efforts again if she's going to respond to simple compliments with a horrible attitude like that.

Stuff like this does make it very hard to get on with women in the workplace if they take simple compliments like this as sexism.

Posted from TSR Mobile


its not the woman who reacted like that, it was feminists who criticised his comments.
Original post by kaypc
its not the woman who reacted like that, it was feminists who criticised his comments.


Either way, what he said about her was good, he gave an excellent professional and personal opinion about her. He didn't make a sexist or sexual comment about her.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 35
I would have been happy with the compliment.
Original post by betaglucowhat
My point is you're either wilfully dishonest or stupid, and either option means you're not worth talking to.


Willfully dishonest? Lol, so compliments to women (I wasn't aware that men can't be good looking though, you're either stupid or a lesbian) are not allowed? So because a femifascist says it's sexist it's true?

Posted from TSR Mobile
Feminism in 20113. Sad state of affairs.

I feel sorry for the genuine feminists, initially a good idea/movement turned to ****.
Damn :facepalm: He had no need to apologise. Feminism gone mad.
let this be a lesson to men all over the world

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