And when did we Americans get so judgemental?
I absolutely hate to talk politics but every time I hear somebody passing judgement on Sarah Palin I just cringe and think, “Where do we get off criticizing her?” Who are WE to say whether she has made a good decision by accepting the VP nomination?
As an American woman (and my party affiliation is of no matter), I am insulted to my bones at the scrutiny Sarah Palin has endured. Sure, she is a public figure, an elected official, so she opened herself up for this. I guess I can understand that we the people need to know more about her if she’s going to hold the 2nd highest elected position in the country. I get that.
But these are the things that are driving me absolutely bonkers whenever I hear a news program or a supposedly intelligent reporter spouting words of opinion rather than of objectivity…
- Palin’s daughter is pregnant. OK…so what? It’s by no means an ideal situation and her life will forever be changed but what does that have to do with Palin’s ability to serve as VP? It doesn’t. Her daughter is the one who made that decision and now has to live with the consequences. And this situation is difficult enough without the media speculating whether it’s good or bad for her to marry her boyfriend. Let it be her decision!
- Many people are also appalled that Palin’s pregnant daughter attended the convention. So? Why deprive her daughter of witnessing history and sharing this remarkable event with her mother and family? We are far past the days of shipping our pregnant teens off to a “long lost relative,” only to have them return from their “vacation” after a few months, seemingly unchanged. If anything, teen pregnancy is often glorified or made to seem easier than it actually is. Why was the movie Juno such a huge hit?
- Many people also claim that Palin shoved her daughter into the spotlight because of this issue. Well, if she didn’t make the announcement, certainly the Democrats would have found great pride in announcing it and shoving her into the spotlight. I’m still not sure why this is news but better to be acknowledged than hidden away like a deep, dark secret.
- Just how many reporters and columnists are going to write that Palin is a bad role model or a neglectful mother for accepting this position? Hello??? What better role model could you get of a strong, intelligent woman who has been married for a long time, seems to have a happy and supportive family, and who is eager to accept this chance of a lifetime to serve her country?
Last I heard Palin’s husband was quitting his job to be a stay at home dad if McCain/Palin win the election. How awesome!! How wonderful to see the gender roles changed! So Mr. Palin will become the primary caregiver; how fabulous that he will get to forge a closer relationship with all of his children.
And I won’t even pretend to fully understand just how busy Sarah Palin will be if they win this election but I highly doubt she’ll be MIA from her family’s lives for four years. Yes, she’ll travel a lot more but so long as her kids are with her husband or grandparents instead of a slew of uncaring nannies, so what? With the current internet technologies she can easily call them or set up a webcam to say goodnight. Is that ideal? No, nothing will replace the feel of hugging your children tightly, but she’s also not getting shipped off to Siberia for four years.
John F. Kennedy had two small children when he was elected into office. Was he criticized just as badly? Was he considered a bad role model because he would be too busy being President to be a good father? I don’t know the answer but something tells me those questions never arose. Why not? Because he was a man and had his wife to take care of the kids?
The biggest puzzlement to me is why no women’s groups or feminist groups have stepped up in defense of Palin. Isn’t Palin the epitomy of what the women’s movement was all about? Women are just as good and qualified as men in all jobs; women can have both family and career. Hello? Don’t these groups see that the media is helping to take us back to a time where women were supposed to be barefoot and pregnant? Or are they willing to accept this setback because Palin is not a liberal Democrat? Because she’s not Hillary?
How pitiful.
Tags: feminists, politics, Sarah Palin, teen pregnancy, women's groups, women's issues
