Back in 1984, Walter Mondale began the hopelss quest to unseat Ronald Reagan for the Presidency. Reagan was, for all intents and purposes, bullet-proof, and Mondale needed a hat-trick and a miracle if he was to have any chance at all of not looking like a fool.
Geraldine Ferraro was a respected member of the House of Representives when Mondale tapped her as his running mate, cementing her place in history as a trailblazer for women in politics, and a new feminist icon.
I find this ironic. Mondale only picked Ferraro out of hope that this hat-trick would sway enough women to his ticket. He needed a bold move to go with his miracle. This was it.
This where the irony comes in. Where Ferraro not in possession of female sexual parts upon which to be judged, she would never have been been tied to a politically sucessful man who blazed the trail for feminists to give her credit for.
Feminism can be so silly sometimes.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Well, you have to start somewhere.
Actual Feminism? Not silly at all. What you are describing? Well, I can't rub up my sleeves and dig in at the moment (on my phone right now) bc our laptop is deep into some fantasy baseball picks at the moment, but rest assured I'll get back to you. ;)
Incidentally, it's pretty cliched at this point, to attribute the achievements of a woman/minority to their gender/race. (And since when are VP candidates NOT chosen in order to get more votes?!)
I remember how fun it was when Ms. Ferraro's son got arrested for dealing/possessing cocaine during the campaign. Not that (Bristol Palin) embarassing things by candidates' families are anything new, but back in 1984, people cared a lot more.
Post a Comment