A thought occurred to me as I was thinking about the Sarah Palin candidacy: It could really set feminist causes back 100 years. I don't say this because I believe feminism only exists on the left and not on the right, but rather b/c the root of sexism, like all prejudices, is based upon either conscious or unconscious beliefs that are harbored by us collectively as a people.
I think of her candidacy, and it brings to mind two people: Jack Johnson and Jackie Robinson. Let me tell you why...
I had read the book "Unforgivable Blackness" about Jack Johnson, the "Galveston Giant," who was the first black heavyweight Champion of the World in 1908. Though the best fighter of his time, he was widely reviled and his career was often hindered b/c many white fighters would not fight him b/c of his color (or that they secretly knew he would wipe the floor with them). The commonly used term, "Great White Hope" came from this time as whites were looking for a white fighter to prove that the white race was superior than the black race. James J. Jeffries came out of retirement to fight Johnson, stating clearly that was his purpose for fighting. Reports from the fight, which occurred in an outdoor arena in Reno, tell that a band was near the ring, and welcomed in Johnson's arrival by playing a song entitled, "All Coons Look Alike to Me." Lovely. Shouts from the crowd included "kill the nigger!" Despite all of this, Johnson prevailed and won the fight. Today, Johnson is in the American Boxing Hall of Fame, the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. The fight with Jeffries was recognized as historic and the film of it has been ordered to be preserved.
Branch Rickey, General Manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers, had decided that it was time for the color barrier in major league baseball to be broken. In looking around for a candidate, he found a young short stop named Jackie Robinson playing in the Negro Leagues batting .387. Passing over other black players such as the great Satchel Paige, Rickey decided they needed the perfect candidate, and the young, good looking, army vet fit the bill. Throughout the start of his career with the Dodgers, as you can imagine, Robinson was called every name in the book, and his life and safety were threatened repeatedly - from both fans and the very guys he was playing with. His first season, he hit .297, led the league in stolen bases, and won Rookie of the Year. After ten years of playing, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility. He became a prominent business man in post baseball life, and his jersey number is retired in every ball park across the country, most of which are teams he never played for and didn't even exist at the time he played.
The reason that I point this out is because I believe that true trailblazers are ones that have two main components:
- The break the barrier that has held back their group; and
- They succeed once there.
If breaking a barrier by any one person is followed by abject failure, then it reinforces every bigot who worked to keep that group out. If Jackie Robinson hadn't of been one of the best in the league, we would not have seen another black player in the league for decades. If he had reacted violently to his taunters, the very same result. It is through this strength that he raised all black players up, and by extension, all black people. Jack Johnson wasn't in the same mold. He liked to drink, carouse, and loved white women, eventually marrying one. He represented and celebrated every vice and shortcoming a man could have. Despite this though, nobody could say he wasn't the best, and he made anyone saying that the white race was superior look foolish due to his dominance of white fighters.
With all that, if come Nov. 4th, Sarah Palin becomes the Vice-President of the United States, she will reinforce every idea and stereotype that sexists have about women:
- That they should be judged on their looks and sexuality;
- That they really can't handle serious issues and are ditzes;
- That they need protecting when things get tough because they are emotional and delicate.
Forget the arguments that she is not smart, or that she is being misused by her party, or that she is the victim of being "over crammed" with facts, and consider this very basic premise. The woman who might be the first Vice President of the United States cannot even carry an idea from one night to the next day. Anyone who watched the debate remembers the argument that arose between McCain and Obama about their position on Pakistan. Specifically, McCain, her running mate made two points: 1) You can't invade the sovereign territory of Pakistan; and 2) Even if you were going to do it, you can't say it publicly. Since Palin came out the next day and actually supported Obama's position, it really begs the question - How can she not understand that her ticket opposes this position, and it stated so at length not only through the primary and general election, but it was a major point of the debate which occurred the night before.
With Sarah Palin as our VP, that glass ceiling is going to turn into one of steel, because she isn't a trailblazer, she's a cynical, cheap gimmick.