"There are guys out there who imagine that anti-discrimination and affirmative action regulations intended to level the playing field put traditionally disadvantaged groups--women, blacks and other ethnic minorites--at an unfair disadvantage because they don't recognize that the treatment that they used to take for granted was in fact a special privilege that members of traditionally disadvantaged groups didn't have.
"They took it for granted that of course they'd be able to get car loans at reasonable terms, that they wouldn't be stuck working at boring dead-end pink-collar jobs, and that they wouldn't have to compete with women or minorities. So to them leveling the playing field looks like putting them down in order to provide unfair advantages to women and minorities.
"They don't believe that women or minorities are disadvantaged and so they read any suggestion that they are as illegitimate 'whining.' But you can't say that about minorities, so women are a surrogate for their complaints. But make no mistake: what's underlying the sexism directed against Clinton is resentment against the recognition that women and minorities have been, and continue to be, disadvantaged and against policies that would level the playing field."
"My 'friend' at work has been sending me anti-Hillary emails for, oh, about 12 years now. Disgusting jokes. Bad pictures. Photoshopped pictures. Wild stories involving killing Vince Foster and lesbianism. Every month. 12 years. There was a bit of a flurry in 2004 - a bunch of John Kerry is a traitor emails. But the constant was Hillary Clinton.
[...]
"If you all think that this won't happen to Michelle Obama you are sadly mistaken. Just wait until she has anything to say about any little policy an Obama administration might consider.
"And when the shit comes down no doubt you will all gasp and clutch at your pearls - how dare they do that to Michelle - those racists!
"Another work 'friend' put it well today: 'GWB has been a disaster, but at least Laura knew how to act like a first lady.' Better start teaching Michelle how to bake fucking cookies...that's all she will be doing in a few months. And that's not about racism, my friends."
-- luko, 2008-06-13
[Posted from my cell phone via SMS]
Am home, unpacking. Not checked email or LJ yet.
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