The Sexist, Racist Demonization of Michelle Obama
Via Amandaw, discussion of the it’s-already-started vilification of Michelle Obama. Discussions by Tami at Racialicious “Michelle Obama: Ain’t She a Woman?”. Recently, a dailyKos post on the Republicans’ Southern Strategy included this graphic:
Sexism is always wrong. Racism is always wrong. And the curious blend of bigotry and oppression that exists at the intersection of the two is wrong. Any form of systemic oppression is wrong and furthermore, it’s not a handy dandy tool for anyone to use to make a point. It is completely unacceptable to use a violent image of a woman being strung up, burned, and branded as property to make a point about the Republicans’ political strategy. Yes, the Southern Strategy was racist. Yes, it was vile. But trafficking in the same kind of imagery and language that they used, whether you use it to mock them or not, perpetuates the notion that such rhetoric is acceptable if you’re on the right side. It is not. It is never right and never acceptable and furthermore, using women as expendable tools to make a point has a long and not so glorious history. Women are not commodities. Women are not things, are not casual illustrative examples. This graphic trivializes the violence that women of color, women, and people of color, constantly suffer by employing it for shock value.
Amandaw’s post “Check This Out” discusses the demonization of Hillary Rodham Clinton and predicts what will happen–what has already started–with Michelle Obama.
Here’s an exercise. Imagine every racist and sexist cliche you can think of. Bring the worst invective to mind, the things that would automatically make someone A Racist(tm) if they expressed it today.
Then think of a way to disguise that invective, to strip it of any direct reference to race or gender. Rationalize.
Then commit that thought to memory.
Because you’re going to hear all those rationalizations in the coming years.
I guarantee it.
Tami’s post at Racialicious, “Michelle Obama: Ain’t She a Woman?” discusses the silence of the mainstream (predominantly white) feminist blogosphere on the nasty racism and sexism against Michelle Obama that’s seeping up through the MSM sewers and also discusses the image above.
The mainstream feminist blogosphere has been largely silent on an issue that is spreading through the black blogosphere like wildfire. This image… [the graphic above]
…which was initially posted last week on the progressive site Daily Kos and has now spread through the rightosphere, has struck many black women as blatantly offensive. To be fair, the image initially accompanied a post about the modern Southern Strategy and how it is being used against Barack Obama. The social criticism of racism by the author, a poster called One Citizen, was good, but the inflammatory image injected into the discussion a disturbing aspect of woman in peril sexuality. Here you have Michelle Obama, bound, submissive and strangely sexualized in a backless, clinging red dress intersected with themes of racial violence. Black female bloggers raised a ruckus, but many of our allies have been noticeably silent, and if possible, the groups that have been most vocal about sexism against Hillary Clinton have been worse than silent on this and other incidents of sexism aimed at the presumptive Democratic nominee’s wife.
Say it with me, folks: sexism is always wrong. Racism is always wrong. No matter who the target is. Speak out and speak loudly.
Redstar said,
2008 June 6 at 5:26 AM
I have Tami’s post saved in my inbox so I could write about it. I wrote briefly about this image when it first appeared over at The Hillary 1000. We are going to see some seriously sick shit wrt Michelle Obama given she’s a strong independent woman of color. Glad to see you writing about this.
Stacy said,
2008 June 6 at 6:53 AM
*sputters incoherently*
We are about to see one low-down, flat-out, nasty campaign. Urk.
Space Cowboy said,
2008 June 6 at 8:19 AM
The more this election cycle continues, the more grateful I am that the word “misanthrope” was invented. People continue to disgust me at every turn, while our society remains stagnant in its irrational backward thinking without the slightest chance of evolving.
pizzadiavola said,
2008 June 6 at 11:24 AM
Redstar | 2008 June 6 at 5:26 am
I just saw this last night and my jaw dropped. It is un-fucking-believable.
We are going to see some seriously sick shit wrt Michelle Obama given she’s a strong independent woman of color.
Ain’t that the truth. I remember seeing a WSJ profile of her a few months ago where the writer’s head was clearly exploding because MO is an independent career woman. Then there was Dowd’s op-ed last fall(?) about how how MO was emasculating her spouse by telling people he didn’t pick up his socks. That was even before the primaries and caucuses ended and the media’s expected reversion to OMG MCCAIN= <3! Small indicators of things to come.
pizzadiavola said,
2008 June 6 at 2:22 PM
Stacy | 2008 June 6 at 6:53 am
Incoherent sputtering was my reaction, too, when I saw that at amandaw’s place. I always thought jaw-dropping was a figure of speech, but it turns out it can be quite literal.
rrp said,
2008 June 6 at 2:59 PM
you know when I first heard about this picture I thought people were exaggerating.
The next few months are going to suck.
pizzadiavola said,
2008 June 6 at 3:26 PM
rrp | 2008 June 6 at 2:59 pm
The past few months were already terrible. The next few months are going to be terrible along the same lines, but with a new target and with a heaping truckload of the vile blend of prejudices aimed at women of color.
pizzadiavola said,
2008 June 6 at 3:28 PM
Space Cowboy | 2008 June 6 at 8:19 am
Basically. I’m hoping that one of the effects of the campaign season will be to force people to drop the sheltered pretense that they don’t see racism, sexism, and other forms of systemic discrimination. But I’m not holding my breath.
Dr. Bobbi Anne white said,
2008 August 25 at 4:25 PM
I don’t agree with the sexism, of course, but there are valid criticisms of Michelle. Unfortunately, she could have spoken up when the MSM was dragging Hillary down with their sexist comments. she was asked if she would support Hillary if she had would win the nomination early in the primary, and she responded “well I’ll have to think about that.”
And now she is giving the opening convocation of the DNC, so she is open to criticism.
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
If she doesn’t want to be criticized, then she should maintain a nominal role and opening the convention is not that role.
pizzadiavola said,
2008 August 25 at 4:32 PM
And now she is giving the opening convocation of the DNC, so she is open to criticism.
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
The point of the post is not that criticism is never valid, it’s that sexist, racist, and other forms of prejudiced bigotry are never valid. Criticizing Michelle Obama for her silence on misogyny is valid; criticizing her in sexist and/or racist terms is never valid because those prejudices are not acceptable, period, whether they’re aimed at a friend or an opponent.
If she doesn’t want to be criticized, then she should maintain a nominal role and opening the convention is not that role.
This attitude is quite problematic, because it seems that you’re saying that Michelle Obama brought the sexist&racist criticism upon herself by daring to take a public role. That’s nothing more than victim blaming and it’s fucked up. There is plenty of valid criticism to be made, but saying that she deserves to be vilified and portrayed as a piece of property as in the image above simply because she’s taken a public role, is nothing more than punishing her for daring to step outside the confines of the kitchen.
Happy Blogiversary: Checking My Privilege « Pizza Diavola said,
2008 August 31 at 1:40 AM
[...] and not justifications for future failures, and the correct answer is that I can do better. I made a start at covering the sexism&racism hurled at Michelle Obama a few months ago, and then completely [...]