The New Yorker: Why Aren't We Inspired by Hillary Clinton? (HILLARY SUPPORTERS GROUP)
....If Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination and the national election, can we expect the same gathering of crowds and the same emotional outpouring (as on the night Barack Obama was elected)? Would the historic election of the first woman President evoke a similar thrill and sense of wonderment at the leaps that this country is capable of making?
Probably not. But why not? Is the election of a black man more revolutionary than the election of a white woman? Of course, one cannot compare the moment of an election victory of one candidate to a moment during another candidate’s campaign, a year before the election. And much of the excitement about Obama derived from the dissatisfaction with the President he was replacing. But the question remains: what’s behind the shortfall of enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton?
There are myriad reasons, and Clinton, of course, is not remotely as inspiring a speaker or campaigner as Obama. But another obvious explanation is the persistent problem of gender bias in American culture. Perhaps the sexism—in both overtly hostile and less visible but still insidious ways—has helped stoke the fires of animosity towards Clinton while, at the same time, creating an almost impossible standard for her. Unlike her male opponents, Clinton has to be far more careful and measured in what she says and does. To be free from a strict choreography of words and actions is a form of male privilege that Hillary Clinton cannot access.
Authenticity has been a keyword during this election season. And our culture, suffused with sexism, plays the role of the arbiter of a candidate’s authenticity. Clinton must tread lightly: she cannot appear too strong without risking her likability ratings; she cannot appear too vulnerable without her credibility suffering. Herein lies Clinton’s dilemma. The Clinton campaign declared recently that Hillary would show more of what the New York Times called “humor and heart,” so she learned a popular dance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Clinton may “play the Granny card” to appear less ambitious and more friendly and family-focussed. It is hard to imagine that a man would have to do the same.
On a more visceral level, some Americans still wince at the idea of a woman in the Oval Office. When it comes to sexism in American culture, very little has changed since the 2008 election. Indeed, things may have gotten worse....
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/why-arent-we-inspired-by-hillary-clinton via @newyorker
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