Savannah, GA. No, it wasn't sexism and misogyny that ended Senator Clinton's attempt at securing the Democratic Presidential nomination--she made choices establishing that on her own--but if people wish to be brutally honest about the discussion, then gender bias, chauvinism, and the hatred of women played a very, very, large role in her defeat. Racism remains America's open wound, but gender prejudice is the raging sepsis beneath our skin. As a society we are so quick to hold contemptuousness toward the feminine. One of the most damning accusations that can be made to a boy is to accuse him of being a girl. When some male sports coaches want to completely shame their teams, they denounce them as female. If they need fortitude on the field, they don't need 'guts' or a 'spine'--they need to 'grow a pair.' They must be men. (Homophobia is the ugly sibling to this execration and enmity.) When women do wrong or make mistakes they are witches, bitches, whores; skanks, twats, cunts, sluts. The comments sections of most political blogs are rife with such sneering descriptions of the junior Senator from N.Y.
I celebrate the fact that 43 years after the signing of the Voting Rights Act we now have a national presidential candidate who is Black. I also celebrate the fact that 88 years after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution we came very close to having a Woman do the same.
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