Katie Couric was invited to give the annual Class Day address at Princeton University for some reason this year. Even though I know Katie’s accomplishments make her a great candidate for that kind of honor, she’s not a Princeton alumni (she graduated from UVA), so I don’t really get it. Anyway, in her speech, Katie made a couple of interesting references. She quoted Martha Stewart (“It’s a good thing”) and name-dropped First Lady Michelle Obama, who actually is a Princeton alum. Katie also made some self-deprecating jokes about her cougar-hood, but I didn’t find that particularly interesting. The part that most people will notice is that Katie made a sideswipe at Gov. Sarah Palin, saying “Coming here was a real no brainer! After all, I can see New Jersey from my house!” Zing.
Katie Couric poked fun at her “cougar” label while giving the annual Class Day address at Princeton University on Monday.
“I’ve been called a cougar lately … but today … I’m very happy to be an honorary Tiger instead!” Couric, 52, said, referring to the school’s mascot. (Her boyfriend, entrepreneur Brooks Perlin, was 33 when they began dating in 2007.)
She then made a subtle dig at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whom she interviewed last year: “Coming here was a real no brainer! After all, I can see New Jersey from my house!”
Kidding aside, Couric told the crowd, “As you head out into this daunting job market, at least you have many illustrious alumni lighting the way.”
She cited Michele Obama as an example: “She was class of 1985, and now she’s wowing them in Washington.”
Couric continued, “There are a few noteworthy men who were proud to go to Princeton as well…a list that reads like a who’s who of American History. James Madison, John Foster Dulles, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Malcolm Forbes, James Baker….and Lyle Menendez, who’s currently serving a life sentence at the Mule Creek State Prison in California. Hey, you can’t win ’em all!”
“Don’t be a hater,” Couric later added. “Princeton has taught you to think critically, to approach things with a healthy dose of skepticism … and that’s a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say. … Rise above the collegial nastiness and instead celebrate excellence.”
[From US Weekly]
I hope people don’t get too worked up over this. It was just a gentle joke that seemed like a Saturday Night Live castoff from eight months ago. And Sarah Palin already singled out Katie as one of the people she blames for her election loss and fraught media image, saying several months ago, “In those Katie Couric interviews, I did feel that there were a lot of things that she was missing, in terms of an opportunity to ask what a VP candidate stands for, what the values are represented in our ticket.” Let the catfight continue!
Katie Couric is shown in the header on 2/13/09 at The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection 2009 Fashion Show in NY. Credit: WENN.com
doesn’t have to be an alum who speaks at class day…in fact, there are a lot of colleges who don’t have an alum speak at a baccalaureate or grad ceremony.
last year it was Stephen Colbert, and the year before that it was some actor from “the West Wing”. neither are pton grads.
regarding Palin, the only person she has to blame for that interview is herself. Couric simply asked the questions, Palin is the one who answered them poorly.
Marie Couric will become my new hero!
Sarah Palin is pathetic. No way was she ready to run for VP She can’t even take care of her own home. She should start there.
Will she please get OVER IT. It was not that big a slip! She seems to just look for any reason to bring up Sarah Pain and mock her. There are funnier things going on! She barely has any integrity as a journalist anymore.
Bea: No one would dare tell a male politician with a messed up family that. Her family is not that screwed up anyway.
I can’t stand Sarah Palin and her family but ugh, with the same TIRED “joke”. Please stop talking about the Palins.
Did Couric get her eyes ‘done’? Because they look odd.
As for the Palin joke (no pun intended) it still works, and will for a long time especially if she keeps interjecting herself into the public eye. The Couric/Palin interview debacle is legendary, much like Pres. Clintons finger wagging ‘I did not have sex with that woman’ or (my personal favorite) ‘I did not inhale’ and Pres. Nixons ‘I am not a crook’ or Pres. Bush sr’s ‘No new taxes’.
For those of you who apparently only read blogs, Palin never said the I Can See Russia quote, it was Tina Fey on SNL. All Couric has done here is steal somebody else’s joke. That’s not particularly clever or funny.
Palin never said the I Can See Russia quote, it was Tina Fey on SNL
LOL. Oh Really?
GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?
PALIN: They’re our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.
—
“As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border.” –Sarah Palin,
well, to be 100% accurate, she did not in fact say (verbatim) “I can see Russia from my house”, but she may as well have.
that was clearly her intention – that she’s qualified in foreign policy because you can see Russia from Alaska.
even McCain knew what a dolt she was, he admitted as much after the election.
I don’t understand why Katie Couric, a journalist, is inserting her political views so much. I am not a fan of Sarah Palin by any means but I don’t think Katie Couric is raising the discourse for women at all. Questioning a candidate carefully and thoroughly is one thing. Mocking her on an occasion like this (or at all) is another.
Katie, with all your professional stature and money, could you please set a better example? Where is your professionalism? You’re engaging in the very nastiness you are telling these graduates to avoid.
RobN,
While that may not have been her exact quote, I think the joke lies in the entire absurdity of the interview and her lack of basic knowledge on so many subjects. She was running for the VPOTUS and was woefully unquallified, undereducated, and inarticulate. Sure she had ‘executive’ experience as a governor for about two years and her state borders a foreign country, well under those standards Jesse ‘the Body’ Ventura was far more qualified than she was he was Gov for a full term of a state that also borders a foreign country…So take that with a giant grain of salt. She may well be a wonderful Governor for the state of Alaska and I certainly hope that she is, and she seems like a very amiable and charming person but that does not mean that she belongs living in Number One Observatory Circle. I have nothing against her, but I personally would prefer that my POTUS and VPOTUS are at the very least more knowledgable than the ‘average Joe’ in regards to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, regardless of their political party. I think that is only fair. She didn’t even know what the Bush Doctrine (the foreign policy at the time) was while being asked about her foreign policy, which is also when Alaskas proximity to US came up as her basis for having foreign policy experience, and frankly that is really unnerving to hear for any educated voter which is why it became such a joke.
Both Couric and Palin are jokes.
Really, wasn’t it on Couric’s first night as news anchor that her big breaking “newsstory” was a picture of baby Suri Cruise?
dolt lol I love that word
This just makes Katie look like the huge bitch that she is, really unbecoming Katie.
Oh you are right she does have the hilary Clinton eyes now doesn’t she, she does look old.
I am thankful my child wasn’t graduating from there, I would have hated to sit through a Katie speach! UGH!
It’s obvious that Katie Couric has no luv for Sarah Palin but I will have to agree with Nimble Katie simply asked a question and Sarah showed her stupidity on Foreign Policy….
I would not compare a state bordering Canada having the same security issues as one bordering Russia.
I worry more about having Joe the Biden in the #1 spot.
“She didn’t even know what the Bush Doctrine (the foreign policy at the time)…”
To be fair, Gibson was vague with his question, there have been more than one Bush doctrine.
Gibson should have clarified his question instead of trying a gotcha question. Even he didn’t get it right. What Gibson later clarified was known as the ‘Wolfowitz’ doctrine as per the National Security Strategy Document.
The WaPo did an article on this very interview, it’s a good read if you’re interested.
When Curic asked her about what she reads, Palin was shocked she asked such an inane question. Without the Palin interview and fabulous editing to put her in high standing on the left, little Katie would have sunk off into the sunset with her crappy ratings. Her ratings have been steadily declining ever since.
Rehashing Gibson’s ‘zinger’ again, shows me that it must be a huge part of Curic’s identity by being the one who helped ‘bring down’ Palin.
I would bet it would be mentioned in her obit. Another major network journalist being so unbiased, how refreshing.
What I found to be especially hypocritical of Curics address was her comments;
“Don’t be a hater,” Couric later added….… Rise above the collegial nastiness and instead celebrate excellence.”
Yeah, Katie, do as I say…. right?
btw, there is a spelling error in the post.
Palin never said she could see Alaska from her house, though people who want to hate her seem to think this old joke is so funny because she did.
The joke is on them (people like Annie) and their ignorance. Even as she quotes Palin, Annie is unable to recognize that seeing “from her house” is not in the quote, and in fact is from Fey’s SNL skit.
Katie’s sloppy mouth annoys me.
Daisy,
Alaska does border Canada, as does MN, but it doesn’t ‘border’ Russia any more than Florida ‘borders’ Cuba. While I don’t much care for Katie Couric she didn’t ask any questions that were ‘tricky’ enough to throw off a VPOTUS or potential POTUS , and I, like many others do not suffer fools gladly which is exactly how she came across. I feel sad that McCain chose her, he had a stable of viable VP choices (Kay Baily Hutchinson, Gov Pawlenty, Gov Jindal, Mitt Romney, etc) that were much more qualified and better educated, but he made a poor choice with Palin and she is a big reason he lost that election.
As for my ‘spelling error’ I am sure that was not my first and certainly not my last, mea culpa.
Cuba vs Russia? You’re kidding right?
That’s equal to fighting Thermonuclear weapons or Ballistic Missiles with a sling shot and a pea.
What would Castro do, throw a cigar at Charlie Crist?
IMO She wasn’t thrown by inane questions, I would say she was mystified that Curic thought they were relevant.
You think blunder ridden, big shot wanna be, Biden is doing a better job? SNL hit the nail on the head with the oval office skit, what a joke.
As far as her being the reason for McCain losing the election, you’re a bit off. His poll #’s were higher due to adding Palin to the ticket and Palin being more right of center than McCain was. She had the votes with the Rep. base, not McCain.
It wasn’t your spelling error, it’s author of this thread.
The joke is on them (people like Annie) and their ignorance. Even as she quotes Palin, Annie is unable to recognize that seeing “from her house” is not in the quote, and in fact is from Fey’s SNL skit.
Actually, I’m quite aware. She did not directly, verbatim say that. But I didn’t say that she did…I posed a question, two words, and then posted direct quotes.
And agreed! Jindal or Romney! Would’ve been much better picks.
You worry about Biden more than you would’ve worried about Palin? Even though Biden’s been in this whole madness for how long?
Daisy,
I was simply pointing out that Alaska does not border Russia anymore than Florida does Cuba, not comparing the two, I suppose I should have worded that more clearly. The mere proximity to a country does not qualify a person as an expert in foreign policy with that country, if that were the case than the middle east wouldn’t be in such a quandary, I am sorry to say but it was a silly point for her to attempt to make.
That being said, I gather you are one of those uberpartisan types? I am not, I don’t do political ‘flame wars’, and I do not intend to be rude but since that seems to be your intention I just wanted to let you know that I am not interested, I am happy to hear all viewpoints and discuss and even debate in a polite manner but anything beyond that is of no interest to me and probably most people here, so again not to be rude but I would appreciate it if you would respect that ‘border’ and I thank you very much for doing so.
I will respond to your comment, you are correct Mrs Palin as you wrote did in fact envigorate the ‘base’ of the party, she unfortunately did not do the same for moderates and independents and that is where I think the problem was. I could very well be wrong, but I guess we will have to agree to disagree on that moot point.
Gracias.
Couric is a loser.
Michelle Obama is “wowing” people because…..she married a man who did something with his life. She’s not the one who made them famous and/or important.
@ TaylorB: Agreed. 🙂
KansasRefug nailed it. And for the record, I live in Palin’s state and I think she has done a phenomenal job here. I sincerely doubt that Palin’s whole foreign policy position was that Alaska is close to Russia.
Michelle Obama is “wowing” people because…..she married a man who did something with his life.
Two things:
1. She might also be wowing people because she’s a very well-spoken and successful woman.
2. When you say, “did something with his life” you imply that she didn’t. Considering that she is a Princeton and Harvard Law graduate…are you serious? In fact, she met Barack because he was a summer associate in a firm where she was already an associate at; she was his mentor to boot. Further, She was an associate dean of student services at the University of Chicago! I think she was doing just fine and dandy without Barack.
I mean her resume is stacked. And you really think that the only thing that is wowing us is the fact that she’s Mrs. Barack Obama? No.
TaylorB, if you think Couric’s ridiculous interview is legendary you are off your pedantic rocker. Couric is a loser.
You and Annie are made for each other. Not the same person, are you?
Re: the discussion between Annie & Renee
I agree that Michelle Obama is an accomplished woman who has done much with her life. I am not really “wowed” by her but I am impressed with much of the way she is handling the First Lady role.
I don’t think being First Lady is the same as holding a position of substance. One of the things I like about her is her recognition that she was not elected and does not hold any serious position of substance right now.
I do think she is doing a bit of damage in encouraging young girls to think that marrying well is the ticket. I do think marrying well is important but I define that not as marrying a high-status, ambitious or wealthy man, but instead choosing a man who wants to be a present and engaged father (as Pres. Obama seems to be trying hard to do despite his demanding jobs), whose ego is under management, who has empathy and compassion and who is willing to support you in your work (including mothering if that is what you want) and what you do, and to work hard himself and not just chase his ego.
1. Not the same person.
and
2. Simply because we don’t agree with you doesn’t mean our points/beliefs/opinions DIRECT QUOTING, aren’t accurate or valid.
Thanks.
Annie, it’s laughable to me that you’re aligning yourself with someone (Taylor) who claims to “debate in a polite manner,” when you’re generally one of the first posters out of the gate with the “you’re a moron because you don’t see things my way” crap.
I’m disappointed in Couric. I thought she had more class. Too bad.
Disappointment is Sarah Palin. She is a black eye to the Republicans party. She is the female George W Bush. The Republican party don’t need that idiot and her Hillbilly family in the White House.
Vicsmith,
You have a valid point, I guess I used the term ‘legendary’ rather loosely. But as I said before it holds the same, albeit current, stuff of ‘legends’, status that Clintons ‘I did not inhale’ and Nixons ‘I am not a crook’ nonsense did. I am not trying to argue, I hope that you can see that. Just trying to clear up my post as it seems I communicated my points poorly. Sometimes in print things can come across differently so I do apologize if I offended you or anyone else here. People have differing opinions as well they should, the world would be pretty boring if we didn’t. I am more than happy to debate an issue, but there is a place and time, and a celeb gossip site may not be the proper place to have a political discussion, and I take full responsibilty for interjecting my personal opinion (oh, and by the by I am non-partisan, I choose candidates based on their policy) on Ms Palins interviewing prowess or lack there of.
As for me being Annie, well I don’t know who she is, but it seems that as you don’t seem to care for that person so that comment was intended to be some sort of ‘dig’. Sorry, but I don’t know her, or you for that matter, so if you have an issue with her I suggest you discuss it with her.
I enjoy coming to this site, but commenting here seems to be counterproductive, please accept my apology for insulting you and clearly many others and making you so angry, that was not my intention at all.
Aligning? What is this? Some kind of war? Allies vs. Axis Powers? Because I agree with her? Sometimes I agree with you and God forbid you’d ever be ok with us agreeing on the same things….
And THAT is what’s laughable to me. That my agreement with a well-spoken argument is suddenly tantamount to my not being me or whatever you want to refer to it as.
You know what else is laughable? That you just lovelovelove to take little jabs at me whenever the opportunity arises, which hey, you’re completely entitled to. Perhaps it stems from the whole “fat girls” “skinny girls” business, but frankly? Keep it up if you’d like, the more entertainment for me, the better.
Kansas Refuge wrote: InRe Ms Obama ‘I do think she is doing a bit of damage in encouraging young girls to think that marrying well is the ticket.’
This is not a partisan comment, but are you aware that she did not ‘marry well’? She was in fact a respected lawyer, a graduate of Princeton and his mentor at a law firm? She is a very accomplished and well educated woman in her own right and got there long before she met him. Laura Bush was also a very well ecucated and accomplished woman with a MS degree in Library Science before she met her husband, and that should be respected. These women, much like their predecessors, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, etc. were not some silly, flighty, women, they were accomplished, smart, and strong and were key components in the elections of their husbands to POTUS, and to diminish that and suggest that any of them simply ‘married well’ due to some silly partisan need is disrespectful to all of these remarkable women.
TaylorB:
I don’t follow what you mean by “partisan need.”
I don’t agree with you if you are saying that these women playing supportive roles to their husband’s careers is the same thing as if they had or were in the Presidential role themselves. I respect Michelle Obama when she acknowledges that she is simply married to the President. I don’t respect her when she goes into Junior High Schools and says “I used to be like you and look where I am now. You can be like me.” I think she needs to clarify to them that they should be developing themselves and not just be looking to hook up with a Harvard Law grad with ambitions on the White House, or a scion of a wealthy Republican oil dynasty family or whatever.
You appear to be a man who wants a woman to support your career but does not understand how to reciprocate this (i.e. by supporting a woman in the role of President, just as you support her in the role of First Lady, and understanding the difference).
I think we are going to continue to have gender wars in this country until there is more of a recognition that men are not entitled to some type of superior, entitled status in pursuing their careers and to some type of support from women. What we are looking for is reciprocity and equal exchange in marriages. Luckily, a lot of folks under 35 seem to be managing this quite well.
Kansas,
I guess that you did not understand my point that Ms Obama is accomplished and was by no ‘married up’, she is a brilliant woman. She is not an example of ‘marrying up’ by any definition of the term. She has never acted in a fashion that she is some subservient female, nor should she. Obviously being a sucess isn’t the same as being POTUS, but Marie Curie, Maya Angelou, Betty Freidan and countless other women/people of note weren’t POTUS either but it doesn’t diminish their accomplishments and stature, that being said, my point was that she didn’t ‘marry up’ and isn’t suggesting that young women should. Sure Mr Obama graduated from Harvard, but she graduated from Princeton, not exactly some trade school. She isn’t suggesting by saying ‘look where I am now’ that these girls marry some rich guy, she is pointing out how she came from a working class background as they do, but she worked hard, went to college, got a law degree from a top tier school. You may not know that she was working as a sucessful lawyer when they met, she was actually his mentor in the firm when he was hired. That is admirable and she should tout her personal accomplishments.
I hope this clears up any misunderstanding. And I don’t mean to come off in a nasty way but I feel very strongly that while someone may be married to a ‘superstar’ as she is, it does not diminish who they are and what they have done in their own right, and I find it offensive to women/men when people suggest they married ‘up’ or only got where they are due to their spouse. She would have been fine without him, and not being the first Lady, but that is what she is and I highly doubt that when she married him that thought even entered her mind.
TaylorB-
I was not referring to a concept of “marrying up” but instead to a primitive biology where men seek signs of fertility and health in women and women seek signs of status (or prospective status) in men. These are primitive drives that often get acted out instead of being simply acknowledged and placed in context of modern human abilities and needs from relationship. Many teenage girls who are just developing self-awareness are particularly prone to acting this out.
By the way, I am a Yale Law School graduate myself and former partner in one of the big law firms of our country and I know well the nature of Michelle Obama’s accomplishments. I suspect the fact that Barack Obama was a Harvard Law grad and member of the Harvard Law Review did figure into her decision to date and marry him, but I get these sense she also looked at his character, his ability to relate to others, his commitment to careful use of power, his ability to be in equal partnership with her, his ability to express his feelings verbally and to empathize, as well as the hard work he appears to have done to overcome the difficulties of not having a father in his life and his desire to handle his own paternity much differently. At least that’s what I would have noticed.
How do you think she didn’t notice all those other things? How can you assume to know two people’s private relationship? I mean, he’s the POTUS and yet he STILL makes time for their date night. Something they’ve been doing for years and years, how many people have that?
She isn’t with him because he’s a “step up” or what-have-you, it seems to me that she’s with him because he treats her with the respect/dignity/love she knows she deserves.
Also: I suspect the fact that Barack Obama was a Harvard Law grad and member of the Harvard Law Review did figure into her decision to date and marry him, How is that awful? She was a Princeton/Harvard Law grad, why wouldn’t she want someone that is of the same caliber? I admit 100% that I couldn’t date/marry someone who was not college-educated as I am. I’ve tried, and oftentimes (before the flames come, I understand there are exceptions to the rule, but this is in MY OWN EXPERIENCE) the following things occur: I end up trying to dumb down what I speak about so as to not make them feel bad (which in turn frustrates me to no end) or if I make anything that can be remotely tagged as a “smart” comment or a “smart” word, I’m accused of being pretentious and high and mighty. It’s kind of like in the African American community where if you don’t speak “ghetto” you’re “acting white”. How awful is that? Frankly, I just feel some words convey a message more clearly than others and I want to be with someone who gets that and won’t resent me for the education I received and they did not (or what-have-you).
I could do with never hearing Sarah Palin’s name again. However, I think it is disrespectful to mock someone who she thought was worthy to interview.
Annie-
I think you’re reading some meaning into my words that was not there. I have no idea about the Obama’s relationship except what they have said, which appears to be candor, but one never knows with the political world.
My only point was that I think looking at a man’s “status” is too much a preoccupation of women (especially ones who are teenagers and adult women who still think and act like teenagers). I think there’s much more to building a healthy relationship with a man, and encouraging these teenage girls to develop a responsible (i.e., not codependent or borderline) adult female psychology is important.
Kansas wrote: “These are primitive drives that often get acted out instead of being simply acknowledged and placed in context of modern human abilities and needs from relationship. Many teenage girls who are just developing self-awareness are particularly prone to acting this out.”
And I give you a hearty Amen to that, but I think your angst in this matter is better directed at nitwits like Brittany Spears or Paris Hilton than Ms Obama. For heavens sake did you see that poll out of Boston, that nearly 50% of teenagers thought that Rhianna was at fault for the abuse or to be more correct the beating? I damn near vomited when I saw that. Ms Obama is not the one influencing the young women of tomorrow, she is in Time and Newsweek not ‘teen beat’ magazine, but foolish, self obsessed ‘girls’ like Paris, Brittany (sp?) etc and their antics are, and that scares me to my core. I wish more young women would look up to a woman like Ms Obama (a sucessful lawyer), Ms Bush (with a masters degree in library science), or Sec Clinton, or Marie Curie, but they are sadly not likely to in our current culture.
TaylorB-
I agree with you that it is troublesome if Rihanna is blamed for the abuse and that the behavior of Britney, Lindsay et all is troublesome.
You’re still not acknowledging the distinction between being First Lady and holding the more substantive role of President, though. Even Hillary Clinton got where she is in large part on her husband’s coattails (and I suspect, on women, especially older women, identifying with her suffering from her husband’s infidelity). (I know many male politicians, such as the Kennedys etc benefit from these same family ties.)
You appear to be focused on these women who have supported their husbands’ achievement and are not supportive of the women holding the power and accomplishing things themselves.
We are not going to get out of the gender wars until there is clear recognition that women in the substantive roles are recognized as valuable and not threatening to male egos. The whole male backlash to feminism is exactly this: resentment and rejection of women in power. This is exactly why women behave like Britney and Lindsay. They think the only way to get any standing in the world is to cater to male interest in their bodies. Michelle Obama and Laura Bush are a step up (or more) from this, but they are still playing supportive roles to male achievement (at least for Michelle Obama right now anyway). I am not aware that Laura Bush has done much in public life beyond her charitable work.
I think the only answer is individuation and understanding that women need support from their husbands just as men need it from their wives. Lots of young men and women recognize this and the entitlement psychology of men appears to be dissipating in younger generations.
“You appear to be focused on these women who have supported their husbands’ achievement and are not supportive of the women holding the power and accomplishing things themselves.”
Wow, you have REALLY missed my point, and I take credit for failing to make it clearly. I was simply trying to say that these women deserve credit for their own accomplishments and should not be put down as being nothing more than married to a sucessful man. I would love to see a woman in the Whitehouse, I thought Sec Clinton really had a chance, but unlike others I thought she wasn’t ‘riding the coattails’ of her husband but instead unfortunately held back by his baggage (Lewinski nonsense, etc). Personally I can not stand when people suggest that a woman is only where she is because of her spouse, it is offensive and disrespectful. That was my point, while these women may not be POTUS (and frankly there have only been 44 of them in the history of the US so far, so via the stats most people won’t regardless of gender/race etc) they shouldn’t be recduced to someone who married well or is nothing but some sort of stand by your man nitwit. That was my point. Ms Obama is a strong, educated woman, and she should be damn proud of that fact; she didn’t get through law school by batting her eyelashes.
And by the by, you may want to watch your speculations a tad, you seem to be under the impression I am an older, uneducated fella, who doesn’t understand feminism and womens issues… Well, while I choose not to share about myself personally on the ‘intertubes’ I will say you are way more than a bit off on that assumption, and if you actually met me you would know exactly what I mean. Remember assumptions are the mother of all f*ck ups.
Ok, Taylor8, I get your message. I am sorry if I misunderstood you. I don’t know who you are or what you think except what I was reading. Even if you are an older fella it doesn’t really matter except if you have this legacy of entitlement.
I just have found in practice that this psychology of entitlement to support and service by women (as opposed to more of a negotiated, reciprocal exchange model of dealing with women as well as trying to be friends with them) was programmed into men over about the age of 40 or 45 and a lot of them appear to be expressing anger and resentment about losing it. Also, I suspect the evolutionary biology does play a role (men consciously or subconsciously fear losing their “status” and some actually like using it to get relationships with younger women, and multiple women).
I am not saying you are doing this or are driven in this way, just that I think it does go on in our culture and is a big part of the wars over female Supreme Court Justices, abortion rights & so-called “socialism.”
Kansas,
Since you will not take a hint, here is the drill… I am just barely over 35 (my birthday was in May), I am a professional doctor (granted I am a DVM not an MD), I am proud to be a very strong and solid feminist, and above all I am a WOMAN… Taylor is my middle name, it is easier because the name Alice is usually taken, and I find that people are sadly more respectful to a person if they don’t know their gender,so I use my gender neutral middle name, which is a sad reflection of our culture… I am proud to be a woman of accomplishment in my small corner of the world, and I think that every woman should be and that people should not try and pidgeon hole them by their husbands accomplishments, like people tend to do with first ladies. Eleanor Roosevelt was no shrinking violet, and should never be treated as one. Brilliant people gravitate to each other, one of them (regardless of gender) may become famous (POTUS for example) more so than the spouse, but that doesn’t diminsh the other persons worth. Just because I point out that these former and current first ladies were accomplished in their own right, does not mean that I do not want a woman in the Whitehouse, or that it is my thinking they are subservient to men in any way. I strongly suspect that if that is what you got from my comments you either seriously misread what I wrote, I worded it very badly or you are quite young probably just in college with a burr under your saddle (hell, I had one of those for my fresh and soph years as well, I think we all do from time to time) and I honestly do not mean that as an insult, I am just attempting to understand how in hell you could possibly think that I am some sexist grandpa type.
I think my misunderstanding of you is because your picture is of a man in his 70s (which now on closer inspection I see is John McCain), and because this concept of individuation is not apparent from your post. In other words, you appear to take offense at my drawing a distinction between being First Lady and being President (a distinction Ms. Obama sometimes observes, but I am afraid gets lost sometimes, especially when she does not draw it when telling some teenagers “you can be like me”).
You also seemed to have missed that the very thing about Ms. Obama that I respect is that she is not trying to be a controlling First Lady like Nancy Reagan or Hillary Clinton but instead acknowledges to everybody that she’s just “married to the President” and playing a “mom-in-chief” supporting role as he takes on one of the most demanding and difficult jobs in the world.
I think this is a type of progress where we no longer have these wives trying to control or even have a say in things when they are not the ones we elected. In other words if you want access to Presidential power (whether to be of service to the world or for other reasons), now you have to run for the office, not marry it. I also think it is a healthier acknowledgment that women have egos and are independent people from their husbands, rather than women having to rely on their husbands to act for them in the world.
BUT that does not change the fact that many men are still objecting to female empowerment and many women are kind-of naive about this, I think, as well as contributing to the problem by reinforcing the submissive, service-oriented wife model because they don’t take life by the horns like you have and do the work of getting a DVM or otherwise finding a way to be a player in the outside world and supporting themselves.
Kansas,
Just so you know that is a photoshop of McCain and Bush combined, I don’t exactly know how it became my avatar, I originally signed in on one of my work computers and it just popped up, I have no idea how to change it to be frank. I usually use a pic of my Great Dane Bob as my avitar, but since it was a shared computer this photo popped up?? I am a bit of a luddite in this area, so if you have any suggestions on how to get Bobs pic up there in stead of McBush I am more than willing to hear them.
As for Ms Obama, I suspect part of the reason she is keeping her distance from the political process is that she wasn’t too keen on him running for POTUS, I met her in Iowa almost 3 years ago, months before he decided to run, at a mutual friends house for a brunch before the Harkin Steak Fry event and she, at the time, was not on board with him running for POTUS. As much as it pains me to say this, I think that the spouse/family of the first ‘non white male’ president (be they female, black, hispanic, etc) would be a bit worried of some sexist, racist, wackadoodle with bad intentions and a gun. She is a very smart woman, who had a very strong understanding of what kind of danger him being POTUS puts her family in, and she seems to shy away from the spotlight, not because she isn’t worthy, but because she worries that some lunatic will go after her children, mother, or husband. It is perfectly understandable, but very sad as well. I can not imagine being is that position. Being watched at every moment, from both friends and foes. Those poor Bush girls couldn’t let loose and have a few beers and a bit of fun when they were in college without it ending up in People mag. Now that is a drag.
Oh and there is just one more thing I would like to address on this subject. I have never and will never allow someone to treat me as inferior because of my gender, nor should any woman/man. That was the gist of my point. Many people will struggle with sexist/racist people and how to ‘deal’ with them, I do not ‘deal’ with them, they are pathetic and the lowest form of life. If a person is a sexist or racist they can f*ck right off and burn in hell.
Another observation about Katie Couric–her sister was my state legislator and was well liked in her district. Katie was not. I met her several times when she showed up to campaign for her sister, and she was an insufferable, snarling bitch who made many snarky comments about the local “reporter chick.” She is a catty, hostile wolverine. Watch some of the idiotic outtakes in which she fusses with her hair and plants that obnoxious fixed smile while insulting her co-workers. Detest her–clenched teeth concealing a really nasty woman.
Katie is annoying and phony. The way she takes advantage of her “cuteness” to be downright evil is transparent. I lost respect for her after she started dating so soon after losing her husband. Anyway, won’t be watching her talk show; hope it bombs. And enough already with the Palin thing; haven’t you done anything else lately? It’s as if she has to keep reminding people because she has nothing else to fall back on. Yawn yawn Katie, misquote someone else already!