I am proud to be a woman today because of Hillary Clinton
Being a woman is a complicated issue in modern society. Being a man is also complicated. The roles, the definitions, the expectations, the responsibilities and opportunities have all very dramatically changed over a relatively short period of time.A very unforgiving example of what is expected of a woman in modern society can be observed in politics.
The race for the nomination of the presidency of the United States of America of the Democratic Party has been extraordinary. For the first time a woman and a black American are candidates. Obama already has changed the political landscape of the USA forever, no matter what. I admire his guts.
Hillary Clinton has been in public life for 35 years. The Press, both left and rightwing have covered her in an unforgiving and very critical manner. I remember her and Bill Clintons achievements during their 8 year stay in the White House and her presence in the US Senate. I know about her role in opening very important economic and political resources for woman's health and gender issues in general. A lot of people and especially women seem to have amnesia, they do not remember that is was a peaceful and prosperous time, as well as hopeful and filled with energy and possibilities for the future.
Hillary was key to the allocation of resources and formulation of new policies from the World Bank, IBD, and endless other institutions all through the world to improve women's lives and positions in all societies.
Hillary does not only talk, Hillary acts, decisively and effectively. I know too many people who just talk and never do anything. I know too many people who make a very good and comfortable living writing about poverty and other social issues, but they never do anything to change them, to improve them.
During the Lewinsky scandal I was living in Washington DC. There was not one media outlet that didn't cover the story every single day, 24 hours a day. It was disgusting, revolting and it showed the media at its worst.
The funny thing is that Bill Clinton's approval rating where great when he left office, in spite of the republican media machine and the left-wingers self-righteous behavior, and the pure greed of the media in general.
Lesson learned: the media does not reflect the sentiment of the American people, the media just goes after ratings and their own agendas.
I have been comparing the coverage of the media on all candidates on diverse outlets in the US and in the world.
It is sad, but true that the main words how the media describes Hillary are: she is not likable, she is hard, the ominous Clinton machine. If she wears pink she is accused of playing to be feminine and to use the gender card. If she dresses in somber black she is accused of not being feminine enough and to imitate men. If she fights, she is seen as "going negative" and running a dirty campaign. If she doesn't fight, they say she has to do something and suggest she goes negative. When she wins it is: "barely", "in spite of", "a narrow win", "people still don't like her" - well, who is voting for her then?
If you read The Huffington Post, a left wing media outlet financed by moveon.org -Soros, you feel that you want to vomit. What they have been publishing for the last 15 months, and the comments of the readers are beyond bias and beyond anything anti- ethical I have seen so far. If your read Politico.com, transcripts form CNN, ABC, NBC, MSNMB news shows, it is the same story.
The language that the political pundits, commentators and reader use when they address Hillary as a candidate is biased, unfair and condescending. If that is not good old sexism, then what is?
Has Hillary given up? No. Has she lost her cool? No. Has she inspired women to fight their own fights no matter what? Yes. Has she lived up to our expectations? Yes. Is she a winner no matter what? Yes. Has she earned the respect of the most arrogant and impolite news anchors? Yes, even when they do not want to admit it.
But here we go again, a women always has to prove she is good enough, smart enough, tough enough, resilient enough, (according to what rules?) and only if she survives that grueling test, then maybe, just maybe, she gets a fair chance.
It does not matter to me if she wins the nomination or not. She has already won.
For the USA I wish she would be elected President, not because she is a women, but because she is the most intelligent and accomplished candidate, and she knows how to solve problems. She has done it all her adult live.
If someone calls me a racist because I admire and write about Hillary Clinton, go ahead, I can take it. I am not a racist. I am a woman.
Photo by: Ignacio de Wit
