sexisminthemedia

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Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
Is It Sexist To Wonder Why Women Would Become Suicide Bombers?
When Spite Trumps Common Sense, A Resentful Clinton Supporter Is There
For Better Or Worse, Maureen Dowd, Peggy Noonan Speak For Us All

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FJasmineAdams
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
I am disappointed that Jezebel continues to follow Elizabeth Edwards as though she were a credible policy-maker. Why do you guys defend her against questions about her personal life when no one knew who she was before her syrupy/sordid marriage details became public? See my posts above for my opinions in detail. I would like to hear why you guys champion her.
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Megan
10/29/08

@FJasmineAdams: I don't know, why don't you go watch the hour video of her that I linked to, then the 90 minutes she did at the New Yorker Festival, read everything she's written on the topic for the last two years and come back to me and tell me then that she's got nothing credible to say about health care policy, mm-kay? I'll even exempt you from everything pre-2006. Saying that you haven't heard of her before while not being able to critique a single thing she's said on the topic doesn't exactly make your point.
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FJasmineAdams
10/29/08

@Megan: I did not say I hadn't heard of her of before, that is a ridiculous accusation. Read my responses to the other posts. How about you go back and try to find anything she did on behalf of health care before getting cancer and having her husband run for president--neither of which qualifies her as an expert about anything.
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Megan
10/29/08

@FJasmineAdams: So she doesn't have the "right" qualifications for you? What would those be? Can only people with those qualifications talk about health care? Or should we only listen to those people? If she's saying interesting or important things -- or, let's see, using her ability to get our attention that she didn't have before 2004 to talk about those things that maybe did matter to her before -- why does what she is saying not count? Who should we be paying attention to instead? I am saying your critique lacks merit because I am listening to what she has to say because I think her arguments have merit even when I disagree with specific policy prescriptions. You are saying that I shouldn't listen to her regardless of what she says because she as a person does not, based on the fact that: she was a lawyer, she is married to John Edwards and didn't have a national platform before his candidacy and her illness. I think that's a stupid argument for not listening to someone, but I encourage you to both listen to what she is saying and then critique that and/or tell me who you think I should be paying attention to on this topic. Otherwise, you're just being a troll.
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Too Hot For TNR
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
Look at Ezra's big-boy clothes!
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Maulleigh
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
I know I'm going to feminist hell but I don't care about Elizabeth Edwards or her husband. You nailed it: I only care about his infidelities.

I hope she divorces him but she won't.
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FJasmineAdams
10/29/08

@Maulleigh: I'm going with you. The Edwards bought there way onto the national stage and contributed nothing of worth.
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Saltine
10/29/08

@FJasmineAdams: Senator Kerry, is that you?
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Princess Leela
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
Just to play devil's advocate, the reason we all know who Elizabeth Edwards is is that her husband ran for president twice, and the reason his political career ended is because he cheated on her. So her personal stuff is indeed to a certain degree a)relevant and b)of interest to readers. And I think the story -- yes, even by kicking off that way -- successfully makes the point that even though all this happened, she ISN'T going to let herself be reduced to a political footnote, but instead has something worthwhile to say and is saying it.
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SisterMaryMartha
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
Because the Internets and Microsoft hate me, and because I am supposed to working, I can't watch the video, which is sad. And honestly, I do not fully understand either health program.My company stopped subsidizing or reduced the amount anyway, of what they would contribute to name-brand prescriptions. Which meant that when I changed to ortho-tri-lo, my scrip went from $7 a month to $40. Fortunately I stopped having sex!
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PhillyLass
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
sn't t jst grt tht [Mgn] cld xpnd n nsn dtl bt th prblms wth [ll 4 Wllsly Rpblcns' spprt fr Pln], th ntrccs f ch [stdnt's] plns nd wht sh wld d nstd r n ddtn t ths plns fr n hr nd [th fck trck]'s th [cnclsn] f th stry?

'm prd mmbr f th Wllsly sstrhd nd 'm stll pssd.

PhllyLss, clss f '98
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hortense
10/29/08

@PhillyLass: This is off topic, actually. If you have an issue with an editor, it's best to email them directly.
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BeckySharper
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
Jinxy, if you were tongue-in-cheek, that was pretty fucking funny.
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SisterMaryMartha
10/29/08

@BeckySharper: I thnk she was. It was very clever.
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pantsless economist...access RESTORED
10/29/08

@SisterMaryMartha is ready for 2009.: i think so too. her posts are always really sharp.

if it came from some avatar-less commentator named sexykitty, for example...i would have thought differently.
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JinxyMcDeath
10/29/08

@pantsless economist for Δ: Thanks, guys! I was totally joking. Ah, the internet...you cannot see me smiling as I present the joke. Or should I say, Hortense....
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MegSpencer
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
The pre-existing condition thing is the scariest part of insurance for me. I was uninsured for a while after college while working retail, and the only reason a lot of my expenses are covered now is because my therapist knew how to work the system. I still end up paying for a lot of my expenses out of pocket because there are pretty strict limits on how much therapy is covered. RAR! If nothing else happens in the next four years, I want to see the health care/insurance situation in this country change.
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applejuice
10/30/08

@MegSpencer: My brother had childhood leukemia. He will NEVER be able to get insurance that will cover him in the event anything ever happens again on his own. He knew from an early age that he had to work toward gettting a job that would definitely cover him once he was out of college and off my parents coverage.

It is pretty scary. Seeing the crap my parents had to go through when he was sick with GOOD insurance made me glad that I now live in a country with national health care. (And by the way, all the crap that the insurance companies perpetuate about how bad nationalised health care is - that is all a pile of sh*@T. I get great care here. Michael Moore's "Sicko" was actually pretty accurate in that regard.)
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returnofthemac
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
The thing that makes me the saddest is that I honestly believe that Elizabeth could've been very influential in changing health care on a national level(hope she still can). I know I'll prob get hated on but I've always thought she had a better grasp of the problems facing health care than Hillary. (and yes I was a teenager when Bill was in office and she had her health care reform) Come to think of it there are way to many parallels between these ladies in their personal life...While mentioning her ring was classless and intrusive I hope she and Hil talk on a regular basis.
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KillMeNow no longer has a future in journalism
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
I'm 5-3. I would have needed a hand getting in that chair as well.
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morninggloria
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
"Hi, Elizabeth. On the subject of health care, let's talk about your hairstyle."
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dancerevolution
10/29/08

@morninggloria:

"On the subject of poverty, how much did the wedding ring that you're not wearing cost?"
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SisterMaryMartha
10/29/08

@dancerevolution: "On the subject of world starvation, where did you get that jacket. It's a lovely shade of violet!"
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anibundel
10/29/08

@morninggloria: On the subject of Universal Health Care, how did finding out you had cancer while your husband was on the campaign trail make you feel?
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pantsless economist...access RESTORED
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
Ezra Klein and Elizabeth Edwards? Together?! squeel! I can't wait to watch the whole video later. Unfortunately, sometimes I have to, yknow, do work when Im at work. Sigh.

Yeah just about the entire Post article pissed me off.
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Cookie Guggleman
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
Hope Obama asks her to come work in his administration on health care. This country needs Elizabeth's expertise.
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dancerevolution
10/29/08

@Cookie Guggleman:

Me too. I applaud her devotion to the topic!

People sometimes forget that the wives are often just as educated and smart (if not more) than their politician husbands. I also applaud Obama's decision to essentially adopt Hillary's health care plan. She's waited her whole life to have it implemented, and if she can't get it done, as least Obama is.
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anibundel
10/29/08

@Cookie Guggleman: And it would be more acceptable to the Republicans than trying to give it to Hillary again.
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badmutha
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
I think that the point you make about her personal life is not due to the fact that she is a woman, but the fact that she was part of a scandal. If Todd Palin found out Sarah was sleeping around, and he really had alot to say about energy policies, and didn't have on his ring, the media would comment on that. E. Edwards is an intelligent woman, but has not been a candidate, so why should we expect the media to focus on her thoughts instead of the scandal?
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anonymiss
10/29/08

In reply to Elizabeth Edwards Talks About Issues Unrelated To Infidelity
stories about people's personal lives and dramas are what sells and generates page views, thats why they lead off with it. all the issues listed are a million times more important than her wedding band, but the Post has to pay its writers and staffers, that is the bottom line, especially in times like these.
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Khrushchev
10/29/08

@anonymiss: Yeah, but what does that say about us as readers of the news?
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Khrushchev
10/29/08

@Khrushchev: (Those of us who read the news, that is).
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anonymiss
10/29/08

@Khrushchev: its pretty obvious what it says: people are more concerned with other people's dramas than they are about the issues that really affect them. I think we already knew that, however, based on our current tabloid/reality tv culture. the economy woes also tend to push people in the direction of wanting to read about others personal sufferings to make them feel better about their own.

i personally would skip something thats about whos married to who and whos had what surgeries, but I would venture to say that I am in the minority.
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MegSpencer
10/29/08

@anonymiss: It's schadenfreude too. I think the anti-intellectual theme of this last election has illustrated that people are insecure with people they think might be "better than them" or looking down on them, so there's a savage joy in watching them fall from grace.
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Khrushchev
10/29/08

@anonymiss: Well, yeah. I know that (because it is obvious). But there's such an oversaturation of gossip--I shouldn't be reading about a public persona's marriage woes in the same place I go to read about the health care plans of the presidential candidates.
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Khrushchev
10/29/08

@MegSpencer: Ah, now this is an interesting idea to me, and a scary one.

Also, why do we care about Elizabeth Edwards's wedding band? Because we know the details of her marriage. And how do we know the details of her marriage? Because her husband elected to go on TV and admit to them. The idea that Edwards felt it necessary to do that strikes me as absurd. The public and the private are sort of helplessly muddled at this point.
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anonymiss
10/29/08

@Khrushchev: why shouldnt you? you have the power to click certain links and not click others. theres nothing wrong with providing people reading material about health care plans and about marriage woes, especially, again, when doing that can increase revenue in slow financial times. unfortunately the media is not a non profit industry, so they have to do whatever they can to generate profit. they don't become any less credible on health care issues because they discuss marriage woes, they just give people the option to read about either, neither or both.
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Eleanor Ramilly
10/29/08

@Khrushchev: It doesn't say anything about the readers of the news.
It says something about our culture that so many people would prefer tabloid-ish stories as oppose to news stories.
I read news, but I don't read tabloids. I think a lot of intelligent folks can tell the difference between the two even when they appear in the same publication/website.
One is informative, one is entertainment.
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pandorasmittens
10/29/08

@Khrushchev: To those of us who read the news to hear about the issues, it can (and perhaps should) be read as an insult. However, the average person cares more about the ring on her finger than her thoughts on policies.

My personal theory (not substantiated!) is this: the media writes to reflect the masses. The vast majority of the masses wants two things-one, that they can relate personally to a political figure and their family, and two, they want something to talk about with others. More people feel comfortable talking about personal matters than policy debates, as personal matters require little more than the interjection of first hand "experience" to sustain a conversation. Feelings are abstract, and are thus open to speculation.

Somewhere, I was attempting to make sense in that paragraph. Also, I think the author of the story was trying to set a dramatic scene and instead wound up failing miserably.
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BeckySharper
10/29/08

@Khrushchev: When politicians put their spouses in the spotlight the way John Edwards did, their marriage becomes part of the public discourse, so yeah, the public and private get blurred. And Johnny didn't help things by going on national TV to talk about it, thus pushing it even further into the public sphere.

My guess about the wedding ring is that her fingers have swollen from illness and weight gain, so she removed it.
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pandorasmittens
10/29/08

@MegSpencer: You make a great point.

"Did you ever clap when a waitress falls and drops a tray of glasses?

And ain't it fun to watch figure skaters fallin on their asses?

Don't you feel all warm and cozy, watching people out in the rain?

That's Schadenfreude, people taking pleasure in your pain."
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MegSpencer
10/29/08

@anonymiss: I think the problem is the combination of that curiosity, plus the schadenfreude I mentioned, plus increasing technology. It's not just guys crouching in the bushes waiting for the politician to leave the house, it's following the entire family around, phone tapping, telephoto lenses, trespassing, etc. Journalists ought to have a moral obligation not to cross certain lines, and if they don't enforce themselves, the law should do it. Freedom of the press is great and all, but just like freedom of speech doesn't mean it's okay to yell fire in a crowded theater, there have to be limits to how far the press should be allowed into the private lives of public figures.
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