Following my own advice

Last night, I was winding down for the evening, sipping at a Greyhound while futzing around on the Internet. While checking my mail, I came across an email my grandmother had forwarded to me containing a number of pro-Palin political cartoons, most dating from a month or so ago when her candidacy was first announced.

My feelings on Palin are rather complex and fluid, which is probably why I've never gotten around to posting about them. I guess the email hit a nerve, because I started to compose a somewhat snarky and sarcastic response. But about halfway through, I stopped and closed my laptop, because (as I said to Brian) it's just not a good idea to drink and email. Especially with your relatives, about politics. Admittedly, my grandmother (unlike my aunt) is pretty tough, and could probably take it just fine, but since I'm certain that she meant the email in a friendly way, it didn't seem right to reply so negatively.

And lo and behold, this morning I start trawling my usual news websites and find that there are all kinds of articles that help articulate exactly what I'm feeling about Palin recently. So I composed a rational, reasonable response with supporting links and a minimum of snark, and I feel much better for having done so. It's good to know that occasionally I can exercise something resembling self-restraint. And also good to know that I haven't lashed out at someone who didn't deserve it.

For the record, since I haven't ever gotten around to posting about my feelings on Palin, here's what I sent to my grandmother:

I have to admit, over the past few weeks I've been extremely disappointed in Palin's performance. Even though I'm an Obama supporter, I was hoping that Palin would be able to give a strong showing, but the now-infamous Couric interviews (among others) have convinced me that she's out of her depth. Which is a good thing for Obama's candidacy, but (as a feminist) makes me feel disappointed and worried. To quote Emily Bazelon (who captures the feeling remarkably well in this piece on Slate), "The problem is that Palin is a vice-presidential candidate who is not ready to be president, not that she's a woman who isn't ready...By taking unprepared hesitancy and lack of preparation to a sentence-stopping level, she's yanking us back to the old assumption that women can't hack it at these heights."

I don't yet know whether, as Bazelon claims, Palin's quickly-deflating candidacy will give male politicians the excuse they need to replace the glass ceiling Clinton cracked with a new one. But I can't help wincing every time I see her stumbling over what should be a simple question ("What newspapers do you read?") and finding herself completely unable to construct a coherent argument (hell, a coherent paragraph) on the fly. Perhaps she'll do better at the debate tonight, but I have a sinking feeling that whatever sympathetic press she might receive will be at Biden's expense ("Look at him beating up on the poor woman!) rather than anything she achieves her own merits. Which is even more damaging to the idea that women can hold their own in the political arena.

I could be wrong, though. Maybe she'll finally hit her stride. We'll see.

Following my own advice

Last night, I was winding down for the evening, sipping at a Greyhound while futzing around on the Internet. While checking my mail, I came across an email my grandmother had forwarded to me containing a number of pro-Palin political cartoons, most dating from a month or so ago when her candidacy was first announced.

My feelings on Palin are rather complex and fluid, which is probably why I've never gotten around to posting about them. I guess the email hit a nerve, because I started to compose a somewhat snarky and sarcastic response. But about halfway through, I stopped and closed my laptop, because (as I said to Brian) it's just not a good idea to drink and email. Especially with your relatives, about politics. Admittedly, my grandmother (unlike my aunt) is pretty tough, and could probably take it just fine, but since I'm certain that she meant the email in a friendly way, it didn't seem right to reply so negatively.

And lo and behold, this morning I start trawling my usual news websites and find that there are all kinds of articles that help articulate exactly what I'm feeling about Palin recently. So I composed a rational, reasonable response with supporting links and a minimum of snark, and I feel much better for having done so. It's good to know that occasionally I can exercise something resembling self-restraint. And also good to know that I haven't lashed out at someone who didn't deserve it.

For the record, since I haven't ever gotten around to posting about my feelings on Palin, here's what I sent to my grandmother:

I have to admit, over the past few weeks I've been extremely disappointed in Palin's performance. Even though I'm an Obama supporter, I was hoping that Palin would be able to give a strong showing, but the now-infamous Couric interviews (among others) have convinced me that she's out of her depth. Which is a good thing for Obama's candidacy, but (as a feminist) makes me feel disappointed and worried. To quote Emily Bazelon (who captures the feeling remarkably well in this piece on Slate), "The problem is that Palin is a vice-presidential candidate who is not ready to be president, not that she's a woman who isn't ready...By taking unprepared hesitancy and lack of preparation to a sentence-stopping level, she's yanking us back to the old assumption that women can't hack it at these heights."

I don't yet know whether, as Bazelon claims, Palin's quickly-deflating candidacy will give male politicians the excuse they need to replace the glass ceiling Clinton cracked with a new one. But I can't help wincing every time I see her stumbling over what should be a simple question ("What newspapers do you read?") and finding herself completely unable to construct a coherent argument (hell, a coherent paragraph) on the fly. Perhaps she'll do better at the debate tonight, but I have a sinking feeling that whatever sympathetic press she might receive will be at Biden's expense ("Look at him beating up on the poor woman!) rather than anything she achieves her own merits. Which is even more damaging to the idea that women can hold their own in the political arena.

I could be wrong, though. Maybe she'll finally hit her stride. We'll see.