Shrill

After watching Palin's speech tonight, I continued watching CNN for the commentary, and heard a message from Senator Reid, who was attacked tonight at the RNC. He said Palin's speech was "shrill" among other things. After hearing this, most of the female commentators on CNN seemed to immediately take offense, claiming that shrill is not a word that would be used to describe a man. They did not go as far as to call it sexist right-out (not initially anyway) but they did make a big deal of the word.

Some women out there are waiting for a woman vice president, or even president. They see it as some kind of step forward. However, how significant is that step if they can't be a woman in the process?

Do we have to treat Palin like a man in order to not be sexist? And if so, what does that really say about women in politics? Do we truely accept them? If we do accept them, what is wrong with describing Palin as "shrill?" I cannot think of a comparable word for a man (gruff perhaps?), but would anyone call it sexist if that comparable word was used on a man? I don't think so. The idea that a woman would find being treated like a woman sexist is simply absurd.

Did women really fight for equal rights in order to be treated just like men in every aspect of their lives? Is that truely what their goal was? Or did they simply want just as much respect as men, while still maintaining their feminism? If I was persecuted for wearing a hat, I would seek to be respected even while wearing that hat, not simply take it off and conform.

If women find being feminin sexist.......I am just lost for words. And I also wonder what the reaction would have been if another woman (Hillary for example) called Palin shrill instead of a man. Sometimes the people who think everything is sexist, are actually the ones who are being sexist.

If treating a woman differently than a man is sexist, I don't know anyone who ISN'T sexist.



The video is just the start of the commentary. As I post this, it only happened about 20-30 minutes ago so I am surprised to see even this video up. If a longer one comes up I will edit it in.