Reason #42 why the word 'sexism' isn't *really* in the Neo-Con pseudo-Repugnican vocabulary

[sff_corgi_lj]

From Salon, 'Bill Ayers talks back':

One of the puzzling things during this campaign is that your wife totally disappeared from the narrative. Even though Bernadine Dohrn was certainly J. Edgar Hoover's favorite Weatherperson. And she certainly had a VIP role on the "Most Wanted" list. And her short skirts are still memorable to those of us from that era. But she disappeared from the narrative. Do you have any theories why?

I have no theory. Maybe it's sexism. I have no idea why. But there's no doubt that what you say is true: Bernadine Dohrn was the leader of the Weather Underground. She is my partner of 40 years. Mother of our children. And grandmother of our grandchildren. She's an extraordinarily talented and brilliant woman. She was on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list. And, as you say, J. Edgar Hoover allowed his insanity to be based on whatever fantasies he had about her as a threat to America. He called her at one point "La Pasionaria of the Lunatic Left." I told her that she should put that at the top of her [curriculum] vita because what a recommendation.

Yeah, I don't understand it either. That I got picked out to play this role and put on the stage. It was a role that I refuse to play. And it is a dishonest and inaccurate role.

Comments

[mnenyver.livejournal.com]

Did you catch his interview on NPR yesterday? Fascinating stuff. I was quite impressed by his thoughtfulness and nuanced perceptions of the entire fiasco.

[wombat1138.livejournal.com]

Actually, in one extremely discouraging[*] discussion I was following in October, there was one guy who was enthusiastically repeating most of the usual Republican campaign tropes, of course including Ayers-as-terrorist, and who almost never missed a chance to expand the phrase to "the terrorist Bill Ayers and his murderous wife". Eventually the expanded phrase deteriorated to "the terrorist Bill Ayers and his murderess wife". And then eBay yanked the discussion from the Jewelry board, rather to my relief by then :b

[*: discouraging because up to this point, I'd always liked this guy's professional expertise and candor (he's a licensed gemologist in a mostly costume-jewelry crowd over there) and was rather thrown by the sudden flurry of FUD that made no sense to me. Alas.]