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Matt Lauer and the emails: sexual harassers conjured a fake Hillary scandal
In the wake of Lauer’s firing, a public discussion has erupted about previous accusations against him for sexist behavior, such as his public shaming of Anne Hathaway after a predatory photographer took an upskirt photo of her, or when Katie Couric complained that he “pinches me on the ass a lot.”
…[Lauer] was one of the most prominent proponents of the notion that it was a major scandal that Clinton had used her private email account to do official work as secretary of state, even though Colin Powell had done the same thing without controversy and multiple, thorough and seemingly endless examinations of her email history revealed nothing scandalous or even mildly interesting.
…When one looks down the lengthening list of prominent male journalists who have been credibly accused of sexual harassment, one thing that sticks out is that they were all obsessed with those godforsaken emails. Charlie Rose, Glenn Thrush, Mark Halperin, Bill O’Reilly: Besides being apparent sleazeballs, they were all big fans of the idea that the thousands of Democratic emails, some released by Clinton herself and some stolen by presumed Russian agents and leaked on WikiLeaks, would somehow turn into an earth-shattering scandal.
…Some grousing about Bernie Sanders dragging out the primary, but no evidence of illegal or unethical behavior. It was a big nothing-burger, but the relentless media drumbeat about “emails” meant that the American public was convinced there was a scandal — even as many were entirely unaware of the many corruption scandals surrounding Trump.
…At its heart, the whole story — which often verged on conspiracy theory — was rooted in misogynist myths about the inherently deceitful nature of women.
…This certainty that Clinton was somehow or other doing something nefarious with her emails was rooted in these ancient fears. That was why the story would never go away, no matter how many times it turned out that there was nothing interesting in her goddamn emails.
Matt Lauer and the emails: How accused harassers conjured a fake Hillary scandal – Salon.com
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How Male Reporters Shaped The Coverage Of The 2016 Election
When Vox News published an exclusive report detailing allegations suggesting that Thrush behaved inappropriately towards female colleagues, there was a resounding lack of surprise from many female journalists. A man who had spent the 2016 election cycle demeaning an extremely qualified female candidate in a way we can all relate to treated the women he worked with terribly?
Shocking.
…Lauer, you might remember, oversaw a live prime-time forum with Trump and Clinton in 2016 .
…He revealed his own personal biases clearly steeped in misogyny. He spent approximately one-third of his allotted time with Clinton questioning her use of a private email server — meaning he then had to rush through topics of actual importance, such as foreign policy and terrorism questions.
He continued to interrupt her to get her to “move along,” going so far as to ask her to explain her plan to defeat the Islamic State as “briefly” as she could.
And then he let many of Trump’s obviously false assertions go unchallenged. When the then-candidate claimed he had always been against the war in Iraq (a lie that Clinton had brought up earlier in the forum) Lauer let the falsehood stand.
…while he did clearly give Trump easier questioning, what is being missed is the fact that he did not treat Clinton like a serious candidate for president.
He treated her like allegations suggest he treats other women in his life. Poorly, with sexist tones clouding his professional behavior.
How Misogynistic Male Reporters Shaped The Coverage Of The 2016 Election
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The Inconvenience of Being a Woman Veteran – The Atlantic
The military doesn’t just urge women, it requires them—especially if they want to succeed—to view themselves on the same playing field as their male counterparts. They are also expected to behave and perform in traditionally masculine ways—demonstrating strength, displaying confidence in their abilities, expecting to be judged on their merits and performance, and taking on levels of authority and responsibility that few women get to experience. The uniform and grooming standards work to downplay their physical female characteristics. Additionally, the expectation—explicit or implicit—is that they also downplay other attributes that are traditionally considered feminine, such as open displays of emotion. That’s not to say that gender isn’t going to be noticed or that others aren’t going to make it an issue—they will. But highlighting female characteristics is undesirable. As General Lori J. Robinson, the U.S. military’s first female combatant commander, put it: “I’m a general, a commander, an airman. And I happen to be a woman.”
…What civilians do not realize, what women veterans often do not even realize, is that they might appear to be like other women, but they aren’t operating on the expectations traditionally applied to women. Behaving at odds with these traditional expectations is often a significant drawback in the ability of women veterans to fit-in in the workplace, in the dating world, in the female civilian community, in society in general. And directly challenging these expectations can often lead to conflict.
…This kind of exchange, where a woman’s connection to the military is assumed to be earned by another, most likely male, individual can be insulting and disheartening to a woman who has served.
The Inconvenience of Being a Woman Veteran – The Atlantic
An interesting and important point of view. I would imagine though, that perhaps this phenomena of women adopting “male” norms is not confined to the military.
“She Didn’t Want This Come Hell or High Water”: Melania’s East Wing
So ignorant was Donald Trump about the job he was about to take that he believed he would inherit a government with every position filled. Hundreds of key posts remain open.
ahahahahahahahah.
sounds sad but true
The Bizarre True Story of the Neighborhood Scuffle That Left Rand Paul with Six Broken Ribs
But to many people in Bowling Green, there’s nothing about this that smacks of politics. From the locals who know both men well, a portrait emerges of something much more personal and petty: a clash between a big-deal politician, living in a small town and rarely realizing the ways in which he rubs people the wrong way, and his neighbor, a proud, fiery, and meticulous former doctor.
The Bizarre True Story of the Neighborhood Scuffle That Left Rand Paul with Six Broken Ribs | GQ
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Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin’s complicated relationship with Vladimir Putin
Despite its intentions, the campaign has highlighted the dilemma facing Russian professional athletes living in the United States who support Putin. Several Russian hockey players, including those who have not publicly signed on to Ovechkin’s initiative, declined interview requests. Malkin waited five days after pledging his support on social media to answer questions about the campaign.
…One U.S.-based hockey agent who represents Russian players in North America said of Ovechkin’s initiative: “All of my clients, everybody’s rolling their eyes, basically, saying, ‘What the [heck]?’ It’s like he’s lobbying for a job in politics.”
…A person close to Ovechkin explained that he tries to navigate a delicate tightrope, supporting one country while trying not to offend the other, and that the PutinTeam initiative has underscored the innate difficulties he faces.
“If he played in Carolina, this probably wouldn’t be as interesting to some people as it probably is, just given where he lives and works and what he does,” said the Ovechkin associate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so he could talk more freely. “To say that Alex or anybody is following the daily nuances of really high-level, very complex geopolitical issues, they’re probably not doing that, right?”
…While the Capitals organization may not be eager to discuss Ovechkin’s relationship with Putin, team officials are aware that it could upset some fans. At the same time, they accept the demands being placed on him from Moscow and recognize the franchise has at times had to work around them, especially during the offseason.
…Kremlin observers explain that many Russian celebrities can face pressures both overt and indirect to take part in a Russian political campaign. For many, an endorsement might protect their families or help secure government funding for their projects. But most agree that Ovechkin probably is above such pressures — too rich, too high profile.
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