On double standards, substance, and microaggressions--

How do we manage when people we otherwise know and are related to insist on stirring up the poo? I try not to engage with the people I can't avoid, but it hurts my heart when I hear them go on and on about how great a person, how wise, articulate, how "right" Trump is. It quite literally makes my stomach clench. I have never had a real issue with honest-to-goodness conservatives; we might not agree, but we can remain cordial. T. is no conservative; he is a charlatan, seeking pats on the back and TV ratings. He is hoping to stir enough toxic waste into the process that folks will avoid it at all costs and stay home, disgusted but also disenfranchised. Like the folks who live down the road from me with their bedspread-sized Trump 2024 flags. I see they finally took down (maybe it wore out?) the "F*ck Biden" flag that was hanging proudly from their porch. That flag served as a backdrop to the bouncy house birthday party for their grandkids. Those photos ought to be amazing. Those kids can read. I shake my head in despair sometimes.

That said, I'm getting incrementally angry at the (expected) misogyny, racism, and out-and-out ignorance that is already flooding the social media. Seriously? They are taking on Harris' laugh? That's like when the entertainment reporters approach female stars on the red carpet and yack on about their choice in dresses and hairstyle. SUBSTANCE, PLEASE. 

Sometimes I think that women don't get into these discussions or into politics in general because it takes too much mental energy to put up with the stupidity. Aggrandizing Vance because he served as a Marine is facile at best; I will not discredit the fact that he went through the training and he was a Marine, but honestly, cut the hoorah. He served as a military journalist. Not that that is a bad thing; Hemingway was a war correspondent, too. But Vance is no Hemingway, and reporting on issues is not worthy of a perceived combat reputation. Let's talk about his positions on a whole lot of social issues, and you'll see that a lot of what he says he believes is pretty denigrating to women (and I happen to like cats, thanks). He's a fake "hillbilly" and he got his start due to yes, some family support, but also a lot of government programs. The same ones he despises now, actually. And when he criticizes Harris for her government paychecks, what, exactly, was his pay in the military?

I am tired of the uneven playing field, the stupid whataboutisms, and the cheap shots that are all rooted in a double standard (probably more than double, but I don't have the time or interest to count them). Note, please, I have referred to our current VP by her last name; I think it's a form of microaggression when the media talks about women by first names (too familiar) and men by just their last names. We need to be very careful about infantilizing women or metaphorically patting them on the head. 

Have a good day,

C