I’m Sick of Liberal Misogyny

A few days ago, Keith Olbermann declared conservative blogger Michelle Malkin to be a “big mashed up bag of meat with lipstick.”  Think about that for a moment.  This is not a phrase people use, like Barack Obama’s foolish, but, I think, innocent, “lipstick on a pig” reference from last fall.  It is an incredibly, sickeningly, violent image; one cannot hear it and not briefly imagine Ms. Malkin’s body, beaten until it is almost literally nothing but pulp, or “meat.”  And, of course, it is impossible to miss that she is a woman; after all, even when reduced to a mashed up bag of meat, her defining feature is still “lipstick.”  Ironically, Mr. Olbermann used this phrase to describe her “hatred.”  

But, disturbing statements about Ms. Malkin are only the tip of the iceberg for many liberals.  Disagree with something Ann Coulter says?  Well, you could dispute her facts or analysis, but why bother when you could just attack her sexuality by suggesting that she’s a man, instead?  Oh, and don’t forget to remind us all that she’s a “bitch.”  President that you like turns out to be a serial sexual harrasser, who abuses the power he holds over employees and treats his wife like a doormat?  Well, sexual harassment laws really shouldn’t apply to that case, should they?  A woman can handle one free grope, after all.  Another favored politician left a woman to drown while he walked away?  Well, what good was her life, anyway?  I mean, maybe she would have thought that it was worth it.  And, you know, rape, well, that’s certainly comparable to having to give up a home because you didn’t fulfill the obligations of your mortgage contract, at least according to Michael Moore.  Beauty contestant is asked a question, and politely gives an answer with which you disagree?  Spend several minutes joking about breast implants, congratulate each other on using obscene words to describe her, and snicker that she used to be a man before she cut off her penis.  Of course, however, the fact that you don’t like what they say doesn’t mean that a woman is no good for her body; after all, Playboy enlightened us beautifully with their article charmingly discussing “10 Women They’d Like to HateF**k.” (Playboy did hear the outrage and pull the article, but the fact that the certainly several people who go into putting a Playboy article online didn’t see that this was a major problem speaks volumes.)

And don’t even get me started on the shameful treatment of Sarah Palin.  Now, I’m not talking about legitimate policy disputes, or questioning her record in office; these are certainly fair political game.  I’m not even talking about misrepresenting statements as being from her when they actually came from a Saturday Night Live sketch, or about claiming she was a bad parent because her 17-year-old daughter had sex (or even about the attitude that she should not dare to take on a demanding job while she has kids, while ignoring Mr. Obama’s obligations to his two cuties- I’d chalk that up to sexism and hypocrisy, but not misogyny). 

I’m talking about proudly wearing t-shirts calling her an obscene name. Or selling sex dolls based on her. I’m talking about making “jokes” (a word I’m using in the loosest possible sense) about her being “gang-raped by [Sandra Bernhard’s] big black brothers” should she dare to approach Manhattan.  About the obscene comments,  found at Politico basically any time Ben Smith gets around to mentioning anything Ms. Palin is up to, stating, for example, that she has STDs, is a “pig,”, is a “pseudo-woman,” and hoping that she gets eaten by a bear.   I’m talking about making a crack about her “slutty flight attendant look,” a joke which doesn’t even make sense; you may not like the woman, but her look is hardly “slutty,” unless your standard for revealing clothing is a woman who wears too snug of a burka. 

Now, I’m not worried about the conservative female commentators all that much; they’re pretty tough.  Heck, Michelle Malkin regularly publishes the deranged hate mail that she receives.  And I’m (obligatory, but likely futile, attempt to guard against accusations that I don’t support freedom of speech) certainly not arguing that even the most deranged misogynistic speech should be shut down by force of law.  What I’m most concerned about is the fact that they keep getting away with this garbage, and are only rarely called out for it.  Can you imagine if a commentator had made a similar comment to many of the ones above, but about race?  Think Imus or Macaca.  These things have ended careers.  But somehow, some way, the left has collectively decided that women, or at least conservative women, are completely fair game, and open to the most vile sexually based attacks.   And some how, they get a pass to consider themselves supportive of women.