One of my new favorite fantasies is to imagine Barack Obama calling Hillary Clinton a "sweetie" in one of their debates. It would have made my year if it had happened--maybe my decade. It would have made me even happier than CNN's own expert showing Anderson Cooper up as a total fool (see this week's entry titled: "Anerson Cooper ....a Complete and Total Fool').
I freely admit this has nothing to do with Barack Obama's (non)qualifications to be President of the United States. As a complete, unreformed sexist myself, I refuse to be "offended" by Obama's use of the word "sweetie". However, it is AMUSING (sort of like Obama bowling a 37 had no serious implications, but was AMUSING).
You should know the story by now. A woman reporter in Michigan asked Barack Obama exactly what he planned to do for auto workers (or someting like that). He said: "Hold on, sweetie, I will get back to you on that." He later apologized to her both for not answering her question and for calling her "sweetie" (saying, in essence, that it is a bad habit he is trying to break).
What is even more FUNNY is that Obama NEVER answered the woman's question, even after the apology. She was more offended at that than anything else.
As I said, I am a sexist of the old school. However, just like I have NEVER bowled as low as 37, even the first time I bowled, I have NEVER called a woman "sweetie". A few WOMEN on AOL have called ME "dear" and "sweetie", but SARCASTICALLY. I have to admit that if I EVER used "sweetie", it would be sarcastically. Even when I was married, I never called my wife "sweetie". Indeed, outside of AOL no woman has ever called me "sweetie" OR "dear" as an adult. I do believe that my gushy 4th grade teacher did.
So sue me. I can't help find this really amusing, including the big flap over it in our hopelessly politicially correct society.
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