RBP
09-29-2016, 05:48 AM
by Jessica Valenti
Quite a few of my feminist friends are fond of a tote bag that reads, “Lord, Give Me the Confidence of a Mediocre White Man”. It’s a cheeky nod to a scenario familiar to most women: a bombastic but woefully under-informed man who is convinced of how much smarter he is than you.
That dynamic that was on full display at the first presidential debate; as one Washington Post writer tweeted, “Finally the whole country will watch as a woman stands politely listening to a loud man’s bad ideas about the field she spent her life in”. Clinton was knowledgeable and poised; Trump was volatile and at times barely coherent.
Despite all evidence that he floundered badly on Monday night, Trump spent the entire following day bragging about winning and insisting that his distracting sniffling was due to a faulty or tampered microphone. He even doubled down on insulting a former Miss Universe, who Clinton pointed out he had called “Miss Piggy”, by explaining on Fox News that she had gained “a massive amount of weight”.
Lord, give me that confidence!
For women like Clinton who are advised to tone down their intelligence lest they come across as unlikeable, the debate and its aftermath mark a promising shift in the way that smart women are perceived. Finally, a man who was markedly less prepared and talented than his female opponent was called out as such. Finally, a woman who has spent her life doing her homework wasn’t made out to be a condescending shrew. Clinton’s best line of the night, in fact, was that unlike Trump, “I prepared to be president.”
And on Wednesday morning, with multiple polls showing that Clinton dominated the debate, former Virginia senator John Warner, a Republican, endorsed her. “She has always throughout her life prepared, done her homework, studied,” he said.
It’s a winning time for any woman who has ever been called bossy – the “bitches”, the know-it-alls, the Tracy Flicks and Leslie Knopes. Being studied and nerdy is almost never considered an admirable characteristic in a woman, but this week it was.
At least for the most part. Meet the Press’ Chuck Todd couldn’t help but note that Clinton seemed “over-prepared” – as if there was such a thing when running for the most powerful job in the world. And despite the generally positive reactions to her performance, what’s easy to forget is how much work Clinton likely did to project the exact right amount of confidence without seeming smug, the precise formulation of smiling and silence in the face of bold faced lies and idiocy. In all this, too, I’m sure she studied up.
And it worked. The pre-debate expectations-lowering around Trump’s performance and the post-debate posturing were all in vain. Despite Trump’s bluster and bravado, this mediocre man came across as exactly what he is – middling and unimpressive. And Trump’s massive sense of entitlement and self-regard wasn’t enough to shadow the fact that Clinton is simply better, in every way. Better at debating, better at leading, better at outsmarting an opponent.
For women across the country who recognized all too well Trump’s interruptions or Clinton’s practiced patience, the last few days have been validating. Now the world is seeing what we always have – and that’s a feeling too big to put on a tote.
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Thank you, Jessica. Calling me a mediocre male for not subscribing your "enlightenment" may have made up my mind.
Also, go fuck yourself.
Quite a few of my feminist friends are fond of a tote bag that reads, “Lord, Give Me the Confidence of a Mediocre White Man”. It’s a cheeky nod to a scenario familiar to most women: a bombastic but woefully under-informed man who is convinced of how much smarter he is than you.
That dynamic that was on full display at the first presidential debate; as one Washington Post writer tweeted, “Finally the whole country will watch as a woman stands politely listening to a loud man’s bad ideas about the field she spent her life in”. Clinton was knowledgeable and poised; Trump was volatile and at times barely coherent.
Despite all evidence that he floundered badly on Monday night, Trump spent the entire following day bragging about winning and insisting that his distracting sniffling was due to a faulty or tampered microphone. He even doubled down on insulting a former Miss Universe, who Clinton pointed out he had called “Miss Piggy”, by explaining on Fox News that she had gained “a massive amount of weight”.
Lord, give me that confidence!
For women like Clinton who are advised to tone down their intelligence lest they come across as unlikeable, the debate and its aftermath mark a promising shift in the way that smart women are perceived. Finally, a man who was markedly less prepared and talented than his female opponent was called out as such. Finally, a woman who has spent her life doing her homework wasn’t made out to be a condescending shrew. Clinton’s best line of the night, in fact, was that unlike Trump, “I prepared to be president.”
And on Wednesday morning, with multiple polls showing that Clinton dominated the debate, former Virginia senator John Warner, a Republican, endorsed her. “She has always throughout her life prepared, done her homework, studied,” he said.
It’s a winning time for any woman who has ever been called bossy – the “bitches”, the know-it-alls, the Tracy Flicks and Leslie Knopes. Being studied and nerdy is almost never considered an admirable characteristic in a woman, but this week it was.
At least for the most part. Meet the Press’ Chuck Todd couldn’t help but note that Clinton seemed “over-prepared” – as if there was such a thing when running for the most powerful job in the world. And despite the generally positive reactions to her performance, what’s easy to forget is how much work Clinton likely did to project the exact right amount of confidence without seeming smug, the precise formulation of smiling and silence in the face of bold faced lies and idiocy. In all this, too, I’m sure she studied up.
And it worked. The pre-debate expectations-lowering around Trump’s performance and the post-debate posturing were all in vain. Despite Trump’s bluster and bravado, this mediocre man came across as exactly what he is – middling and unimpressive. And Trump’s massive sense of entitlement and self-regard wasn’t enough to shadow the fact that Clinton is simply better, in every way. Better at debating, better at leading, better at outsmarting an opponent.
For women across the country who recognized all too well Trump’s interruptions or Clinton’s practiced patience, the last few days have been validating. Now the world is seeing what we always have – and that’s a feeling too big to put on a tote.
=======================
Thank you, Jessica. Calling me a mediocre male for not subscribing your "enlightenment" may have made up my mind.
Also, go fuck yourself.