To start it is true I am not a huge Oprah fan, I work during the day! But I did watch the Sarah Palin interview on Monday November 16, 2009.
I am not about to try and discuss her interview style or choice of questions. Palin went on the show to promote her book and must have expected the partisan slant.
I am going to talk about the question to Sarah Palin from Oprah regarding her fitness for public office. I am paraphrasing, but I swear I heard her ask Palin, how could she possibly think she would be capable of holding public office while being a woman, wife and mother to 5 children. Is Oprah serious with this type of question? Is Oprah trying to relive the 1920′s or something? Can you even imagine what would have happened if someone had, god forbid, ask Clinton how could she be in public office since she is mother and wife? Oprah said that men can be parents and hold office because they have wives. seriously?
“have wives”. ??? is she kidding with this???
That is the attitude we disposed off when modern woman were given the right to divorce, voting and land ownership. When I got married my wife and I became a team, I don’t own her nor does she own me, Oprah’s remark sets the suffragette movement back 100 years.
For years I was a single dad of two daughters. I made certain they knew that they are people who can do what ever they care to and aspire to whatever the hearts and minds can dream. But now according to Oprah, they have to sit back and take care of the children, wash the dishes and hand their husbands a martini when they get home from work. Oh and girls don’t bother your man with your insignificant daily drudgery.
Ridiculous. To think I used to use Oprah as an example of what a woman can do in our world.
The second thing that amazed me about that question was that no one in the media seemed to bat an eye about it. Are they afraid to question Oprah? Is the media so blinded by partisan politics that they will not question a democratic supporter? Or do Americans as a whole believe that women can not hold power?
Lastly, I think Oprah should look up a few names.
Indira Ghandi,Prime Minister of India for 4 terms, mother of 2 boys and wife. I know amazing.
Margret Thatcher, Prime Minister of England 2 children and a husband, how did she manage?
Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel
Mary McAleese, Prime Minister Ireland
Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan
Maria Aquino, President of the Philippines
Helen Clarke, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Further debunking her women cannot possibly hold the strings of power theory there are many major corporations that have CEO’s, CFO’s and presidents who are female. Namely:
Hewlett-Packard, Lucent Technologies, Martha Stewart, Harpo (ok am guessing in this one, but the President or CEO may be a woman, though I have no back up), Boeing and even Ebay.
Basically what I want to say is that if you are going to be partisan, don’t dress it up as a real interview. Apologizes to the young women in the world who wrongly or rightly looked up to your and Mrs. Palin. Let the women in your audience know that CAN do what they want and the CAN succeed even if they are just wives and mothers.
That is my two bits worth. I hope I don’t offend to many, but I do hope I wake up a few!
