December 22, 2012

"Lady Jerks of 2012: A Year in Review."

Today seems to be my day for finding screwy ideas in Slate. This one seems to be a twist on the old feminist bumper sticker "Well-behaved women rarely make history." I can't quite tell whether Amanda Hess is trying to encourage/facilitate female jerkiness or what. Yeah, there's the ancient problem of wanting to be liked, which is really only a problem if you want it too much and want it above other, better goals. It's perfectly idiotic to think that the solution to the excessive desire to be liked is to be unlikeable.

But, whatever... the women Hess recognizes as the "Lady Jerks of 2012" are: the CIA agent who complained that she shouldn't have had to share the Distinguished Intelligence Medal for finding bin Laden; Anne Hathaway, the actress who talked back haughtily when asked about the photographs that paparazzi somehow were able to take of the body part Hess refers to as "her vagina"; Julia Gillard, the prime minister of Australia who called some political opponent a misogynist; Taylor Swift, the pretty young singer who crashed a Kennedy wedding with her Kennedy boyfriend; and Susan Rice, who, as Hess would have it, lost out on getting to be the next Secretary of State because people thought she was “prickly,” “hard-headed,” “temperamentally unfit,” and “always right on the edge of a screech.” Hess writes: "The personality police eventually moved Rice to withdraw her name from the running." That's not what I heard!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Julia Gillard, the prime minister of Australia who called some political opponent a misogynist.

The strong women in my life and ancestry don't resort to attacking men with flimsy thread-bare props.

They just ignore the criticism, yoke the oxen (some literally and others figuratively) and push on with or without the critics.

I feel sorry for all the feminism coddled women that have to run to the mommy of social condemnation and loaded code words to compensate for what they can't do from the strength of their own soul.

MadisonMan said...

I think you have to add that lady in Indianapolis who allegedly blew up her house last month, killing her neighbors and damaging 30+ other homes so much as to render them uninhabitable just so she could collect the insurance and her hubby could buy a Ferrari.

Anonymous said...

I refer above to the Mormon slut walk, perhaps the first large slut walk in America, which took place in 1846/47 and went from Nauvoo, Illinois to what is now Omaha and then to the Basin of Great Salt Lake.

MayBee said...

Women are very special people.

Anonymous said...

History shows that as female crassness is celebrated and encouraged, a society is in decline and will soon be destroyed.

Hes has no idea about the horrors of true oppression and a real "rape culture." Can't wait to hear of her experiencing it.

Enjoy the decline, morons!

Shouting Thomas said...

I nominate Elizabeth Sweet, who wrote this goofy piece for the NYT.

Steve Sailer aptly skewers the not so Sweet Liz with this bit, Feminists: Still making children cry on Christmas morning.

traditionalguy said...

I am in favor of all jerks. Let the jerkiest games begin. The winner gets the Don Rickles Award.

But in real life don't we reward the humble and refuse speak to jerks again if we can help it.

Note: I am going cold turkey off question marks starting today.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Yes, it's true, Slate is full of silly writers phoning it in at the end of the year.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Where is the "Gentlemen Jerks"?...

Does Slate have a map for that?

edutcher said...

No Fauxcahontas?

No Jenny Granholm?

No Moochelle, food police to the world?

No Hildabeast?

She aims low.

MadisonMan said...

She aims low.

She has a special sight that can't focus on Liberal Female Jerks.

Chip S. said...

There are no "lady" jerks, nor are there "gentleman" jerks.

The essence of either is not acting like a jerk no matter the circumstances.

Wince said...

Well, the Jerk Store just called and they're running out of binders full of women.

Synova said...

The "well behaved women" quote is cute but beside the point (and I wouldn't have described the events she did as examples in any case) because well behaved MEN don't make History either.

Now, maybe women are still told to conform to get ahead, keep your head down and don't make waves. The thing is... then you don't make waves. Duh.

But men get paid more (when they get paid more) because they ask for raises more often, push more often, work more hours more often, take dangerous jobs more often, take jobs that require travel more often.

Sam L. said...

Julia, I understand, essentially swore there would be no carbon tax under her administration, and..you can see where I'm going.

AlanKH said...

Laura "Minnie the Moocher" Fluke didn't make the list?

AlanKH said...

Oops, Sandra Fluke.

I don't know where "Laura" came from. "Julia" would be understandable...