I'd like to issue an apology on behalf of all women. Sorry, ladies, but I think a good percentage of you will agree with me anyway.
More specifically, this is on behalf of women who pay attention to politics.
It seems to me that women politicians are still viewed as a joke, especially between the 2008 election season and the current campaign.
And of course they are seen that way.
People are usually given attention if they are different or controversial. Everyone likes attention, right? So the natural response should be to keep doing whatever earned that attention in the first place.
Sarah Palin took that to mean being more rogue, more every-woman and more detached from the news media. She basically became a complete caricature of herself.
Voters like things to be very simple.
Straightforward politics are preferred in this country. People don't want any of those "conditional" mumbo-jumbo arguments where decisions depend on circumstances. Campaign seasons are for declarative statements that appease people in the moment. That angle is perfect for politicians who are trying to earn votes rather than keep the numbers they already have.
In my view, Palin was never a valid candidate.
"But Sami," I hear you asking, "Don't ladies automatically vote for other ladies?"
Not when they think that lady is crazy.
Did you ever ask yourself why Palin was selected to be John McCain's running mate?
Essentially, the only people who would vote for McCain also look exactly like him. The Republican Party ticket needed spice and pizazz - and controversy. Palin brought attention to their campaign with her gender and her opinions.
I'm definitely not saying she exploited herself to earn votes. The fact that she is a female was enough "controversy" to catch the media's attention. It was after the fact that we got to see the other levels of her personality.
There was a brief panic in America with the beginning of the 2012 presidential race: Who was going to be America's sweetheart now that Palin wasn't running?
Thankfully, Michele Bachmann arrived on the scene.
Bachmann is just another example of how important extremes are to this nation.
If someone isn't making a scene, they're not going to earn press. And I think we all know Bachmann likes a scene.
Women in politics will not be listened to unless they are causing a ruckus - that is a little absurd to me.
Are we not past this yet? Can we just have female politicians, no questions asked? Instead, we are presented only with cartoons.
Is that what we want our children to be exposed to? It's not fair that the only highly visible role models available are basically the worst ones.
So, here's my apology:
Sorry. I'm sorry for the ladies and to the ladies.
I'm sorry that, as far as presidential candidates go, there aren't often good examples to look up to. I wish that the loudest voices weren't the only ones heard.
I'd also like to apologize to anyone who finds this whole thing a little one-sided.
As you can see, I lean a certain way politically. I don't even think that matters in this case, though. Even if I belonged to the Republican Party, I would still feel mildly ashamed of the females "representing" me. This goes beyond whether or not I agree with their politics because that answer is easy: I am just legitimately saddened that two of the most talked-about females in these recent elections are poor role models.
Maybe this is all to inspire the next generation to be better than using gender as a springboard for politics. It shouldn't matter what your gender is if your policies are a little nutty.
Apology accepted?
Sami Main is a journalism junior at UF. Her column appears on Tuesdays.
