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| Hillary shatters her media stereotype. |
Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton has successfully shattered the media’s stereotype of her that
emerged from its collective sexist imagination in the 90s. As Hillary strode onto
the world stage in her current role, the mainstream punditry, supported by
unapologetic bigoted bloggers, scrambled to make excuses for their earlier
misrepresentations of this powerful woman. The preferred explanation is not
that the media saw her through the lenses of sexism and misogyny, but that she
has changed over the years.
As the media would
have it, Hillary Clinton, now in her 60s, has suddenly learned how to kick back
and enjoy a cold one; she displays extraordinary ease and confidence out on the
dance floor, and she has a sense of humor!!
Hillary’s many longtime
friends and acquaintances assure us that she hasn’t changed – this is the
Hillary they’ve always known and loved.
What a shocker. Acknowledged
world leader Hillary Clinton is also a loving and relational human being who
knows how to relax and have a good time.
The above thoughts
helped me fill in the blanks in this piece by Margaret Carlson at Bloomberg that
focuses on the secretary’s latest farewell tour:
As if a peaceful Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t enough of a challenge, U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had to spend her holiday chasing an even more
unattainable ideal: peace in the Middle East.
So Clinton left her and President Barack Obama’s
trip to Asia to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas.
She met with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu of Israel (who was slightly more accommodating after his romance
with failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney
did not prove fruitful). She met with President Mohamed Mursi of Egypt. She met
with leaders of the Palestinian Authority. The end result was a cease-fire that
got photos of teddy bears amid rubble off the front page.
Like too many of her achievements, however, this one was soon spoiled -- or
at least overshadowed -- by a man: Mursi, feeling empowered after delivering a
Hamas cease-fire to the U.S., issued a decree essentially declaring himself
above the law. Clinton is used to men complicating her life, notably her
husband, Bill, and then-senator Barack Obama. The latter destroyed her
presidential campaign, the former her marriage (almost).
In the annals of those who pick themselves up and dust themselves off,
Hillary has no peer -- unless it is Bill. They now rest at (she) and near (he)
the top of lists of the Most Admired Man and Woman in
the World.
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