Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Feminists, The Media, and Sarah

At the outset, I must say that I am not a big Sarah Palin fan. I agree with some of what she says but am not convinced that she is presidential timber. Time will tell, of course, and a lot can happen between now and the campaign season of 2012. However, I do know that she does have a huge impact on the American public.

Today her book, "Going Rogue," is being released nationally. Long lines have formed at bookstores around the country waiting to purchase their copy. Some think the reason for this turn out is because she was on Oprah and is popular. Some think it is because she is "hot." Still others are in line out of pure curiosity. Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that Sarah Palin is center stage in the political world at this time.

The ex-governor of Alaska has endured a barrage of criticism mainly from the liberal, mainstream media. They have attacked her intelligence. They have assaulted her family. They have written her off as a dunce. They have demeaned her by putting a photo of her in shorts on the cover of the once respected magazine "Newsweek," a photo that she posed for to highlight running in fitness publication. Had all of this happened to a liberal woman, there would have been howls of protest from the media led by the feminist movement. Instead of protests of the exploitation of women and degrading of a woman who is a national figure, there has been the sound of deafening silence from these groups, especially the feminist community.

Where is the outrage? Where is the indignation that one of the feminine persuasion is being unfairly branded as an unintelligent, out-of-touch idiot? Where is the demand for apologies from those who have dragged her family into the fray? In short, where is the fairness from the feminist wing of liberal thinking America?

I think we all know the answer to this question. You can be a feminist only if you agree with the feminist agenda. Sarah Palin is from Alaska, a long way away from the supposed intellectually rich northeast. She seems to be one of the people for whom the media has disdain. She connects with people, speaking their language and about things that truly concern most Americans, such as jobs and security. She does not hold back and speaks her peace in plain English. She does not pretend to be something that she is not.

Let's face it. The mainstream media looks upon the ordinary American as less than intelligent. They are condescending in their demeanor towards us. They constantly dismiss our opinions as uninformed and unimportant. They think that all problems can and should be solved by big government and bigger government rather than hard work done in the trenches of daily life in the real world. They sit at their computers and criticize the ordinary American for not going along with such liberal ideas such as abortion and gay marriage. According to them, we out here in Ordinaryville are either too stupid to truly understand these issues or we're just plain bigoted and mean spirited. They certainly don't think that we can see through their high-minded words and thoughts for what they really are. And they certainly cannot understand how in the world Sarah Palin can connect with so many people in the way she does.

Word of warning to the liberal media as well as the feminist movement: Do NOT underestimate Sarah Palin. She may not have the grace of speech that the current president has. She may have a little accent when she speaks that does not sound anything like a northeastern accent. In underestimating Sarah Palin the liberal media underestimates the American public. Contrary to what they think, we do have intelligence and something extra that they do not have: common sense!

Regardless of whether or not you like Sarah Palin, let's celebrate her spirit. She's not afraid to express herself. She is willing to fight for those things she believes in and she is certainly not afraid to get involved in order to change things for the better. So let us enjoy the success of Sarah Palin as she tours the country selling her book. Let her be a reminder to us all that the ordinary American is what this country is all about and without the people who go to work daily, pay taxes, raise kids, get involved in their schools and communities this country would be a mere shadow of what it has become. Without us, it would be a very small community of liberal thinkers producing very little beyond their own opinions and empty promises.