...or not depending on whom you ask. On May 9, 2010, President Barack Obama announced his decision to nominate Elena Kagan as the successor to Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who announced on April 9, 2010 that he would be retiring from his position in June or July of this year. Kagan, who has had a long and distinguished career as the Dean of Harvard Law School, and later Solicitor General has recently come under fire for her physical appearance. Yes, Elena Kagan is being criticized not for her positions or potential decisions as a Supreme Court Justice, but for her lacking ability to inspire lust and libido in her male counterparts.
Seriously.
Despite the fact that she was the first female Solicitor General for the United States, despite the fact that she has been in charge of the law school for one of the most prestigious colleges in this nation, despite the fact that she served as President Bill Clinton's Assoc. White House Counsel, despite the fact that she served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy; and despite the fact that her service under Clinton included a role as the Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council her critics have decided to tear her down because they don't think she's attractive. I see, so it doesn't matter if a woman is just as smart and capable as a man, or able to hold powerful positions with as much competence as savvy as her male counterparts, it only matters if she looks great in a pair of heels while doing it.
Like most intelligent women, who don't resemble a pinup model like certain former Alaskan Governors, Kagan has been compared to Shrek the cartoon ogre, linebackers, and finally accused of being an ugly lesbian. As if that last one even matters, but it's nice to see that the world still thinks that if you're a smart, short, plus-sized woman capable of holding a powerful position usually reserved for men you must be a radical ball-breaking feminist, and mannish uber-dyke.
Then again, look at the messages we send our young women in this country. If you are a woman who stands up for her rights, demands equality, and refuses to be oppressed or subjugated because you have breasts and a vagina then you're a man-hating lesbian. If you're a woman who flashes her cooter at eager paparazzi, wears band-aids for clothes, and otherwise appears to have the brains of a tomato then suddenly you are the male ideal. You can find this message in everything from Hannah Montana to iCarly where the female protagonists obtain friends, fortune, and fame by objectifying themselves. Female singers, the mainstream ones, spend more time gyrating and wriggling on screen in scanty outfits than actually lip synching to the lyrics written for them by another female artist who isn't "marketable". That is, she is the Elena Kagan of the music industry.
If anything, I hope Kagan wins the nomination, and her critics find something better to do with their time. Why? Because I believe she can do the job, and uphold the expectations and responsibilities as a member of the highest court in this country because she is a woman. Plus, it's like my mother always said, "It's what's between your ears, not between your legs that's going to get you ahead in this world, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
***
Lesbian Rumors Circling Kagan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2010/05/14/DI2010051402176.html
Kagan Compared to Shrek the Ogre
http://www.examiner.com/x-2398-Boston-Top-News-Examiner~y2010m5d12-Elena-Kagan-smeared-by-gaybaiting-right-wing-media
Kagan Told To "Get A Broom and Do Something Useful"
http://theothermccain.com/2010/05/10/rant-alert-elena-kagan-should-be-given-a-broom-and-instructed-to-do-something-useful/
Seriously.
Despite the fact that she was the first female Solicitor General for the United States, despite the fact that she has been in charge of the law school for one of the most prestigious colleges in this nation, despite the fact that she served as President Bill Clinton's Assoc. White House Counsel, despite the fact that she served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy; and despite the fact that her service under Clinton included a role as the Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council her critics have decided to tear her down because they don't think she's attractive. I see, so it doesn't matter if a woman is just as smart and capable as a man, or able to hold powerful positions with as much competence as savvy as her male counterparts, it only matters if she looks great in a pair of heels while doing it.
Like most intelligent women, who don't resemble a pinup model like certain former Alaskan Governors, Kagan has been compared to Shrek the cartoon ogre, linebackers, and finally accused of being an ugly lesbian. As if that last one even matters, but it's nice to see that the world still thinks that if you're a smart, short, plus-sized woman capable of holding a powerful position usually reserved for men you must be a radical ball-breaking feminist, and mannish uber-dyke.
Then again, look at the messages we send our young women in this country. If you are a woman who stands up for her rights, demands equality, and refuses to be oppressed or subjugated because you have breasts and a vagina then you're a man-hating lesbian. If you're a woman who flashes her cooter at eager paparazzi, wears band-aids for clothes, and otherwise appears to have the brains of a tomato then suddenly you are the male ideal. You can find this message in everything from Hannah Montana to iCarly where the female protagonists obtain friends, fortune, and fame by objectifying themselves. Female singers, the mainstream ones, spend more time gyrating and wriggling on screen in scanty outfits than actually lip synching to the lyrics written for them by another female artist who isn't "marketable". That is, she is the Elena Kagan of the music industry.
If anything, I hope Kagan wins the nomination, and her critics find something better to do with their time. Why? Because I believe she can do the job, and uphold the expectations and responsibilities as a member of the highest court in this country because she is a woman. Plus, it's like my mother always said, "It's what's between your ears, not between your legs that's going to get you ahead in this world, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
***
Lesbian Rumors Circling Kagan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2010/05/14/DI2010051402176.html
Kagan Compared to Shrek the Ogre
http://www.examiner.com/x-2398-Boston-Top-News-Examiner~y2010m5d12-Elena-Kagan-smeared-by-gaybaiting-right-wing-media
Kagan Told To "Get A Broom and Do Something Useful"
http://theothermccain.com/2010/05/10/rant-alert-elena-kagan-should-be-given-a-broom-and-instructed-to-do-something-useful/