filed in Daily Life, Myths and stereotypes, Uncategorized
He’s With Her
I love Louis CK and was happy to hear his full-throated endorsement of Hillary Clinton. But I had a couple of issues with it, including his idealization of mothers. Am I being harsh? What’s your take?
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12 comments for “He’s With Her”
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Yes, I think you’re being harsh. I’m not a mother either, mixture of choice and circumstance, but that doesn’t stop me having total awe, admiration and gratitude of a mother’s role.
They do a tough tough job with little returns for much of the time.
Their unconditional and often sacrificial devotion and care of their offspring, I believe, is something to be recognised, respected and applauded.
I love this blog but sometimes it makes me a little sad that the posts seem to divide the world into ‘them’ and ‘us’…..the singles and the coupled up; the mother’s and the childfree…..we’re not in competition with each other, it’s not a game, life has merely dealt us different paths but that should not stop us from supporting and applauding one another.
Thanks for sharing your viewpoint, lonewolf. I had an amazing mother who would have literally given me the shirt off her back. So I’m also in awe of the job description. But some mothers fail at the job, and the results can be so damaging. That said, I don’t feel an “them and us” about marital status. I believe it’s challenging to get through life, no matter what your circumstances. And the best we can do is live with gratitude and carry on…
I am with you on this–and I don’t think it is an us vs. them and I don’t think this website does that either. That is pretty reductive reasoning above, if you ask me.
We are ALL doing different versions of tough jobs with little to no recognition or applause–that is called being a kind and decent human adult in the world.
I do like where he’s going with crushing the notion that she needs to be likable. To me, that is a huge and profound shift and potential triumph.
I appreciated most of what Louis CK had to say about HRC. And I agree about the likable part. But I wasn’t crazy about him using the word, “conniving.”
I so agree. I agree.
Is it all over yet? can it be next wednesday already?
Everyone I know is holding their breath. I’m going to have a martini now.
Eh, I feel like he wasn’t idolizing mothers too much but making one point about her and more so comparing mothers and fathers. I wish my friends who have stupid reasons for not liking Clinton and not being ready to vote for her and are too decent to vote for Trump would watch this and take it to heart.
Wendy – I’m reading “All the Single Ladies” as I first heard of it here. Great book and making me feel pretty good about being single. Especially as I just moved cities and will start a new job that is a great opportunity, which perhaps I wouldn’t have pursued were I coupled.
I’m such a big fan of Rebecca Traister, author of All the Single Ladies. I’m so glad to hear it’s having a positive impact, Claire. I look forward to hearing about your move.
Maybe you’ve already read this article – but here is Anne Lamott’s take on Mother’s Day. Every woman’s path in life is difficult – mothers and those who aren’t mothers.
http://www.salon.com/2010/05/08/hate_mothers_day_anne_lamott/
Thanks, Alissa. I’m going to check out Annie Lamott’s piece. I appreciate her honesty and irreverance.
I too cringed in the places you did. For me, the idealization of mothers devalues the actual job many do. Idealizing validates the idea of superwoman who can do everything. Not something I aspire to or want women to feel they need to live up to. Valuing good parenting takes more time and thoughtfulness. And, yes, there are plenty of damaging mothers out there. The conniving bit made me yelp in protest.
The Anne Lamott piece is very good in my book.
This week is a martini every night for me. Not something I usually partake in that regularly.
I love what Ru Paul had to say about HRC:
Q. What do you think about Hillary Clinton and the Democrats?
A. [Laughs.] I fucking love them. I have always loved them. And let me just say this: If you’re a politician — not just in Washington but in business and industry, you have to be a politician — there are a lot of things that you have to do that you’re not proud of. There are a lot of compromises you have to make because it means that you can get this other thing over here. And if you think that you can go to fucking Washington and be rainbows and butterflies the whole time, you’re living in a fucking fantasy world. So now, having said that, think about what a female has to do with that: All of those compromises, all of that shit, double it by ten. And you get to understand who this woman is and how powerful, persuasive, brilliant, and resilient she is. Any female executive, anybody who has been put to the side — women, blacks, gays — for them to succeed in a white-male-dominated culture is an act of brilliance. Of resilience, of grit, of everything you can imagine. So, what do I think of Hillary? I think she’s fucking awesome. Is she in bed with Wall Street? Goddammit, I should hope so! You’ve got to dance with the devil. So which of the horrible people do you want? That’s more of the question. Do you want a pompous braggart who doesn’t know anything about diplomacy? Or do you want a badass bitch who knows how to get shit done? That’s really the question.