This icon has nothing to do with this post except to put me in my happy place.

[apocalypsos]

From CNN: Gender or race: Black women voters face tough choices in South Carolina

Okay, the article itself is ignorant. Go read it. The writer manages to support a story about, "Oh, whoever will they vote for, the black man or the woman? Tough decision!", with quotes that make it abundantly clear that the women in question are discussing the issues like normal intelligent voters, not trying to decide between gender or race.

But the best is that this story quickly followed: CNN readers respond angrily to 'race or gender' story

Basically, within minutes they were inundated with emails saying the story was bullshit. The best was this response, which basically summed up what I was thinking as I read it: "The article itself shows black women have brains and actually choose candidates based on issues and not just gender or race, but CNN doesn't seem to give them that credit." Amen.

Comments

[eh-notsomuch.livejournal.com]

Halle-frickin-lujah. Let's hold these media reductionists to this bullshit. But I will say, good for CNN for reporting they were full of shit. Now don't let it happen again.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Well, I get the impression it was less that they were reporting they were full of shit and more that they were just reporting on the angry emails, which just sucks. It's not, "We made a mistake!," it's, "These people think we made a mistake!", which ... ugh.

[eh-notsomuch.livejournal.com]

Oh really? Well, screw 'em then.

[20thcenturyvole.livejournal.com]

Hah. I also liked the guy who said, as a white male, he too was forced to choose between his race and his gender.

Seriously, that was such a condescending article, and I'm happy they published the reaction it got.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

No, no, no--only *black women* are defined by their race and/or gender, don't you see?

*eyeroll*

[florahart]

Ahahahaha and this:

An e-mailer named Tiffany responded sarcastically: "Duh, I'm a black woman and here I am at the voting booth. Duh, since I'm illiterate I'll pull down the lever for someone. Hm... Well, he black so I may vote for him... oh wait she a woman I may vote for her... What Ise gon' do? Oh lordy!"

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Ha! Yeah, that lady is awesome. :)

[eh-notsomuch.livejournal.com]

Tiffany for president! OH LORDY!

[xturtle.livejournal.com]

Just tell me where the "Pasty Bitches for Obama" t-shirts are. I'm planning to caucus across race AND gender lines -- phone CNN, let's make their tiny brains explode!

[sarff-nodwydd.livejournal.com]

That particular article IS BS.

However, there are a fairly large number of people (or sheep, call them what you will), who will vote against Barak Obama *because* he's black. There are others who will vote against Hillary because she's a woman. That's NOT taking into account those who will vote against Hillary because she IS Hillary, but that's a completely different issue.

[jim-smith.livejournal.com]

Man, I'm a white male liberal, so I guess I just can't vote for anybody.