Can you think of a better demonstration that something is deeply wrong with people?

[theweaselking]

Twenty-seven percent of voters said they were not likely to vote for a woman candidate in 2008 no matter which party ticket she headed, according to the poll sponsored by WNBC-TV in New York City. Of that 27 percent, almost one-third said they wouldn't back a female candidate because "women are not up to the job" while 10 percent said it was because the presidency is "a man's job."

Comments

[mzdemonique.livejournal.com]

i am not surprised by this at all
i am not saying it doesn't bother me, or make me with darwinism worked faster, but it isn't exactly surprising

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

I'm just glad you didn't mark this one as a USA centric trait. We aren't the only place this occurs. These people need to read some history books. Queens and female heads of other types of state have done no worse historicly than men. They've probably done better since there've been fewer of them to have the opportunity to fuck up catastrophically.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I totally know it happens all over the world.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

You guys are both wrong. Even Pakistan, a nation populated by people who follow the mysoginistic Islam had the open-mindedness to elect a woman (Benazir Bhutto) as president, Israel had Golda Meier and every European country that I can think of off the top of my head has elected a female prime minister or president.

So no, it isn't happening all over the world, and yes, it IS a USA centric trait.

we suck.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Canada hasn't elected a female PM. We've had one (Kim Campell), but she wasn't elected - she got the job because she was deputy and the male PM (Mulroney) retired. She got crushed in the next election.

Of course, she lost because the PC party had probably the most despised government in Canadian history, not because she was a woman, but we still didn't elect a woman.

And it's possible to have a woman win even if one in three people thinks women can't govern. She just needs that much bigger of a lead - and simply BEING a woman candidate can bring out voters who might not vote otherwise, potentially even enough to offset the loss es to the misogynists.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

Canada hasn't done anything the US hasn't done (except establish a semi-legal hash zone in Vancouver, for which they are paying dearly) in 20 years, so you guys are really just the 51st State and need to SHUT UP.

we suck!

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

#1: Canada produced me, a great and praiseworthy feat that, as yet, no Americans have managed.
#2: My health care is free. How about yours?

Heh. My favourite Vancouver-and-drugs stories are the ones where the Washington State DA demanded that a Washington State judge declare that a piece of Canada that had been used to store drugs be declared property of the US Government, and the one about how the clean needles and safe-shoot-up zone hasn't increased or decreased drug use, and hasn't increased or decreased the drug-related crime rate, but *has* cut way down on the spread of disease in the community.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

Yep, I got NHS health care here in the UK, and Dude..from 1986 until 2004, I got all of my healthcare in the US (and I'm a paraplegic so it was substantial) for FREE.

I paid ZIP.

I wanna visit Vancouver. Too bad you're all the eway over on the other side.

[thette.livejournal.com]

Every European country?

Not even Sweden. Our foreign minister was being groomed for the prime minister post, but she was killed two years ago.

Off the top of my head, I can think of the UK, Finland, Iceland, Germany and Norway.

[kali-kali.livejournal.com]

Latvia. Female president - with lots of popular support - since 1999.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

Norway? Does the name Gro Harlem Brundtland (Labour) ring any bells?

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

Germany? Does the name Angela Merkel ring any bells?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Yes, that would be her point. Germany, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and the UK are the ones who *have* had a female head.

The reast of Europe, to her recollection, has not.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

oh. I get it. (thanks for stopping me before I did Finland.)

but let's not stop[ there.

how about Holland?

Netherlands Antilles Prime Minister Lucinda da Costa Gomez-Matheeuws 1977
Netherlands Antilles Prime Minister Maria Liberia-Peters 1984–1986, 1988–1993
Netherlands Antilles Prime Minister Susanne Camelia-Romer 1993, 1998–1999
Netherlands Antilles Prime Minister Mirna Louisa-Godett 2003–2004

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Again, she didn't say the list was exhaustive. She apparently missed Latvia, too, even though that's not a real country.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

and so her point was ...(accepting the fact that you are not responsible for anyone's point except your own--if that)?

[kali-kali.livejournal.com]

..the fuck?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

A snide jibe, tongue firmly in cheek, watching to see how far your knee would jerk.

I figure one of these days I'm either going to get a laugh or there'll be this clattering as it tears itself loose from the bearings and runs down the street without you.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

The UK? Does Margaret Thatcher ring any bells?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Again, Matt, that's what she said. Those are the ones that DID have women heads.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

again, this is all backing up what I said, which is that the USA is the only backasswards fucking DEVELOPED country where 27 fucking percent of the people think a woman cain't do the job.

[torrain.livejournal.com]

Uhm.

She said she could think of five European countries that had had female heads. Her knowledge isn't exhaustive (as noted, she missed Latvia), but I don't think six examples means the USA is the only lonely developed country where people don't think a woman can do the job.

(Which is not to say that it might not be the only developed country where exactly 27% don't think a woman can do the job, just that it probably isn't the only developed country where you find that attitude. Hell, even electing a female head of state won't guarantee that you don't find that attitude. I expect it's quite often possible to win an election without 27% of the total votes.)

...Christ. Can't be the beer. Must be the tired.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

Iceland? Does Vigdis Finnbogadottir ring any bells?

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

you owe me a new keyboard. I just puked on my old one.

[zenten.livejournal.com]

I'm curious to see the gender breakdowns of that.

[ed-dirt.livejournal.com]

better to go with the Faith Breakdowns.

and Paul said, Thou shalt let the woman be an helpmeet.."

[torrain.livejournal.com]

I thought that was God, not Paul, which is not to say that Paul did not promote the view found in Genesis 2:18. (If we're working off different translations, let me know; I checked the KJV and the NIV.)

I always preferred Jael, myself.