Althouse: CNN: "For these women, a unique, and most unexpected dilemma, presents itself: Should they vote their race, or should they vote their gender?"

January 21, 2008

CNN: "For these women, a unique, and most unexpected dilemma, presents itself: Should they vote their race, or should they vote their gender?"

Pissed-off black woman: "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!"

ADDED: Based on the first 2 comments, I see I need to use my sledgehammer. 1. Read the linked article. 2. The quote is from one of many women who were annoyed by CNN. 3. It's sarcasm.

27 comments:

JackDRipper said...: Wow, no stereotype there - pissed off black women. The complainers pretend it's not an issue and in a way they are right. For black women the choice will be a black male over a white women 99% of the time.

But Hillary isn't merely a White woman she's Hillary, Bill's wife. She's family, in a way.

Another e-mailer, D.T., who describes herself as a young, white woman, said voters should choose the candidate best qualified to lead.

"I'm sure there are plenty of black women who are Republican and could care less who the Dem leader will be," she said

Black females are probably the least likely Republicans in America. That's Condi and the wives of some black Army Generals.

About 95% of the black female vote goes for the democrats. Obama will crush Hillary in the contest for the black vote in South Carolina.; 1/21/08, 6:57 PM
MJ said...: I'd like you to explain how I can tell you are not a racist, just as you demand of others.; 1/21/08, 7:01 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Wow, no stereotype there - pissed off black women."

The stereotype is in YOUR head. That is a specific pissed-off black woman. Read the article.; 1/21/08, 7:01 PM
Ann Althouse said...: mj: Read the damned article! It's a quote.; 1/21/08, 7:04 PM
rcocean said...: She doth protest too much. We all know AA vote 90 percent democrat & that there isn't a dime's worth of difference between Hillary! and Obama on policy, so...

It does really get around to do I help my black brother or my white "sister"? I think Hillary will get the same answer as OJ,; 1/21/08, 7:08 PM
Trooper York said...: This wouldn't have happened if you were blogging about American Idol. Cause everyone would know that the pissed off black woman was Jennifer Hudson.; 1/21/08, 7:09 PM
Prosecutorial Indiscretion said...: The first two comments are fine examples of dumbocracy in action.

Incidentally, I know several black women Republicans who are neither Condoleeza Rice nor married to Army generals. Shocking, I know, but true nevertheless.; 1/21/08, 7:09 PM
JohnAnnArbor said...: It's nice to see some rebellion against identity politics. Reporters, being dumb, will keep playing the came anyway.; 1/21/08, 7:10 PM
rhhardin said...: CNN is going with the story their audience expects, is all.

They don't believe the crap they put out. They're earning a living with it.

Disparage the audience, not the network. The network goes where the audience goes.; 1/21/08, 7:20 PM
HeatherRadish said...: I thought the first comment was comedy. Denouce the perceived stereotype, to clear the way for the stereotype of your own! Stuff of classic standup; lousy for an actual conversation, though.; 1/21/08, 7:23 PM
ricpic said...: An angry black is a happy black,
Doodah, doodah,
An angry black is a happy black,
Doodah all dee day.; 1/21/08, 7:27 PM
Steven said...: "For white men in South Carolina, a unique, and most unexpected dilemma, presents itself: Should they vote their race, or should they vote their gender?"

Ooops, looks like a misuse of the word "unique", too. And yet, neither the writer nor the editor was fired for utter cluelessness.; 1/21/08, 7:29 PM
Jennifer said...: I love the sledgehammer. Though, the floundering does have its own comedic charm.; 1/21/08, 7:53 PM
Michael A. Cleverly said...: If you buy into the whole notion of identity politics, some black women (for example Gladys Knight) have an even harder decision to make: vote race (Obama), gender (Clinton), or religion (Romney).; 1/21/08, 8:13 PM
AmPowerBlog said...: Obama's getting hammered! Hill's got mojo!; 1/21/08, 8:16 PM
Anonymous said...: What Ise gon' do? Oh lordy!

Heh, heh, heh. A unique and most unexpected dilemma presents itself: is this pissed-off black woman a credit to her race or a credit to her gender?; 1/21/08, 8:57 PM
Anonymous said...: I agree with the
CNN posters, and I invite Tiffany to join us here. She is a witty, smart commenter!

Again, officialdom is obsessed with race and gender. We are pretty much over it.; 1/21/08, 9:28 PM
blake said...: Come on! This is the funniest thing since onion rings!; 1/21/08, 10:09 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Did anyone ask New Hampshire women if they were planning to vote their race? Why not? I realize that the question was bandied about afterwards, what with all the discussion of the Bradley effect, but it wasn't broached before the election. At least not as was done in the CNN story.

Unless an editor can imagine asking white men in South Carolina a similar question, he or she ought to realize that this story starts from a series of biased assumptions.; 1/21/08, 10:51 PM
KCFleming said...: Tiffany urged CNN to "pull this racist crap off" the Web site and to stop calling Hillary the "top female candidate."

"Stop calling Barack the "Black" candidate," she wrote.

Let my people go.; 1/22/08, 6:46 AM
Richard Fagin said...: I want to vote for the pissed-of black woman. She tells it like it is.; 1/22/08, 8:08 AM
Swifty Quick said...: Insulting racial stereotypes aside, it appears to be the $64 question du jour: will black women in South Carolina tend more to vote their race or to vote their gender? I'm betting race.; 1/22/08, 10:23 AM
Jennifer said...: How is that setting insulting racial stereotypes aside!? What makes you think black women are incapable of choosing candidates on the issues?; 1/22/08, 11:53 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: I liked this:

"Since Edwards no longer officially exists, as a white male I face the same choice - either I vote my race (Clinton) or my gender (Obama). Or I could just pick the candidate based on who I think would be best," wrote Michael.

My guess is that most African-American women who vote based on one of these factors will vote based on Race, and not Gender. Why? Neither candidate really relates that well to their life's experiences. Obama wasn't really raised "Black", but Hillary's life has been even more different from theirs.

Indeed, you could ask what Hillary has in common with the average Black woman, besides two X chromosomes. She grew up White, attended the best colleges, was a high powered lawyer, had "Help" (much of it Black) from the time that her husband went into the governor's mansion, etc.; 1/22/08, 1:27 PM
Swifty Quick said...: How is that setting insulting racial stereotypes aside!? What makes you think black women are incapable of choosing candidates on the issues?

How many vote Republican?; 1/22/08, 1:41 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: It's comical, reading the black woman giving her impression of how a white person might imitate a black voter comically conflicted. It's pure projection of projection, and that's why we love it.

Here's one woman unlikely to vote the way percentages insist she must, but that won't stop percentages being quoted. What was it way up there↑?, 99% of the time?, from whose bum was that figure yanked? And that's not funny.; 1/22/08, 3:08 PM
hdhouse said...: i gather that the issue of potential for good leadership is off the table when we vote right?

if you hired or worse, rejected someone on the basis of race and sex first and foremost you could possible go to jail (we even have McCain on age), be sued or both.

And the question arises out of a tongue in cheek dilemma - sex or race. I have to admit we have a wonderful value set for determining presidents.; 1/23/08, 1:40 AM