Firstly, the fly that flew into Mike Pence's hair became quite the odd celebrity. Maybe it's just a sign of our generation to make jokes out of everything, but the jokes about that fly had quite the range. While some jokes were hilarious, such as the ones saying the fly proves that Pence is a husk of a human being rotting from the inside out, others were offensive, and even racist. One viral tweet I saw called the fly "Mike Pence's only black friend." Even Biden attempted to capitalize on it. It's a bit disappointing that during one of the most chaotic and truly depressing times in our nation with the COVID pandemic that we lose focus on the issues of the debate on focus on something like this. Are we all just so mentally and emotionally exhausted that jokes are our only coping mechanism? Should there be a balance between the two in order to keep some semblance of seriousness in our politics?
Secondly, can we all applaud Kamala Harris's incredible job at the debate? Woman are constantly talked over in almost every single profession, and she was not standing for any of that. (I'm sure the women in this class can relate since higher ed is also notorious for this.) Between her "I'm speaking" and Maxine Waters's "reclaiming my time," women in politics seem to be standing up for themselves and not letting the usual suspects run right over them. While it's incredible for women to see, the backlash of Kamala standing up for herself on social media was disheartening. There were some who were quick to criticize her for not being able to conceal her facial expressions and discontent, blaming her womanhood for her inability to control herself. It seems that no matter what women do, their actions will be looked at under a microscope and scrutinized by those who do not see the rhetorical power in being authentic.
While I could rant about the debates for numerous blog posts, I'd love to know your thoughts.
Hi Natalie,
ReplyDeleteWhile I mimicked Kamala's reactionary facial expressions throughout the debate, they made me anxious the entire time because I worried how the public, notably the undecided voters, would perceive them. Whether they would perceive her as too emotional - incapable of keeping her feelings in check, or if they might be offended by her show of strength, or rather - her ability to exhibit masculine behavior. It reminded me of Campbell's description of the way women were received in their entrance into the political arena: with distaste for doing something only a man had done. They weren't capable of persuading the public at first because by taking up a platform at all, they were doing something that was seen as inherently masculine and therefore unbecoming of a woman. While I appreciate how far we've come since the women's rights movement, I still see the shadow of its influence in the public sphere today.
Hi Natalie,
ReplyDeleteWhile I did watch the debate, I have not been exposed to the madness that I'm sure social media and television has created from the event.
More than anything, I too am struggling with the idea of "seriousness." Even when I taught at high school, the push was to make everything "exciting." I don't deny the need or nature of teaching having a performance element, but at the same time, our need for entertainment is concerning to me. I love a good joke. When I teach, I am not shy about laughter or having a good time. Yet I find myself almost sick when I watch anything anymore as it is like a hive minded attack to be "first" or to report something tragic. It's like if we can't make it sensational, it doesn't matter.
This is not so much an answer to your questions as it is my own general response, but what you address here reflects much of my own concern.
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ReplyDeleteAlso, in regard to my sensational comment, I want to emphasize the idea that we have to "make" things sensational. They can't be enough "as is" anymore, which scares the hell out of me.
ReplyDeleteHi Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI think in terms of the focus of the fly, what was and has been most disheartening is the shift of focus from racial injustices to the fly. I'm fairly (but not totally) certain that's what was being discussed when the fly came into view and it is discouraging that little things like this, albeit amusing, can takeaway such strong attention from the real problems we, as a country, are continuing to face.