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This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Clothing and politics I've avoided political comment for several years now. What has happened to our country is too painful for me to continuing researching it and writing about it. But the recent remarks about Sarah Palin's $150,000 wardrobe caught my attention, and an odd conversation yesterday focused it on some interesting underlying truths.Let me say to begin with that I had no objection whatever to her getting a wardrobe makeover. I expected it, in fact. Someone as much in the public eye as she would be justified in getting new duds. I wouldn't have been surprised at the expenditure of several thousand dollars. $150,000 was just a bit over the top, but to me it said more about what the McCain campaign thought was necessary than about what they thought the public would like to see. In fact, I thought it probably represented what Cindy McCain thought was appropriate, and given her own substantial fortune, it wasn't surprising to have spent that much. I believe now that I was wrong in that assumption, or that it was at least not the only reason.As I stood in line yesterday to pay for gas, I could hear a conversation going on behind me about Palin's new clothes. A couple of elderly farmers, neighbors of mine, were joking about how much seed and fertilizer you could buy with one of her new outfits. I turned around and said, "I wouldn't have been caught dead in the red vinyl... thing she was wearing the other night, no matter how much it cost."The woman in line behind me, well-dressed and perfectly coiffed, immediately snapped, "That was red leather!"I smiled and shrugged. "Shows you how much I know about fashion, I guess. But I didn't think it looked good regardless of what it was made of."The woman looked at me as though I'd just dropped in from outer space. "Most women would die to have the clothes she's got."Her vehemence prompted me to a more personal remark than I normally would make to a stranger. I glanced over her very nice outfit--pressed slacks, a pretty knitted top and a coordinating jacket--and said, "Would you wear something like that red leather?""Of course I would!" she said. And then she added, "If my husband could afford to buy it for me, I would."It was my turn at the register, so I just smiled again, paid for my gas, and went on my way. But I couldn't get the other woman's remarks out of my mind, and now that I've had more time to think about it, I think that Palin's expensive new clothes were more than just a matter of misplaced priorities, or a reflection of Cindy McCain's fashion budget. It was a way to say, "If you vote for my man, your man is more likely to be rich enough to dress you like this."I would have thought that women, in general, had come far enough not to respond to that blatantly sexist a gesture. Maybe not.Post-election edit: Looks now like the real reason for the expensive clothing was Palin's inflated vision of herself. Not that I'm surprised, or anything. posted by Liz @ 7:50 AM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
I've avoided political comment for several years now. What has happened to our country is too painful for me to continuing researching it and writing about it. But the recent remarks about Sarah Palin's $150,000 wardrobe caught my attention, and an odd conversation yesterday focused it on some interesting underlying truths.Let me say to begin with that I had no objection whatever to her getting a wardrobe makeover. I expected it, in fact. Someone as much in the public eye as she would be justified in getting new duds. I wouldn't have been surprised at the expenditure of several thousand dollars. $150,000 was just a bit over the top, but to me it said more about what the McCain campaign thought was necessary than about what they thought the public would like to see. In fact, I thought it probably represented what Cindy McCain thought was appropriate, and given her own substantial fortune, it wasn't surprising to have spent that much. I believe now that I was wrong in that assumption, or that it was at least not the only reason.As I stood in line yesterday to pay for gas, I could hear a conversation going on behind me about Palin's new clothes. A couple of elderly farmers, neighbors of mine, were joking about how much seed and fertilizer you could buy with one of her new outfits. I turned around and said, "I wouldn't have been caught dead in the red vinyl... thing she was wearing the other night, no matter how much it cost."The woman in line behind me, well-dressed and perfectly coiffed, immediately snapped, "That was red leather!"I smiled and shrugged. "Shows you how much I know about fashion, I guess. But I didn't think it looked good regardless of what it was made of."The woman looked at me as though I'd just dropped in from outer space. "Most women would die to have the clothes she's got."Her vehemence prompted me to a more personal remark than I normally would make to a stranger. I glanced over her very nice outfit--pressed slacks, a pretty knitted top and a coordinating jacket--and said, "Would you wear something like that red leather?""Of course I would!" she said. And then she added, "If my husband could afford to buy it for me, I would."It was my turn at the register, so I just smiled again, paid for my gas, and went on my way. But I couldn't get the other woman's remarks out of my mind, and now that I've had more time to think about it, I think that Palin's expensive new clothes were more than just a matter of misplaced priorities, or a reflection of Cindy McCain's fashion budget. It was a way to say, "If you vote for my man, your man is more likely to be rich enough to dress you like this."I would have thought that women, in general, had come far enough not to respond to that blatantly sexist a gesture. Maybe not.Post-election edit: Looks now like the real reason for the expensive clothing was Palin's inflated vision of herself. Not that I'm surprised, or anything.
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
RSS Feed
PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
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