We don't see much of Sasha and Malia Obama often in the media. That's mainly because in 2008 when President Obama took office, he made it very clear that his daughters were "off limits." Why would he have to make that clear? Well the daughters of the last few presidents have been brutally bullied by the press. Radio pundent Rush Limbaugh called Chelsea Clinton a dog and Amy Carter the "most unattractive presidential daughter in the history of the country." So you can see why Obama had to raise his voice to the press and to political opponents.
Well that line has been crossed. Last week as is tradition, the President gave his Thanksgiving speech. As he addressed the press and the nation, Sasha and Malia were at their father's side. They looked like normal teenagers. Dressed normally and with classic teenage facial expressions. You know the kind I mean? The face that says, "Dad you're so embarrassing with your corny jokes. I really don't want to be hear right now." Who wouldn't at that age?
But GOP Communications Director for Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.), Elizabeth Lauten felt that this was not appropriate behavior for the daughters of a president. In response, she wrote on Facebook, "Act like being in the White House matters to you. Dress like you deserve respect, to a spot at a bar. And certainly don't make faces during televised, public events." She then asked them to show a "little class."
Seriously? Did you want them to dress up in ball gowns with perfect posture? They have attended this event for 8 years. All they have had to do is stand there and pet a turkey. It's a tradition that frankly any teenager would find boring. This disrespectful and frankly sexist comment (assuming that these girls should act in a certain way) is actually one of the lighter attack on the girls.
In 2010, when Malia reportedly asked her father about the BP oil spill clean up, Glenn back mocked her by saying, "Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy? Ask 'Daddy' why he hates black people so much." He continued to mock her with, "That's the level of their education, that they're coming to-they're coming to Daddy and saying, 'Daddy, did you plug the hole yet?'" Talk about cruelty.
Last year when Obama made a statement in support of selling Plan B, a birth control product, to girls as young as 15, conservative Fox New host Andrea Tantaros pointed at the potential sex-life of 14-year old Malia: Are they gonna put her on birth control? Because he's very concerned with contraceptives and pharmaceuticals that going in the mouths of everybody else's 15-year-old daughter."
Lauten's comments sparked a media frenzy that immediately led to her resignation. She came out with a formal apology, stating, "When I first posted on Facebook I react to an article and I quickly judged the two young ladies in a way that I would never have wanted to be judged myself as a teenager."At least she apologized. Many other attackers have not. The fact that she immediately assumed something is what republican party members have become famous for. It is also speculation and no real fact. They just send messages of disrespect and hate out into the eather. Stop worrying about teenage use of the social media for a second and think about how people in government has been using it.
This will probably not be the last time that Sasha and Malia will be verbally attacked by Obama's political enemies. Lauren's comments have sparked a discussion of how a president's children, specifically "girls" should act in public. To expect his daughters to act like "ladies" and remain stoic shows that this country still hasn't opened up to the possibility that they can wear and act in whatever way they choose.
Keep being yourself Sasha and Malia! You have a right to act like any other teenager!
Sources:
Well that line has been crossed. Last week as is tradition, the President gave his Thanksgiving speech. As he addressed the press and the nation, Sasha and Malia were at their father's side. They looked like normal teenagers. Dressed normally and with classic teenage facial expressions. You know the kind I mean? The face that says, "Dad you're so embarrassing with your corny jokes. I really don't want to be hear right now." Who wouldn't at that age?
But GOP Communications Director for Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.), Elizabeth Lauten felt that this was not appropriate behavior for the daughters of a president. In response, she wrote on Facebook, "Act like being in the White House matters to you. Dress like you deserve respect, to a spot at a bar. And certainly don't make faces during televised, public events." She then asked them to show a "little class."
Seriously? Did you want them to dress up in ball gowns with perfect posture? They have attended this event for 8 years. All they have had to do is stand there and pet a turkey. It's a tradition that frankly any teenager would find boring. This disrespectful and frankly sexist comment (assuming that these girls should act in a certain way) is actually one of the lighter attack on the girls.
In 2010, when Malia reportedly asked her father about the BP oil spill clean up, Glenn back mocked her by saying, "Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy? Ask 'Daddy' why he hates black people so much." He continued to mock her with, "That's the level of their education, that they're coming to-they're coming to Daddy and saying, 'Daddy, did you plug the hole yet?'" Talk about cruelty.
Last year when Obama made a statement in support of selling Plan B, a birth control product, to girls as young as 15, conservative Fox New host Andrea Tantaros pointed at the potential sex-life of 14-year old Malia: Are they gonna put her on birth control? Because he's very concerned with contraceptives and pharmaceuticals that going in the mouths of everybody else's 15-year-old daughter."
Lauten's comments sparked a media frenzy that immediately led to her resignation. She came out with a formal apology, stating, "When I first posted on Facebook I react to an article and I quickly judged the two young ladies in a way that I would never have wanted to be judged myself as a teenager."At least she apologized. Many other attackers have not. The fact that she immediately assumed something is what republican party members have become famous for. It is also speculation and no real fact. They just send messages of disrespect and hate out into the eather. Stop worrying about teenage use of the social media for a second and think about how people in government has been using it.
This will probably not be the last time that Sasha and Malia will be verbally attacked by Obama's political enemies. Lauren's comments have sparked a discussion of how a president's children, specifically "girls" should act in public. To expect his daughters to act like "ladies" and remain stoic shows that this country still hasn't opened up to the possibility that they can wear and act in whatever way they choose.
Keep being yourself Sasha and Malia! You have a right to act like any other teenager!
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment