David Beckham's so worried that his children will be America-fied that he makes them watch BBC. Isn't that child abuse?
No, it is not child abuse. I'd rather be watching the likes of Doctor Who, Being Human, or Merlin than Cougar Town, Everybody Hates Chris, or Melrose Place.
OK, what gives? I thought we'd all agreed that no commenter on Gawker gives a fucking goddam about that Pratt person or his wifebot. So let me say it again with all the sincerity I can muster this early in the morning: NO MORE FUCKING ITEMS ABOUT THESE TWO ATTENTION WHORES.
Are you kidding, if I were dating A-Rod, I'd always be at his apartment, too. ESPECIALLY when he wasn't there. Kate Hudson's rich but she doesn't have A-Rod money!
I would have liked her to say, "Fuck what Bill thinks. Bill thinks its smart for a sitting president to get blow jobs from a White House intern. Channel this. Next question."
She would have been better served had she simply stopped there. A subtle joke would've worked as well.
Whatever happened to cultural sensitivity? Regardless of who was at fault- the student or translator- all who heard this exchange would have been better served had Madame Secretary chosen to expoud on feminism and its ideals.
@BeatriceAttis: Forgive me - but regardless of geography and cultural mores, no one would *dare* ask a man what his wife thinks. Cultural sensitivity is a two way street.
@BeatriceAttis: Huh? When did she do that? The question that was asked of her was, in so many words, "What does Mr. Clinton think through the mouth of Mrs. Clinton?" She responded, "My husband is not the Secretary of State, I am. If you ask my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I am not going to be channeling my husband." Two extra sentences. Your standards for expounding are pretty low.
Did you actually read what was said to her by the translator? From the AP story: "The student's question, according to the State Department translation, went like this: 'Thank you. Mrs. Clinton, weve all heard about the Chinese contracts in this country. The interference is from the World Bank against this contract. What does Mr. Clinton think through the mouth of Mrs. Clinton and what does Mr. Mutombo think on this situation? Thank you very much.'"
Phrased that way, it was an absurdly sexist thing to ask her -- "What does your husband think, through your mouth?" She had no way of knowing the translator had screwed up. Given that this was taking place in the Congo, where it's literally (and I do mean literally) open season on women, Clinton had every reason to react strongly to a question that seemed to erase her by virtue of her gender.
@MissNormaDesmond: I still think she ought not to be so thin-skinned. She's weathered worse than this. The phrase "think through your mouth" ought to have alerted her to the possibility of a translation problem.
@MissNormaDesmond: I am so glad you wrote this---I have seen all the morning coverage of the conversation and NONE of it showed the actual question and reported it as an error in translation along the lines of 'Clinton misunderstood what the poor foreign person was trying to say.'
This makes me CRAZY!!!!!!! Take-to-the-streets-crazy!! It is yet another example of how media treatment of her has been sexist and exclusionary.
@sparky: The translator's having used an awkward phrase should have alerted her to the fact that he confused her husband with the President? That's a stretch, don't you think? It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback.
I would have been just as shocked by such a question. And had that really been the question being asked of her, gentility would not have been what was called for. She is the Secretary of State. She is the President's highest-ranking advisor on foreign affairs. Her authority must be taken seriously, as a matter of crucial importance in diplomatic negotiations. No matter who asked her such a question at a public event with cameras present, she absolutely should have established her authority and autonomy from her husband in no uncertain terms, which is what she did.
@jaxdesert: Well, the funny part is, I myself don't like either Clinton very much. Fair is fair, though. What she said was a perfectly appropriate response to the question she believed she'd been asked.
@MissNormaDesmond: I don't much like her either--love her balls, though---but I am still steamed over what I thought was biased coverage in the 08 election run-up. This just fired me up all over again like it is 1900 or something.
I get why this is not the appropriate thing to stay, notwithstanding the translators error, but this is not the appropriate reaction to a student in a foreign country asking a question. If it was a reporter, I could understand her chopping him off at the knees, but isn't one of the requirements of the Secretary of State to be diplomatic?
@ChillbearLatrigue: Her response was a bit extreme and certainly exposed a raw nerve inside of her, but I kind of loved seeing that aide of her. She takes shit from no one.
@The Cajun Boy: Yeah, to be honest, I think she's doing a pretty good job overall. I did find last week's story amusing where they tried to sell Bill's trip as a private matter. Anyway, I just think that a woman who has been the First Lady, a senator and Secretary of State doesn't have to worry that a Congan kid might still think that she's just the former President's wife.
@ChillbearLatrigue: Again, he didn't just ask her what her husband thought. The translator's words made it seem that he was treating her as merely a mouthpiece for her husband. It's not her fault that the translator was thoroughly incompetent, and rephrased the student's question into something egregiously sexist.
@MissNormaDesmond: See my first comment where I said, "notwithstanding the translators error." My comment was about her reaction being inappropriate for the situation as she understood it.
@ChillbearLatrigue: The translator's error was only in saying the wrong name. If you're choosing to ignore the fact that she was in fact literally asked to channel her husband's response, and ignoring the implications of that as it affects her authority in her role, I don't think you're being fair.
@bryanthelion: you fail to understand that it is her job to an example of gentleness and humor. she is a lady, and when she is disrespected, the best thing to do is to charm the people who treat her like shit. nothing she could do will every be more important than being a good woman.
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No, it is not child abuse. I'd rather be watching the likes of Doctor Who, Being Human, or Merlin than Cougar Town, Everybody Hates Chris, or Melrose Place.
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Thank you.
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She would have been better served had she simply stopped there. A subtle joke would've worked as well.
Whatever happened to cultural sensitivity? Regardless of who was at fault- the student or translator- all who heard this exchange would have been better served had Madame Secretary chosen to expoud on feminism and its ideals.
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/10/09
Phrased that way, it was an absurdly sexist thing to ask her -- "What does your husband think, through your mouth?" She had no way of knowing the translator had screwed up. Given that this was taking place in the Congo, where it's literally (and I do mean literally) open season on women, Clinton had every reason to react strongly to a question that seemed to erase her by virtue of her gender.
08/11/09
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08/11/09
This makes me CRAZY!!!!!!! Take-to-the-streets-crazy!! It is yet another example of how media treatment of her has been sexist and exclusionary.
08/11/09
I would have been just as shocked by such a question. And had that really been the question being asked of her, gentility would not have been what was called for. She is the Secretary of State. She is the President's highest-ranking advisor on foreign affairs. Her authority must be taken seriously, as a matter of crucial importance in diplomatic negotiations. No matter who asked her such a question at a public event with cameras present, she absolutely should have established her authority and autonomy from her husband in no uncertain terms, which is what she did.
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english motherfucker...do you speak it?
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[4.bp.blogspot.com]
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Good job Hillary!
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haha, you're joking right?