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Man Crush: the Bitchification of Barack Obama
A recent article post on The Root, “The Obama Man Crush,”
wondered why such men as diverse as: “Colin Powell, Michael Eric Dyson,
Andrew Sullivan, Tom Joyner, Ted Kennedy, Bill Richardson, Christopher
Hitchens and numerous others, appear to have such a "man crush" on Sen.
Obama?”
According to the writer, Jewel Woods, a male gender
analyst specializing in men’s issue and executive director of the
Renaissance Male Project, the answer is “white-collar masculinity.”
Put
another way, it’s his lack of bona fides “niggatude.” To break it down
even more, he doesn’t act like a textbook nigga: on the dole, in jail,
and the father of umpteen out of wedlock children.
And the man also speaks Standard English.
According
to Jewel: “With degrees from Columbia and Harvard and a background
teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago, Obama surely
represents a break from ‘traditional’ images of masculinity. But it
must be more than his educational bona fides.”
Because Obama can
blend the aforementioned attributes and still play basketball, he is
viewed as “smooth,” and “smooth” is a subset of cool, and “sexy.”
This
is continuation of what I’ve called the “bitchification” of Obama, in
which an intelligent, educated black man of mixed parentage has been
interpreted as “female” in this campaign cycle.
It’s interesting
to note the continuing “bitchification” of Obama. One of Salon’s
political reporters months ago mentioned something of a similar nature:
how Obama sounded more “feminine” because of his non-bellicose
rhetoric, and how Clinton sounded more “masculine” because of her
position on the war, and that reporter was merely writing about how an
Iowan, a woman, was noting her perceptions of the two candidates. Well,
that Salon reporter was roundly rebuked by Salon’s readers, accused of
manufacturing Republican talking points.
Maureen Dowd had reduced him to “Obambi.” Friedman invoked “Tony Soprano, or Obama’s “inner Jimmy Carter.”
The
point is Obama is considered a “bitch” or a “punk faggot” because he
isn’t obsessed with bombing every other third world nation. Mind you,
Obama mentioned dipping into Pakistan if actionable intelligence was
obtained by the US on bin Laden, but he was then ridiculed as a rookie.
But
now the McCain campaign has noticed this “man crush” but has sough to
center it within the media. Salon.com has posted that campaign’s
contempt for the Man from Illinois by running an ad called “Obama Love.”
The
ad, with the Frankie Valli singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” has a
series of video clips from the media’s chatterheads and some reporters
gushing over Barack Obama. Of course, this totally ignores the fact
that John McCain has also gotten good press and has considered the
media his “base,” and Media Matters has noted how McCain’s foibles
often go unchallenged.
But what this ad also shows is the utter
contempt that McCain has for the pretty boy politician. What this ad
also underscores is the “cult” of Obama, that his supporters are a crew
of zombies who have attended too many love-ins.
Obama has once
stated that he is aware of how people have a tendency to foist their
projections onto him, but never has one politician meant so many
different things to some many different people.
It’s the power of interpretation without being grounded in any of anchor reality.
Comments (28)
Thanks for the link -- and the link the other day. I appreciate your reasons for suspicion, or at least uneasiness. But I think gender and charisma are a bit more complicated than you're acknowledging here. I also realize that race complicates matters, but I'm not sure that the complexity in Barack's case is strictly or even mainly about race.
There have always been lots of different styles of masculinity. Take a look at pictures of 17th-century kings, with their curled wigs and jewelry, or -- heck -- take a look at the 19th c. picture I'm using as an avatar. Sensitivity doesn't necessarily read as female; at various times in the past masculinity was *supposed* to be more touchy-feely than it was supposed to be in late-20c.-America.
And the fact that guys have a "man crush" on Obama really doesn't necessarily mean that they perceive him as female. There are a lot of different kinds of crushes, and some of them aren't about sexual difference at all. Charm, charisma, composure, cool, intelligence, humor -- these are factors we can respond to in anyone, of any gender, I think.
Anyway, it's an interesting post. One little detail, which may come off as me being clueless or prissy, but what the heck: I'd use the word "feminization" rather than "bitchification." It's just less likely to offend people.
July 22, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alex39, I couldn't agree more. I think there is scale or continuum of masculinity. Perhaps men may have a so-called "man-crush" or they may just be tired of all the bullshit and false consciousness that we have had in this past seven years. Look where it has gotten us. Up a MF creek and we can't afford the paddle.
July 22, 2008 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
"bitchification"
I'm really not one for political correctness but I really can't get over your characterization of the various attempts to portray Obama as have female characteristics as his "bitchification." Do you play misogynist in real life too, or just on the blogs? Or am I missing something?
July 22, 2008 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
you're missing something.
Why do you need to make the accusation of misogyny? Based on what evidence?
July 22, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
As Tina Fey once said, "Bitches get things done."
July 22, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
....and the point of all this is?...........
July 22, 2008 5:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Goodness, this is brainless
July 22, 2008 6:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just a minor point to add to your laundry list collection.
Did you notice that the recent Jibjab video satire of the election, which was widely played on the cable news shows, and which several people here on TPMCafe cited as a preferable form of election humor/satire on threads about the New Yorker cover, depicted Obama as Dowd's "Obambi?" People who haven't seen the Disney movie Bambi might not recognize it, but the scene of him leaping through and over a pretty sunshine and flowers landscape with all kinds of other critters surrounding, was defniitely citing Bambi. They even gave him a Bambi-like body form.
So it's definitely a sticky meme. I'm not so sure it's a total negative, though. Americans might be ready for a nice Bambi. (Especially when you throw it into the hopper of race issues like you are doing.) Heck, keep in mind even both Bush's went for the "kinder, gentler" brand. And if you think on it, W never really saber rattled like a kinda scary growly Cheney type guy, he tries to do it more like Reagan would. Bambi himself, if I remember his character correctly, is not an elitist--after all, he's just a kid-- he is a charmer, and good and fair and true, and yes, maybe naive, a sunny optimist.
Ignore the naysayers and keep posting on this kind of thing if it interests you, because you've got at least one interested reader in this.
July 23, 2008 12:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
I did see the JibJab satire and thought it was one of the most hilariously pieces of satire I've even seen. I also thought the Daily Show's satire regard Obama "vagina hands" syndrome (?) was also funny.
I wish there were more shows that used cut-outs from the media and magazines that attacked the foibles of the political class and the media.
There's a French program, which made be off, that uses puppets to that effect.
What I really find interesting is that because Obama doesn't come across as a hardco' nigga, people are shocked, shocked, shocked! Or his masculinity—whatever that is nowadays—is suspect.
Or he must not be a real "black man," meaning a ghettohead. It's really interesting watching how people react to him or construct an interpretation—a theory—about him or how people relate to him.
Obama knows that all he had to do is stand and within five minutes he'll be interepreted as Obambi, agent of Satan, Mulism, the healer of America's birth defect, supercool, etc.
July 23, 2008 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sigh, Bambi was naïve, innocent, not a "bitch" or a "punk faggot". What having an "inner Jimmy Carter" has to do with this, I don't know.
I think if you hadn't been in such a rush to bring on "niggatude", you might have noticed that Jewel's whole premise is absurd - that suddenly there's been a shift towards "white collar masculinity". Wake up, girlfriend. Mitt Romney, Tony Blair, Harold Ford - yes, women have long found certain white collar men attractive, including politicians and those high-paid execs in supposedly dull careers - how many were raised on Michael J. Fox playing a suited yuppie? Michael Douglas sexifying Wall Street? Lee Iaccoca for the elderly set? Men in Black for the ultimate white collar lineup?
Jewel says that black men are competing with the hot masculinity of Flavor Flav? Woah, bumrush the show - if anything it was Chuck D that had the masculine thing, not the Tricksta with the Mixta. White guys are competing against Howard Stern? Lady, you need a new circle of friends. And PS, there may be a simple explanation for Andrew Sullivan's man crush.
July 23, 2008 6:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Michael J. Fox and Gordon Gecko donned their white collar obsession like a beard that covered their girly faces. Although certain women are impressed with a fat checkbook, when the Jag takes a wrong turn into a bad street, they laugh Mr Whitecollar to scorn as he hits that powerlock button, and the discussion veers toward Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf terrritory.
July 23, 2008 10:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
"I'm Jimmy Carter, bitch!"
Not sure that's workin'.
July 23, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sigh.
The gender flip and/or imputation of homosexuality to Democratic candidates has been a standard Republican meme for the last two decades. Every Democratic man is an effeminate limp-wristed faggot and every Democratic female is a diesel fueled lesbian.
Once again, we see sheep being startled by things they see every day.
July 23, 2008 8:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bitchification in this case is the desperate attempt to counter Deification. When women cry at a prophet's feet, the pharisees begin to whisper.
You have exposed our mainstream discourse for the tribal bullying schoolyard which most readers would rather not remember.
Highly rec'd
July 23, 2008 10:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
I chalk this up to the tendency of the MSM, esp. Maureen Dowd, to paint the Democrats -- ALL Democrats -- as gender-confused, as opposed to the manly macho man GOP who love war and kick puppies.
*Hillary Clinton: Too masculine, b*tch, etc.
*John Edwards: pretty boy, $400 haircut, "Breck Girl"
*Barack Obama: too "feminine", too nice
Meanwhile:
GWB: fun to have a bear with, TopGun flightsuit
MCcain: War hero, straight talk, thinks sweaters look "gay"
It seems to me that the GOP is steal grieving for the loss of Father Knows Best style gender relations (witness Laura Bush/Cindy McCain style stepford wives syndrome vs. "uppity" Dem gals like HRC and Michelle Obama) and also covertly bashing gays. That's the subtext I perceive -- we'd all be better off if women get back in the kitchen and men act like real men: start wars, talk tough, punch each other once in a while, and don't get all squeamish and bleeding-heart about poor, disabled, minorites .....
July 23, 2008 10:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
For someone who wants to believe that the long struggle for civil rights, affirmative action and a less bellicose foreign policy have not been in vain, you couldn't field a more convenient candidate than Obama. We like that we can dress him up in different outfits, depending on which ticket we need punched that day.
July 23, 2008 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I find this post an utter waste of time. There are many reasons that people are taken with Obama, and this is something of an absurd overextended idea.
It has long been said that the sexiest organ in the human body is the brain. As such, and coming off almost eight years of brainless, Obama's possession of such an impressive organ probably has something to do with how people respond to him.
Likewise, a statesman is, roughly, a person who can communicate with and inspire people with their speech and vision. To me, Obama is the first real statesman in many decades. He does inspire others. It's not some metrosexual or latent homosexual or other idiotic concept. It's that he's a leader and charismatic and much welcomed after these last dark years of dumb, dumber and dumbest.
July 23, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
If this is a waste of time, you sure are showing an interesting way of responding to it.
July 23, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Many readers are mistaking the media meme analysis as the poster's view of Obama.
July 23, 2008 12:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sex and the City? Ally McBeal?
July 23, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Uh, your other comment. Up there somewhere.
July 23, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I get your point, but why do you term the feminizing of Obama as "bitchification"?
To you, to be compared or likened to a woman is equal to becoming a "bitch"? Or a "punk faggot"? So any hint of Obama's feminine side and he's gay?
I'm a strong, straight Black man who is as strong a supporter of Obama as they come, and I think the "man-crush" meme is bullshit. I see your points, and some of them are valid. But "bitchification" in the context you use it is just offensive as fuck.
No need to go there.
July 23, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thus is my problem with a hip-hop influenced culture that seem to think that it's okay to take certain offensive words mainstream and engage in an intelligent discussion. We have regressed.
July 23, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Barack has kept himself emaciated to look younger; he would not be the nominee if he weighed 30 pounds more. He admitted to Iowa farmers that he buys arugula at Whole Foods -- something few straight men have ever done (Maureen Dowd has teased him endlessly about it).
Barack refused to respond to Jesse's stated desire to castrate him, once again displaying Barack's wimpiness. Michelle has the cojones in the Obama family. If Jesse had threatened to remove her genitals, you can be sure she would have bawled him out.
July 23, 2008 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I blame Josh. His theory of "bitch slap" politics let the dogs out.
July 23, 2008 1:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Come on, lets face it. Obama could be orange and he'd still be a bit effeminate. He just is. No good or bad in it.
July 23, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I totally disagree. This perception is a kind of GOP-MSM brainwashing. Perception is "reality".
Obama is your average male politician. He's not driving a tractor or welding, but neither is John McCain.
Hillary seems quite average femininity but the MSM made her a castrating masculinize b*tch. Total bs if you ask me.
GWB is a pampered soft-handed blue blood. He waves like a prom queen, with a little wrist rotation. Yet the MSM-GOP spin is that he's a "regular guy" and clears brush on his "ranch" (actually a fancy estate, not a ranch)
I reject the MSM spin about "gender confused" Dems.
July 23, 2008 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Obama mentioned dipping into Pakistan" is hardly an accurate description. I call bias.
July 23, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
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