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SCHOW: The Sexism Of The Media And Faux Feminists Was On Full Display During The VP Debate

   DailyWire.com
This combination of pictures created on October 07, 2020 shows US Democratic vice presidential nominee and Senator from California Kamala Harris and US Vice President Mike Pence during the vice presidential debate in Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah on October 7, 2020, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
ROBYN BECK,ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

Women are strong, tough, and can compete with men on any level, we’re told. Yet, whenever there’s a chance to paint a woman as a victim of a man, the media and so-called feminists jump.

This form of sexism was on full display during and after the vice-presidential debate Wednesday night. We all knew it was going to happen, but the extent to which the media lost their minds over Vice President Mike Pence, one of the least threatening men in politics, debating Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) was mindboggling. As The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh noted:

Right on cue, nearly as soon as the broadcast concluded, Dan Rather, George Stephanopolous, and others in the news media were accusing Pence of “mansplaining.” Major Garret at CBS meanwhile gushed with pride, exclaiming that Harris was a role model for women everywhere when she asserted herself against the rude man who kept arguing with her, almost as if they were taking part in an event where the whole point is to argue with each other.

NBC presidential historian Michael Beschloss noted that Pence was interrupting not just one woman but two — both his female opponent and the female moderator. This, he says, showed a “lack of respect.” Over on CNN, S.E. Cupp was apoplectic, ranting about how Pence’s alleged sexism and “mansplaining” was “infuriating” and made her skin crawl. Predictably, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez got in on the identity politics action, saying that Pence daring to ask questions directly to Harris was misogynistic and “exemplary of the gender dynamics so many women have to deal with at work.” Feminist writer Jill Filipovic claimed, bizarrely, that it was “condescending” and “sexist” for Pence to call Kamala by her name. Many publications, such as The Hill, extolled Harris’s courage in the face of these horrific attacks, and celebrated her inspirational, girl-power performance.

This is the kind of sexism regularly doled out by those claiming to fight against sexism. This form of sexism says women are strong and equal, yet they can’t be expected to debate on an even playing field and any criticism of them is unfair. What is Harris supposed to do if she becomes vice president and has to meet with other male world leaders? Will she wilt and cry sexism if they speak over her?

She and her media supporters need to be tougher than this. It’s not helpful to women to be told they’re a victim any time a man speaks. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden talked over each other and debate moderator Chris Wallace during the first presidential debate – because that’s how these kinds of debates work. If Harris can’t handle that, and if the media thinks a woman shouldn’t be able to handle that, then women will never truly be equal in this society.

And it’s not just incidents like Wednesday night where this kind of sexism exists. Some of the same people who cried “mansplaining” after the VP debate also insist that colleges and universities adopt rules stating that if a woman has had alcohol (and to be clear, they never draw the line at “incapacitated”) then she can’t consent so sexual activity. We’ve seen this result in hundreds of lawsuits from male students accused of sexual assault because a woman said she was “too drunk to consent.” She wasn’t “incapacitated,” as the standard says, but merely intoxicated.

Just as with the “mansplaining” charges against Pence, this takes away women’s agency. We’re now told in a not-so-subtle way that we can’t handle our alcohol (and therefore shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions after drinking) and we can’t handle a debate or a heated discussion with a man.

It’s infantilizing.

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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