Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Clinton cartoon demeaning

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I was disappointed to see Friday's cartoon in the Mountain Express that referred to Hillary Clinton as a "Chick who could use some therapy."

Words are powerful. Much of our language is based on assumptions made in the past and many of these are stereotypic and demean the worth of women, racial and ethnic minorities. It's unfortunate that the Express chose to join the negative campaign trail by printing this cartoon.

"Chick" is a gender-specific term that is offensive to many when one looks into its deeper meaning and its intention to belittle and degrade. It seems that we have evolved to be more conscious when considering how we speak of other races and minorities, however, we continue to accept and normalize terms that are used specifically to disempower women.

As this presidential election pushes forward, may we recognize our own participation in negative talk of either candidate. I choose to focus on Obama's and Clinton's commonalities, courage, and sincere desires to promote positive change. I am deeply grateful and thrilled to be able to vote for a woman or a black man in this next election. Let's hope that our language reflects the new opportunities we have to move towards equality, harmony and peace. Language that honors the worth and capabilities of all people. My new bumper sticker for the day: "May respect and tolerance increase."

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Char Roth

Hailey