It’s the Victim’s Fault.
June 12, 2009
by Amy Siskind
|Donny Deutsch sums it up in his angry, condescending tone:
She’s fair game.
How dare Governor Palin stick up for her teenage daughters!
Donny’s outrage starts the beginning of the next part of the media’s process: blaming the victim. This in my opinion is one of the gravest and most dangerous injustices coming from our national media. The way they seek to train and retrain our country that if a woman, or in the case a teenage girl, is the victim of almost anything, then defacto, it’s the victim’s fault.
As I wrote about last night, our country has our second opportunity for a teachable moment where some good could have come out of Letterman’s ill advised remarks. We could have opened a national dialogue on the sexualization of our teenage daughters and the resulting escalation of violence against them. But no, Donny and gang are not willing to move our country forward – they like the old party line of blaming the victim.
As of course this has consequences in our society – not only do victims blame themselves as we noted yesterday that 46 percent of teenagers polled believed that Rihanna was responsible for Chris Brown’s attack (which experts say almost killed her); but 73% of sexual assaults on women and girls go unreported. Read that again: 73% of victims choose to stay silent. And heck, who can blame them? Would you want to put yourself or your daughter through this when the media is training our country to blame the victim?
Well, I am outraged, simply outraged that this is occurring. How dare these media pundits put my daughter and your daughters and grandaughters in danger? Because I can tell you this – if David Letterman or any other moron referred to my daughter as a flusey – twice – you can d*mn well be sure I would be on each and every blog and media outlet that would listen to defend her. Wouldn’t you?
This simply has got to stop. The women and men of this country have to ban together and put an end to this. We need to speak out, keep the pressure on, and demand that some good come of this Letterman episode. We need to demand that CBS devotes a Letterman Show to being a teachable moment on the sexualization of our teenage daughters and opening a national dialogues.
And if not, one of our daughters will be next!
Update: Here’s the latest statement from Palin, who calls Letterman’s joke “perverted.”
Bruce nahin on June 12th, 2009 posted originally elsewhere on this site at 1:06 pm
Every time I go to the doctor and he says I have high blood pressure I joking refer to the Huff Post- not sure Amy why you write for them but I just get angry-
They say” Palin was displaying manufactured outrage over Letterman’s disgusting sex jokes”
They have the gall to blame Sarah Palin for “parading her family out in front” during the election?. and thus they are “fair game”( that makes it ok to be sexist etc…can we now make jokes about Obama’s kids…they too were “paraded” out.). Did they forget their horrible attacks against Sarah Palin and her teen daughter and her disabled baby Trig? They say this is ok…as along as it is against Sarah..but if it were against Obama..I doubt they’d react the same way…do you?
For what it’s worth, TV’s Extra show is running a poll on the Letterman-Palin issue. Right now it’s 68% for “Dave’s outta line.”
http://extratv.warnerbros.com/.....tterma.php
Uugh, I hate getting worked up about this. It will just be distorted and exploited by the media for a day or two, and then dropped.
Just like the charges against those 5 men who raped the 15 year old in FLA. Just like where I live in CA up to 8 college boys raped a passed out girl at a party, and the woman D.A. refused to prosecute even though two other girls — heroes — intervened to stop it and wanted to testify.
Whatever happened to fighting for justice in this country?? Even if a jury wouldn’t convict, isn’t it more fair that the suspects go to trial and be tainted by suspicion for the rest of their lives if they get off on a technicality? There’s more at stake here than the cost of a trial or some ambitious D.A. protecting her win/lose ratio.
It’s no wonder victims stay silent. It’s open season on women and girls.
OK, here’s a suggestion. How about publishing the data and names on police chiefs and district attorneys around the country who fail to protect their female citizens? Maybe a few recalls and primary fights will send a message: Protect women or else!
*****A
The public must wake up & stop the media mistreatment of Gov. Palin. She has done more GOOD for the U.S. & strengthening capitalism than Obama has for our nation in 6 mo. She was working during David Letterman distasteful comments. I challenge ALL flight attendants to refuse to serve Mr. Letterman (who does not respect women or children) &/or drop pots of hot coffee in his lap next time he flies; for his “slutty flight attendant look” comment. One of Sarah’s major projects, worked on since elected 2 ½ yrs ago, is “Alaska Gas-Line Inducement Act”. Post New York Autism Speaks Event, she strongly promoted AGIA & capitalism in Texas; as ExxonMobile & TransCanada signed agreements to start pipeline w/ 4.5 billion cubic feet DAILY to lower 48; plus provide additional security for country (get us off foreign oil). President Obama handled very little of his actual senate job responsibilities for a year before election & is NOW destroying capitalism, the country & economy. Gov. Palin, while VP candidate, on the other hand; has handled ALL her state responsibilities to include working 2 ½ years on the AGIA deal; dealt w/ the biased & hostile media (check out howobamagotelected.com facts & Media Malpractice film for malicious games played); faced 16 false ethics violations & has been CLEARED of ALL of them thru our court system; increased state’s game population; cut # of projects & spending from prior governor’s terms; had a special needs child; became a grandmother; managed long time family business; raised a family of 7 & kept a strong marriage through it all; yet SHE keeps looking GOOD thru ALL (which is what so many in the lower 48 hate). She is a strong woman, gaining more respect on a daily basis, and you will have to contend with this in the future. WH Dinner remarks were made while our Gov. was working (not playing as Obama was) & traveling around rural communities experiencing worst flooding in 70 yrs. The media FEARS her & continues to minimize her strong support of capitalism & numerous accomplishments. I’m DETESTED by the likes of Sykes, Letterman & most national media abusing kids in the process; & it’s NOT FUNNY!!! STOP the games; families (especially children) are off limits…
I agree wholeheartedly. It would help if, whenever possible, people who are speaking out tie this sort of demeaning attitude directly to the way our society ignores rape. Speaking out against verbal/social attacks against teenage girls and rape is hardly being prudish.
PS – I have been out of touch for a week, but I find it odd that this guy “A-Rod” has not objected to the comment also.
Hi folks, this is just insane. The Daily Beast has this header up on the topic: the wrath of Sarah Palin
f/b this dek:
“Friday morning on Today, the governor kept up her attacks on David Letterman, who’s just the latest victim of her relentless assaults on her critics.”
yes, that is correct: now Letterman is now the victim. i really need a drink!
m.a. liginter,
I read that too and was in dismay. Powerful women are always ‘bitches” or “difficult” or “hard to get along with”. I was truly disappointed by that article and voted with my mouse – left the website.
I’m proud of Sarah Palin! I don’t agree with many of her political positions, but she proved to be a better feminist sticking up for young women and girls, than I have seen from the feminist establishment in years.
KendallJ,
Agreed.
The one who should really get fired is Donny D. Letterman is handed a script to read that someone else write. Donny is a smug tv personality who knew well in advance what the topic would be and planned his talking points. This guy has to go!
I believe that our country is becoming quickly de-sensitized to violence against women. We’re raising a generation of children who have access to internet porn, video games, prime-time television, music – that is putting across the message that women are “fair game” to use Deutch’s words about Palin’s daughter. It’s ALL OF US. WE are ALL “fair game”. The fact that a father (of a boy or a girl) would make such a statement to get a laugh, as Letterman did, is nauseating, but for other men and WOMEN to stick up for him and defend him… it’s truly sad.
Jillian Reynold’s was on Hannity tonight and defended Letterman suggesting that because Bristol” was knocked up”, and on the cover of people magazine she is fair game( and, she said ,Letterman intended the comment towards her not Willow) for Letterman, and jokingly suggested that the” slutty look is in” in California
Adrienne like your idea of collecting names of police chiefs, prosecutors who don’t protect female citizens.
i hope that TNA’s grassroots grow as fast as the blog, so that we have local groups all over who can support actions and have a huge funding base to support grassroots. we need rape crisis centers, elections support when these local police chiefs come up.
who were the guy who said children of candidates need be off limits and the lady who stood up for Palin showing and supporting her family during the campaign. I am no MSNBC watcher, so don’t know the names.
Skip
I agree with you 100%. Governor Sarah Palin has been sucessful in everything she has taken on, from small business owner of a private fishing fleet to mayor to governor. I am starting to have more respect for her than Hillary Clinton who has gone a little weak lately on female issues.
Bill Clinton got away with numerous cases of sexual harassment while he served as a governor and as president.
Hillary chose to put up and shut up; alright that’s her choice but what now when she accepts a position in the Obama-pro-Muslim, pro-Hijab pro-terrorist administration and invites a known Jihadist in on a state department conference call.
Far left journalist Margaret Carlson attacks the victim and defends the dirty Old man in todays interview. Any surprise. I remember when Obama appointed HRC to SOS, Carlson said to that other patriarch enabler Andrea Mitchell, something like-Women do well in second place.
I am really starting to think that it is the left who hate women.
Speaking of the children of politicians being “paraded out” in public, have those claiming that Palin and her kids are fair game forgotten that the Obamas allowed their children to be interviewed before a national audience on “Access Hollywood”? Are the Obama daughters now and forever “fair game”?
The time honored refrain of bullies and bigots everywhere–it is not the bad behavior that is the issue, it is your reaction to the bad behavior that is the issue. Thank you talking heads everywhere for interpreting reality for me!
I recall Donny Deutsch. He was one of the media personalities that attacked Sarah Palin (and Hillary Clinton) back in September 2008. His malevolence is apparent. I have never seen a male politician treated in this manner.
http://shakespearessister.blog.....exism.html
http://jezebel.com/5046147/don.....a-skirt-on
http://www.feministing.com/archives/010907.html
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/.....me-in-bed/
The problem is that if men were justly convicted of their crimes against women, especially rape, there would be no more room in the prisons and, in fact, we would need to build so many more prisons. We would need to lock up nearly every man. At what point do we realize the reality of our situation and the real solution to the problem?
When people like Donnie Deutch and Ariana Huffington go after girls or young women, and declare that these victims are “fair game”, they show their ignorance. Fair game is when a hunter stalks an animal (the hunted) that has the ability to kill the hunter. Sarah Palin has already stated that it’s okay to come after her…….she is fair game, and she knows it (although she would like the attacks to be about policy, not personal issues).
However, when these hunters (Deutch, Huffington, Letterman, etc.) go after girls or young women (or anyone else who is defenseless) this is not fair game………this is “easy prey”……..and this is what these cowards are good at.
Anyone who tries to defend these actions by Lettermen, and place him in the role as the victim, should be ashamed of themselves! David Letterman has power. He loves to go after “easy prey”…….He is not a victim.
This is not about politics…………this is about doing the right thing, and putting a stop to the verbal and physical attacks on women and children. This should be a teachable moment. I hope it is.
Boston Nell, That’s what I keep thinking. Why is it that Michelle orders that likeness dolls of her daughters stop and the orders are followed. It’s a huge double standard.
Also, Palin was scolded by the public for letting her kids fly on commercial planes to go home from the capital even though she saved money by selling the official Governors plane. Yet the Obama girls are flown a few days after their father to Europe for an “unofficial visit” to Europe. That probably cost us $100,000. The double standard kills me!
m.a. liginter: That Daily Beast article sounds so horrific! I won’t dignify it by going over to the site, but boy, that quote says it all, doesn’t it?
Sometimes I almost wish I were more ignorant about women’s issues so I could not get so upset all the time. I get so steamin’ mad.
There are multiple levels of the double standard one can draw from this story:
(1) Liberal vs. conservative — If the child of a liberal politician had been treated this badly, the din from the left would be deafening.
(2) Male vs. female — If Governor Sarah Palin were Governor Steve Palin, his daughters would be immune from such attacks. Men see their wives and daughters as property to be controlled. Other men know and respect this unwritten rule.
(3) Racist vs. sexist — If Letterman’s remarks had had any racial undertone whatsoever, he would have been off the air the next day. Don Imus wasn’t fired for referring to the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “ho’s,” he was fired for the qualifying “nappy-headed.”
During the primaries, the misogynistic Obama dems attacking Hillary (with many recycled previous republican lies and sexist criticisms) kept saying, “it’s not sexism, it’s not because she’s a woman, it’s because she’s THAT woman, it’s because she’s Hillary”.
I see them doing the same thing now – “it’s not sexism, it’s because she’s Palin”, or, “it’s ok to do to her, because she’s a republican”.
As a former dem, now independent, I’d say my former party has a lot of soul searching to do – they really need to look in the mirror.
to Boston Nell @ 1:29 – well put! that is it exactly. The One got the benefit from everyone tiptoeing around even appearing to be racially insensitive – while HRC and Palin got body-slammed in ways that stunned even a casual observer.
Sexism – fine and if you protest, you can’t take a joke. Or are some weird form of femi-”nazi” or gay or both. a man hater.
I am weary of this and discouraged for my two teen girls. They miss none of the insults – hear ‘em all.
I’d like to see the data, info, and names of David Letterman’s writers and staff listed and profiled. Why should they get a free pass since they are the underlying problem frat boys (a la Jon “Groper” Favreau) that produced the so called *jokes* in the first place? So far they appear to be getting off scotfree to continue on for decades to spread their misogny elsewhere in new future venues, long after we’ve made sure Letterman is dealt with correctly.
The entire root of this problem needs to be brought into the open and dealt with. His writers certainly deserve a fair share of the heat right along with Letterman, the producers, and execs at CBS.
Thank You for everything you do The New Agenda. We have your back too.
Great site! Love The New Agenda!
The left have declared war on ALL conservatives and their children, but it doesn’t mean we have to stoop to their low, low level and attack their kids. They are innocents and should be kept out of the fray not matter how hard it is to resist the temptation to go after them.
[...] after he called then Governor Palin’s children “fair game” to David Letterman’s [...]
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