I‘m back from the depths of flu-dom and ready to take on the world, or at least some of its most terrible and ridiculous aspects. I’m not quite at full strength yet, so posting may be a bit light for a few more days. But the flu is definitely on the way out. Thanks for your patience and support!
So does anyone want to discuss that picture up there at the top of the post? Everyone else is. Is Kellyanne Conway being weird and disrespectful to the oval office visitors, a delegation from historically black colleges and universities? Or is everybody being mean to her because OMG she was just trying to take a picture with her phone?
I’m going to go with “weird and disrespectful” but what do I know.
WB, David. I’m going to try to be ‘back’, posting a little more often going forward. I’ve missed this joint.
As for this… Okay, yeah, it really does look like KC was just trying to take a photo and got caught in an awkward position while doing it. (Feet on the sofa was probably a bad idea, of course, but it’s not something I’d sweat in a Democratic administration.)
And I’ll admit, I’m always just a bit leery of ‘conduct’ outrage directed at prominent women, even ones as awful as KC or Ann Coulter. Her ideas, her words, her general sense of ethics? All fair game. But this could so easily spill over into bashing a woman because she’s a woman.
The way she’s sitting is, for me, the giveaway. She looks absolutely inappropriate on the couch with her bent knees sticking out of her dress, calves tucked under her thighs. I’m embarrassed just looking at this picture.
Welcome back to the world of the living!
I think it’s slightly weird and disrespectful to take a cell phone photo with so many pros around, but whatevs. Flip side is that wanting a selfie with someone means you think that person is notable. Etiquette is hard.
That definitely looks like what she’s doing though: fiddling with her camera, in a weird and uncomfortable position presumably to get a good shot, with people lined up awkwardly in front of her as if posing for a photo.
I have to agree with Freemage. There’s really not much learn to learn from this photo. In a certain way, it reminds me of that “Obama doesn’t place his hand on his heart during the pledge” photo. (In reality, the pledge hadn’t started yet, and the people next to him had prematurely raised their hands.)
There’s much more to criticize Kellyanne about.
It’s a fuckin couch, everybody relax…
More importantly, this pic is just black paint over fascist bullshit. And reports suggest, the ‘listening session’ this was meant to be was cut so much for time, that most of em didn’t even get to speak. And then DeVos used this as an opportunity to push school vouchers. Cos those work great for black people. Like anyone in the photo was asking for that. Oh, but HBCUs got the fig leaf of a direct line to the White House… full of racists
So, yeah, not sure what’s so important about a goddamn couch. Then again, Republicans tried to do the same thing to Obama in 09, so go for it
Hey, welcome back. I knew those voodoo rituals would work,
As to the ‘couchgate’ kerfuffle, it does seem to be a bit of a storm in a teacup. Have the people being photographed expressed any concern? Really they’re the only people that matter.
It’s not like there aren’t substantial issues to criticise her for, and this just risks being a distraction from those; especially when a lot of the criticism is just how ‘unladylike’ she’s apparently been.
What actually stands out to me about this photo is the university presidents look awkward and uncomfortable while Trump is standing there with a shit eating grin. Such a weird disconnect.
Contrast that with Obama’s photos with guests in the White House. It always looks like he connected with the guests who always looked thrilled to be there.
Confirmation that this was just an awkward photo op and Trump didn’t listen to or respect them at all. That’s the real story here.
http://www.shakesville.com/2017/02/absolutely-unreal.html?m=1
Frankly, the only thing I think when I look at that photo is oh Jesus Christ she’s gonna have pins and needles from HELL when she stands up, ow ow fucking ow. Seriously, shit’s painful just to look at. oO;
… Otherwise, yeah, I couldn’t really care about the photo either way. (Trump’s daily racism, yes; Conway’s phone, no.)
Glad you’re coming back to the land of the living, David.
As for Kellyanne, yawn. I’ve got plenty of true outrage for the real, damaging things that are happening, no time for this fluff.
Why is a supposed feminist barking about a woman’s body language being ‘weird and disrespectful’? Male politicians’ body language is so more often overtly disrespectful- manspreading, reclining, crossing their legs in a way that shows the bottom of their shoes. I don’t like the woman but this site is not the place I would have expected to find this type of post.
I guess I just have to accept that the theme of this blog has changed.
@Axecalibur
She didn’t just use it to flog school vouchers but she did it in a painfully awkward/ignorant/offensive way.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/us/politics/betsy-devos-historically-black-colleges-statement.html
Well, maybe it wasn’t disrespectful, but Conway’s pose does add to the air of surreality in the pic.
Far more appalling? As WWTH’s link points out, Betsy DeVos’ bizarre and brazen attempt to suggest that historically black colleges are a testament to the miracle that is “school choice.”
https://twitter.com/AdamHSays/status/836416602736312320
NINJAed
‘Welcome to the Trump plantation’: Historically black college vandalized after Betsy DeVos gaffe
OT: Hidden (mini)figures! LEGO will be making minifigs of the “Women of NASA”! Actual rocket science!
@ David F
Presumably in the same way that the Montgomery Bus Boycott was a pre-cursor to Uber?
@luigi
To what? “Giveaway”, in this context, means a minor or overlooked detail that reveals or shows the truth in something. The key clue in a mystery is the giveaway. What’s the mystery here?
I… I’m super not seeing the problem. Especially not framed as a matter of appropriateness and body parts. So, yeah, my eyes are really rather side right now. Take that as you will…
Sure thing, Rach.
As for this photo, I really don’t care. This photo really of her has little meaning to me.
DeVos meant her comments exactly as they were worded. “American society and civil structure is for white people. If non-whites want similar benefits, they can/should/will have to choose to make their own.”
Because she and her boss are racist pieces of shit.
Given that this was a blatant photo-op, what odds do you want to give on it being just a coincidence that all the women visible in the photo are positioned closest to Trump?
Glad to hear you feel better, David.
At the absolute worst she’s being kind of a clueless oaf– which is SOP for this administration.
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3l6yagWIAAZ_fc.jpg
Anyway, now Cheetolini wants to undo Obama’s clean water act expansions.
Is he planning to drink Trump Vodka for the rest of his life? There’s probably a decent supply of that still left.
If I had the opportunity to show disrespect to trump by using my cellphone during a photo-op, I might do it. Perhaps KAC is using this as a way to subtly get a dig in at the Resident. Fortunately it also looks like disrespect to everyone else in the room, so she can claim it wasn’t directed at trump.
Then again, KAC and “subtle” do not go together. She’s probably tweeting there are no black people in the White House. Trump’s Minister of Information, etc. etc.
The way she’s sitting is way too strangely familiar for the environment. Do adult women in business situations sit like that no matter what they are doing? Especially in a short skirt.