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.
She does kind of look like she’s just chillin’ on the couch checking twitter while everyone else is doing politics.
@Rach
If a guy acted like Kellyanne did, in a professional setting and in front of 25 (or more) visitors, it would also be weird and disrespectful. The fact that she’s doing this in the Oval Office, as a member of the president’s team, in front of cameras, is simply mind-boggling. This isn’t about holding a woman to a higher standard than men; it’s about gross unprofessionalism in what amounted to little more than a photo op for the president. (“I can’t be racist, look at this picture with me and all these thu- I mean, black people!”)
I think the way that photo has gone viral is a good example there one of the most important ways the patriarchy polices women: reducing the woman to her physical body and judging her on it. I’m actually appalled to find it on this blog, but I’m going to chalk it up to bad judgement due to flu.
@Alan
Phrasing, old bean. Britain’s got plenty of its own traditions to name drop.
@Axe
This.
They all look like they’re standing in the same room as big ass racist smiles as if being surrounded by black people will stop people from calling him racist.
That’s what I’m getting from this picture.
One thing I find interesting is the perception that criticizing this picture is implicitly criticizing her body language/presentation. Given that David didn’t say anything about that, my immediate reaction was to think the criticism was for her being on her phone and ignoring the visitors. But, as someone who doesn’t face that sort of public scrutiny for my body, I’m not going to be as perceptive about those sorts of things. So even if it’s not explicitly mentioned, what sort of underlying thoughts are at play? (e.g. the passive sexism towards Clinton causing biased judgement of her actions)
I think the fact that I immediately “bought it” is noteworthy. Her posture looks really informal, which reinforces the image that she’s doing something frivolous. I honestly can’t say if I’d have had that same reaction if it was a man. Yes it would have looked out of place, but I feel like there’s a tendency to give men the benefit of the doubt – “that looks odd, but does he have a reason?” – rather than the negative snap judgement.
@ dalillama
Apologies. You’ve now got me trying to think of any suitable Brit magic. There seems to be plenty of ‘spiritual rebirth’ stuff, but we don’t seem to have a tradition of physical resurrection from death. The nearest I can think of is the Cauldron of Dyrnwch (sp?). In some of the pagan ‘apocrypha’ that has the power to reanimate dead warriors. Generally though the vibe seems to be when you shuffle off this mortal coil you might have a fun time in Valhalla or Tir an Og or wherever you end up, but you ain’t coming back here. A few heads that hung around. We don’t seem to have a Baron Samedi analogue though. Wonder why that is?
This was actually a brilliant move. Otherwise the media would have totally ignored or misrepresented the fact that all these college representatives were meeting with Trump. By pulling this stunt, it got everyone to pay attention. You can’t not look at it.
Speaking of Trump embarrassing himself while hosting White House visitors… how about him welcoming the nation’s Governors and their “wives and daughters”?
The way she’s sitting just looks a bit painful to me.
This pic does piss me off a bit:
It’s a pretty weird picture though. If I ever saw that picture, which I just did, I would think “huh?”. And I did!
So huh, I usually sit on my knees like that too. Sure I’ll avoid it in a formal setting or while wearing shoes, but I still think it’s legit. She sure is getting defensive about it though. It’s okay, Ms Conway, you can fight for our right to sit however the fuck we like, and besides it’s not why we hate you anyway.
That said, I’m still worried about the creep running the place. I’d have expected him to want his folks to sit “respectably” around him, and I’m a bit afraid of the reasons why he’d let that go.
Now back to the real matter at hand, Trump’s attempt to blackface the hell out of his PR. I’d like that to backfire horribly as soon as possible, please. ’cause I don’t give a fuck about how Kellyanne Conway or even the Tiny Dictator himself sit, it’s more about where they do, and what they do while sat.
Regarding luigi’s comment : I think I detect sarcasm in there, but then again trolls are getting more ridiculous by the day. So Poe’s Law’s in effect and I’d rather they clarify it.
@David
Happy to hear you’re feeling better.
How did she even get her legs up on the couch like that? Did she take off her shoes? She looks like she has her shoes off.
I’m going to have to say that she is acting unprofessionally by apparently kicking off her shoes and chillaxing like she’s at home.
@Rach
You what ? That’s… disrespectful ?
Okay look, I gave a side-eye to David’s “weird and disrespectful”, but questioning that he’s a feminist on that basis, especially given the overwhelming evidence that he indeed is ? That sounds a lot more like concern-trolling to me.
@PoM
I saw a different angle that shows she is still wearing her shoes, and she’s on the couch like that to get a photo from a specific angle. Like maybe it’s a bit odd that she’s taking a picture with her phone while there’s clearly professional photographers there, but like, oh well?
@ sinkable john
In some cultures showing the soles of your feet is considered a pretty big insult. It was an issue in Somalia when US troops used to dangle their feet from helicopters on patrol. It was basically like flying around giving the finger to everyone below (the Pakistani military did warn them).
That ankle-on-knee thing men do when they want to air their bollocks in public. I don’t like it when they point the dirty soles of their shoes at other people because it’s thoughtless and aggressive.
And no, I don’t think David is a real feminist. I think he’s just a general ‘progressive’ and will go along with anything that comes under that umbrella. He often says things, and leaves these unsaid, that lets me know he just doesn’t get it.
WHY
So she’s got her shoes up on the couch?
Drumpf must run a super-casual office if people are putting their shoes on the couch and he doesn’t shut that shit down.
@Alan:
When I think of ‘suitable Brit magic’, it tends to go very high-symbolism, erudite and filled with performance art. Granted, I’m probably influenced by people like the Magus of Northampton, a.k.a. Alan Moore.
So, perhaps staging a play in which a man brought low by disease once again finds the strength to lift a shield coloured with jester’s motley?
@ jenora
Ooh, you a fan of sympathetic magic then? Supposedly one of Crowley’s tricks was to follow someone and mimic their movements exactly. Then he’d deliberately fall down and so would his target.
Might I plug Varalys’ blog? She’s written a lot of very insightful stuff about comics’ favourite curmudgeon.
(now I fancy a discussion about the parallels between voodoo dolls and poppets; but that’s probably getting off topic a bit)
Kellyanne Conway: Isn’t she the Trump adviser who punched a guy at the inaugural ball? Snopes says this is “unproven,” but Charlie Gasparino of Fox Business News swears it’s true.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2953966.1485228735!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_1200/usa-trump.jpg
Here she is at the inaugural ball. No photos of the fight!
And she has advice for women!
http://theslot.jezebel.com/trump-campaign-hires-gender-gap-expert-kellyanne-conway-1782959310
So her definition of “feminine” is quite expansive–at least when it comes to herself.
@Makroth
What am I missing? Why does that photo piss you off?
Inquiring minds are baffled.
I hate, hate, hate shoes on couches or beds. Yuck!
@Rach
Thought you meant the legs extended with feet pointing up thing. Doesn’t matter though, and the following applies to both. Alright, I’ll give you that it ain’t exactly polite to point dirty shoes at people, sure. I would definitely worry about that say, on a bus or subway, if the people standing are too close and might dirty their clothes. But then in a case like this, it’s the same as manspreading because it does take up more space, so I wouldn’t sit like that in the first place. But other than the very specific cases of dirty shoes and a crowded place, I don’t really see the problem.
This I’m just gonna stare at for a bit and have a laugh. So are you a sock or a genuine new concern troll ?
@Alan
I’ll keep that in mind if I ever go there then. My travelling days are pretty much over though so I think I can rest easy about people seeing my feet from the wrong side.
So . . . Jews are to blame for anti-Semitic crimes? But only “sometimes”?
Report: Trump Says of Anti-Semitic Crimes, “Sometimes It’s the Reverse”
The president gives another bizarre response to the wave of hate crimes.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/02/trump-anti-semitic-attacks-sometimes-its-reverse
Or maybe it’s progressives who are to blame? Feminists?
It seems like only yesterday Jerry Falwell was blaming feminists (and fellow travelers) for the events of 9/11. Good times.