Where's my flying car?

[labellementeuse]

Here's what I think about the inauguration: You know all those movies, usually vaguely crappy sci-fi/natural disaster movies, set somewhere in the indeterminate future? Like Independence Day and Deep Impact and stuff. Well, sixth_light and I realised some time ago (because we watched a lot of aforementioned vaguely crappy SF movies) that the President was always black. It's like it was a rule: In The Indeterminate Future, the President will be African-American. Putting This In Our Movie Makes Us Seem Liberal, Right?

So anyway. Welcome to the future, y'all.

Comments

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

Well, I think those who saw her as masculine generally didn't mean it as a compliment.

No, indeed, but I think that some of the same traits for which she was punitively called masculine - and I'm referring here to personality traits like directness, ambition, and discourse style - were those which were appreciated by her voters (including me.) I guess my question really is, would we see someone like Jeanette Fitzimons, who is perceived as a more consensus leader, in the PM's seat? - leading a party like National or Labour? Leaving aside the assertion that personality politics generally are less important in NZ, with which I agree with you and for which I am grateful. I actually think that the ability to be reconciliatory is something which might be applauded in a male leader (as someone getting in touch with his sensitive side, or whatever) even as it is criticised in a woman as indicative of a softness. Of course that is more speculatory.

Indeed. I very much disliked the Trust-themed pamphlets that were being distributed by Labour (as well as thinking they were not likely to be especially successful since no-one trusts anyone, party or politician, who's been in power for 9 years.)

I agree that her look is not unusual. I guess what I'm responding to here are the comments I had from a LOT of young women - and rarely men, but the men I usually heard it from were straight-up assholes, whereas the women I was hearing it from were sometimes polticially naive but otherwise perfectly nice people - that they "just didn't like her" because she's "just not feminine/too butch/whatever" (insert a range of comments here that went from the very vague to the extremely specific.) *shrug* I mean, I think it's a ridiculous thing to even have to talk about - I can count the number of seconds I spend thinking about Key's appearance on one hand - but there you go.

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

I could see somebody like Jeanette as PM. Maybe not Jeanette herself - and maybe, if Jeanette was in a position to take the PM's seat, she'd start acting less consensually - but yes, I don't think she would be precluded. Historically there have been quite a few Prime Ministers who worked that way - although both the examples I can think of, Holyoake and Bolger, were from the right. Admittedly the political landscape has changed since Bolger's day (let alone Holyoake's) but I don't think it's out of the question.

Yes, I thought those trust pamphlets were a bit jarring. I'm not sure I want to live in a polity where the relationship between the electorate and politicians is mainly one of trust. But that's neither here nor there.

I wonder if part of it is a generational thing? I imagine most of the people you were talking to were around your age? I'm not suggesting they'd be totally unfamiliar with her look, but it might inform their view somewhat.

I suspect most of the men who said it had already made up their mind not to support her - I'll be charitable and be say for other reasons - and that most of the women were probably unsure. Generally she, or at least her party, attracted significantly less support from men than from women. Of course that may have been true before she became leader, and it may continue to be true afterward.