Monday, September 29, 2008

Rachel Maddow Is A Star and Keith Is A Chauvinist

Keith can only dream of being this good. Though I believe that he fought to some extent to get her on the air I think the big wigs were planning on doing it anyway. But how much you want to bet that it bothers him that she's doing so well? Apparently she can't seem to do anything without him putting his 2 cents worth in. And without it looking as if he is the sole reason she's on and doing good. She's been around for a long time. Hell, she was on Tucker Carlsons show numerous times. So Tucket gets "fired" and suddenly Keith is interested in her? Hmph.

If he was so good at placing people in the right positions, what the hell happened to Katy? I could almost guarantee you that if Rachel wasn't gay he wouldn't have had any input.
Women scare him. It's not that he doesn't like women because he does. He's just terrified of them.

But putting that aside, just for the moment, Katy could learn a thing or three from Rachel. First thing she could learn is how to dress properly on air.

On one side of her still-bare office hang about a dozen suits in varying shades of black and gray, her on-air uniform."It is a rainbow of monochrome," acknowledged Maddow, who dresses off-air like a gangly teenager in baggy jeans and sneakers. "I just want to meet a basic threshold of what you're supposed to look like on television so it's not a topic of concern or discussion."

The second thing she could learn is to relax. I feel sorry for her sometimes because she's not getting the proper education she needs to become a good news reporter. And Keith had the audacity to talk about women and credibility? I think he needs to sum up his own credibility before making such a stupid statement.

"There is a different set of standards regarding women and credibility and aggressiveness on the air," he said. "And Rachel manages to keep her credibility and her forcefulness and obviously her intelligence, but there's also just a fundamental likability that really works to her advantage."

That's very chauvinistic of him, isn't it? Was he trying to compare her to the women on FOX? Or even to Katy? There are news women all over this world with a great deal more credibility than he has.

He needs to quit while he's behind.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"There is a different set of standards regarding women and credibility and aggressiveness on the air,"

I'm afraid he's right about that. If a woman seems a little aggressive in getting the story, or to get the truth, she's seen as a bitch. Women aren't supposed to be bitches and a bitch gets less credibility for her reporting than a man who behaves in exactly the same way. I don't see anything chauvinistic about Keith saying that. He's stating the way it is, not making a judgment about it.

Do you feel that the chauvinism comes from not taking a stand against that ridiculous double standard?

..."Rachel manages to keep her credibility and her forcefulness and obviously her intelligence, but there's also just a fundamental likability that really works to her advantage."

I really don't see anything chauvinistic about that statement, either. What he said about Rachel is the truth. What he can't say on television without being attacked is why Rachel gets to keep her credibility, forcefulness and likability.

It's because she's openly gay and cute. If she looked like a dyke, she'd be called a dyke, and a bitch, probably, and there goes her credibility and likability. If she was merely cute, without 'the gay', then she'd be not forceful enough, not likable enough, you know, out of her league which all works against her credibility, and she could still get the title of bitch. If Rachel were 'beautiful', 'sexy' and 'hot', (also without the gay) she'd be a bitch for sure.

That's why Rachel is such a big hit. Gay, cute, and smart. She's not just not threatening to Keith, she's not threatening to anybody. And she's damn cute, too! :)

Where did you get those quotes, an article, or did he say it on Countdown?

As for Katy, the last few times I saw clips of her, she looked good. Clothes were ok, her demeanor was proper, but she still needs some help accessorizing. In one clip, she wore a lavender colored top, and a string of rough turquoise beads. I thought they did not go well together. The blue of the beads was ok, but it looked like she was wearing a string of blue rocks or a child's candy necklace.

This morning when I checked, I saw a clip of her doing an in-studio about the debate. She looked good, she sounded good, but she had red fingernail polish on! She was wearing a dark purple blouse that didn't look bad, and a bright red t-shirt underneath of the same type that Rachel wears on the air, but you could only see a sliver of red there. So, she was trying to match her nail polish to that shirt. I understand the contrast effect she was trying for, but it failed, IMO. While wearing dark or bright colors, I think she should go with acrylic tips and clear polish.

flowergirl said...

I don't disagree with the fact that there is a different set of standards for women. Hell, it's been that way since the beginning of time. What I disagree with is his use of the words "credibility" and "aggressiveness". And the fact that she can manage to keep those attributes.

I think it is chauvinistic. He placed her in a category that made people look at her as more of a woman instead of a "news" person.

I'm not disagreeing about the double standards, but are there articles out there that I haven't read that is pounding on her because she's a woman? If there are I would definitely like to read them.
So far Keith is the only one who has said anything remotely like this that I know of.
One has to ask why. Why was it so important to him to make it more about gender and not experience?

He stated this in the article I underlined. I'm not watching Countdown until after the election, so I couldn't tell you what he's been saying on the show.

I just felt his words were unnecessary in the context of her rise to stardom.
He couldn't separate her gender from her experience. And to me, that's a guy who has a hard time believing a woman can be more than just T and A. And getting him a cup of coffee.

As for Katy? When the weather is cool or cold she dresses more professionally. But when it's hot out so is she.

The matching clothes thing you mentioned reminded me of this guy I work with.
His shoes always matches the color of his shirt. LOL. Which means, he has a different pair of shoes for every shirt he wears. LOL.
It cracks me up.

kelliknows said...

doesn't he ever wear plaid shirts, lol?

flowergirl said...

LOL. No but they have stripes. Does that count? LOL.