Blogger and Fox News contributer Erick Erickson has said so many infuriating things about women and their bodies. First, he disparagingly called the 2012 Democratic National Convention the “Vagina Monologues.” Then he said women working to support their families go against science, implying that men are genetically programmed to work outside the home and to play a “dominant role” in the family.
Clearly, he hasn’t learned from his mistakes, and his most recent comment makes me feel all icky inside. Today, on his blog RedState, he compared Republicans in Washington, DC to our lady bits in an attempt to make them feel totally weak and cowardly. When discussing Republicans’ views on defunding Obamacare, he claimed that, “More than half [Americans] want Obamacare either destroyed or substantially changed.”
He went on to explain, “the GOP […] and its very leadership are such [insert euphemism of choice related to the female reproductive system] that they’d rather plan their surrender before making their retreat.”
In addition to using comparison to female body parts as an insult, the implication that our bodies are sites of “surrender” is deeply disturbing. I guess the penis is a symbol of strength and the vagina represents weakness, cowardliness, and submission? Give. Me. A. Break!
I am so sick of everyone using vaginal euphemisms to refer to weak people and phallic language to refer to aggressive people. I guess Erickson didn’t get the memo that vaginas are often positive, lovely symbols of strength and power, but maybe he should think twice before posting. Our words have broader cultural implications about the way women are made to feel about their bodies and it’s time for him to stop with this nonsense already!
While Fox News’ Megyn Kelly is not my favorite, watch this very satisfying clip of her ripping Erick Erickson and Lou Dobbs apart as they discuss family roles in the U.S. You. Go. Girl.
Thanks to Media Matters for America
Images via The Atlantic
