The 2016 Gender Bias Thesaurus: T is for Testy (Hillary), F is for Firm (Bush)

[yallerdawg]

By Peter Daou and Tom Watson

The 2016 presidential race has been a display of semantic gymnastics, with a dictionary’s worth of adjectives devoted to coverage of Hillary Clinton. These terms (cold, calculating, defiant, testy, secretive, etc.) appear as word clusters in the media – created, transmitted and repeated for maximum persuasion. They are amplified through social channels and rapidly congeal into conventional wisdom.

The mainstream media are prime purveyors of these word clusters, providing a broad-based dissemination platform for reporters, columnists, pundits, politicians, political operatives and insiders, who indoctrinate the public through endless repetition of specific words and storylines.

•A male candidate is smart, while Hillary is “calculating, scheming, crafty, manipulative.”

•A male candidate values privacy, while Hillary is “secretive, suspicious, paranoid, uncommunicative.”

•A male candidate takes strong positions, while Hillary is “polarizing, divisive, alienating.”

•A male candidate deserves the benefit of the doubt, while Hillary is “untrustworthy, corrupt, deceitful, dishonest, unethical.”

•A male candidate is an achiever while Hillary is “over-ambitious, will do or say anything to win.”

•A male candidate is diplomatic while Hillary is “inauthentic, disingenuous, fake, unlikable, insincere...”

Much more at #HillaryMen: http://www.hillarymen.com/latest/2016-gender-bias-thesaurus

[Thinkingabout]

1. I love the Hillarymen, speaks with truth. Thanks, needed a chuckle.

[cosmicone]

2. Tru dat n/t

[Cha]

3. M$M is just showing off their misogny

[leftofcool]

4. You've been reading DU a lot!

Every word on your list said about Hillary can be found right here.

[Agschmid]

6. I saw "testy" today, I recognized the dog whistle sexism right away.

It's bullshit.

[yallerdawg]

8. Wendy Davis, our Texas feminist icon...

calls this the "wolf whistle" and Republicans use it a lot on female Democratic candidates.

Shame Democrats do too, but it becomes part of our indoctrination by the media and then it becomes "conventional wisdom" and permeates the social network and even liberal blogs like...!

[sheshe2]

5. Oh...

Ouch!

Spot on, yallerdawg.

[Hekate]

7. Spot. On.