Hilary Clinton Did Not Lose The Election Because She Is A Woman

On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton lost her second bid to become the President of the United States. She has had a long spanning political career and undoubtedly had the most political experience for the job on offer. However her main opponent, Donald Trump, a business man and reality TV star, won the hard fought race and the coveted prize: leadership of the land of the free. He is now the 45^th President of the USA, along with being the 45^th man in the position and the 44^th white man.

Hillary’s campaign was often based on the fact that she was a woman, and if elected, she would be the first female president of the USA, a historical achievement. #ImWithHer was the hashtag used to show support for Hillary on social media. Female celebrities including Lena Dunham, Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé declared their support for her, continuously highlighting the fact that it was time for a female leader in the country.  Beyoncé called on support and votes for Hillary so young girls and boys, like her own daughter, could look up to Hillary and inspire to be such a dignified leader when they grew up. Indeed, our history books have long been missing significant female figures who have helped to shape the world along with their male counterparts.

Since Trump’s victory, there have been people insisting that Hillary lost because she is a woman and that misogynistic, white men have rallied by Trump and voted against her because they would hate to see a woman in such a powerful position. This is not a farfetched accusation. Women are only at the beginning of their time in history as leaders of the world. Not so long ago, a woman’s place was in the kitchen and at home minding the children. Men have never been held back in the same way that women have been, and yes, in the western world we are beginning to move forward to be more inclusive and encouraging of women in their career paths, but there is still a great distance to travel until we reach equality.

I have absolutely no doubt that there are people out there who would not vote for a woman simply because of her gender. She could have a degree in nuclear science and be up against a man who got an A1 in Junior Cert Science, and there are those out there who would consider whether her mood swings during her time of the month would affect her work in comparison to her male counterpart. There are plenty of people out there who will be little women and fear that they would be too emotional for a high intensity job such as the President. However, I have do not think that Hillary lost her bid for the Presidency due to being a woman. This is not such a black and white issue as something like that.

Let’s discuss political dynasties.  Hillary Clinton is married to Bill Clinton who served two terms in office as POTUS. George Bush served two terms and his father George W.H. Bush, served one term as POTUS. George’s brother, Jeb, is involved in politics and was a potential Republican presidential candidate. Let’s not forget the Kennedy family who were prominently and still are involved in politics in America. These people are all a part of the elite in American politics.

Elitism in politics is nothing new or unique to America. However, it’s a little ironic that in the land of the free and a democratic ‘haven’, you need to have connections or a lot of money to move up the ranks. Donors will give politicians money on condition that they will support their interests (oil, dairy, pharmaceuticals) whilst in office and a position of power, essentially bribing them. Trump, whilst not a part of the political elite, used his money, fame and outlandish personality to his advantage and therefore received much more attention from the media than any other outside candidates.

The system is wrong and needs to be upheaved and reconstructed to be fairer and more inclusive. Ultimately Hillary was the more qualified candidate, but not as many people could look at her and see real change taking place during her presidency. Trump’s victory was due to the fact that he could appeal to a section of voters who were misogynistic, racist, homophobic and generally deplorable. He could also appeal to ‘regular’, sort of sound people who were simply tired of the establishment in politics. They are disillusioned and saw Trump as someone who was a somewhat successful businessman and who wouldn’t make the same bullshit promises that politicians usually do (he obviously will do this). He is their wild card and an opportunity for ‘real change’.

Hillary could never have made this connection with this kind of voter. She would not lower herself to sewer levels of those who condoned Trump’s predatory behaviour or his racist and deplorable comments about other races and cultures. Hillary lost for many reasons. She is part of what could be likened to a Royal Family or Monarchy.  An establishment of elites whose policies are often based on the interests and desires of the donors who fund their career paths. She did not lose because she is a woman.

I really think people need to pull themselves together when it comes to politics. This shit is going on right under our own noses in Ireland and we take it like a blast in the ass when it happens in America but kind of shrug it off at home. We are inclined to vote for people because they seem ‘sound’ or because our parents are voting for them. It’s not often you see anyone looking into a candidates record and researching whether they would be the right candidate to improve the condition of the country. For me, the Healy Rae’s epitomise the stupidity of Irish politics. They are continuously elected and yet declare that Climate Change doesn’t exist because ‘God above is in charge of the weather, and we here cannot do anything about it’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeiEO6rv97s

On a more serious note, the politicians of the world are meant to serve the people of their country or constituency. They are not there to be sound and be likeable. They need to implement changes to make life easier and better for the citizens of the world. Trump cannot, and I assure you, will not continue to spout any shit about building walls. He took advantage of his audience and told them whatever extremes they wanted to hear to become president, and it worked. Male or female, politics is not for the faint hearted do gooders. It involves manipulation, promises and lies. Maybe Trump will be a great politician after all!

Rape Culture Does Exist

The phrase “rape culture” has become increasingly popular of late. When people think of the word “culture” we imagine benign things such as customs and traditions of a country or group of people. It is not something we associate with something as disgusting and violent as rape or sexual assault. Surely, there is no such thing as a culture of rape.

Last night I, along with many others watched Louise O’Neill’s documentary “Asking for it”, which examined the presence of a rape culture in Ireland. The documentary pointed out various failings in teaching men and women the seriousness of consent, both in school and at home. Sexual education in Ireland has been laughable and as a nation, we’re not very comfortable even saying the words vagina and penis without getting squeamish. It is fair to say that most of us have been left to figure it all out for ourselves. Or with the help of this video which was actually shown to us in around 2002 in primary school: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxgXWHo9jvI

Back in the real world, porn has become more accessible and popular with the growth of the internet. Thankfully, Asking For It did not blindly categorise porn as morally wrong. Instead it focused on how it was wrong for people to learn about sex and consent through the medium of porn, a fantasy essentially. Videos in which no one says no, and which are generally not reflective of real life sexual encounters (pizza delivery, fake taxi etc.) are not a great introduction to the reality of sex.

The problem with the culture in Ireland, and indeed the world, is that when women admit they watch porn or they are actively sexually active, they are met with raised eyebrows and uncomfortable reactions, whereas men are actually expected to watch porn daily and are often scorned at for not doing so. How does this create a rape culture you ask?

Growing up without proper sexual education and learning about sex through the internet leads to this line of thinking: Women are meant to be sexy but not sexual. They are objects who do not have needs or emotions. They can be coerced into sex even after they have said no and they will then proceed to enjoy being penetrated in over 20 different positions until he ejaculates all over her face.

To be clear, not all men are rapists and sexual predators just because they do not receive a sufficient sex education in school. The issue is that a culture develops where excuses are made to protect the rapists and not the victims. Sentences like “Ah he was just drunk he didn’t mean it” and “Ah, she loves the ride anyways” are used to excuse a rapist’s actions.

Brock Turner was hailed as a great athlete and no one delved into his past experiences with women, but the woman in the Ched Evans case had her sexual history used as evidence against her in court. Does enjoying sex make it OK for you to be raped? Does having one night stands when you are drunk make it OK for a guy to continue to have sex with you even when you cannot speak?

You would not believe all of the cases of sexual assault and rape I have heard. Close friends and strangers alike. Myself even. In one instance, I woke up in the middle of the night, after a night out, to find a guy I had never met pushing himself up against my back, breathing heavily, with his hands in my knickers. I was wearing big fluffy pyjamas from Penney’s, not that it matters, but that irritated me afterwards, I was not even in some scantily clad state where he could not resist. Again, this is just the ridiculous logic of your thinking when this happens. His friend, who had been back in our house with someone else, thought it would be a good idea for him to go into my room and sleep next to an unconscious me, because “she loves the ride”. I had never met him before in my life.

The worst part of a rape culture are the enablers of it. The guys and girls who have heard all of the stories about what a certain guy has done to several girls and to continue to portray them as some sort of legend extraordinaire. It is pathetic. That is a rape culture. You are afraid to press charges because it’s your word against his. It’s your slutty past next to his gleaming record. He may be innocent until proven guilty but you are the liar before proven honest.