HILLARY CAN CRY ME A RIVER CAN THE OTHER CANDIDATES?
At last emotion wins! Hooray for New Hampshire. Great going Hillary. I find her brillaint and charming and yes she did laugh last time I met her. But we've never seen her come close to tearing up. Is that what it takes?
Is that the secret weapon of politicans now? Will we now see Obama breaking down after he says Hillary is likeable enough? Will Edwards cry when he talks about sweeping ni the mill? Will Guilliani (remember him) weep when talking about crime in New York?
I have seen McCain (another fave) get teary, but he can do that and it really seems sincere.
It is somewhat acceptable for grown men to get teary in public, but the guys get so uncomfortable when the women do it. Emotion is a natural human condition. All the better for the times we are in. It doesn't mean we cry before we think. We are thinking so much and that's why we are tearing up as a nation.
I say LET IT FLOW!
posted by Sandy Trupp @ 6:35 AM
4 Comments:
Of course, when a woman is crying it's considered a sign of weakness. I think the bottom line is that men, aren't comfortable with a woman crying. And, to everyone it's a sign of weakness. I don't think crying is a sign of weakness. I think it's ok to feel your emotions. If you are crying all of the time and can't keep it together, there's a problem.
But we're in emotional times. People are losing their jobs. We're in a war that makes no sense to so many people and is simply about greed. Our kids are losing their lives for it. People don't have health insurance and are losing everything because they get a cancer diagnosis. We're possibly headed for a recession. Divorce is up, there are more people having to raise their kids alone. We're in a culture that encourages young people to look a certain way and value style over substance. Our kids are behind most in the world in terms of education. Jobs are being shipped overseas. Corporate America is cutting back. It's a frightening, terrifying world when you look at the spread of radical Islam and those that want to kill us. Trouble with Iran is brewing. Africa is a travesty. It wasn't too long ago that our World Trade Center was attacked. (yes, many people have moved on but 7 years isn't that long when you look at history as a whole). Teenagers are going into malls and killing people. The Virginia Tech massacre was a horrific sign of our times.
Hasn't anyone else watched the news and wanted to weep for our country? I know I have. Because I love it. Because I care about it.
Hillary's tears were probably a part of a strategy. But the bigger question is--why can't we as a society tolerate the tears? And why aren't women allowed to be emotional without being viewed as weak? Or anyone for that matter. Because deep down, politician or not, we're all human.
We could all use a good cry for this country. Didn't I see Bush's eyes tearing up in ISsael this week? Was that a strategy?
Now everyone is crying. You see happy and sad tears. Looks like tearing up is in style.
When will Freddie cry over his fizzle? Did he leave the race yet? And when is Rudy jumping in?
Hillary is largely unattractive - and I don't mean "not pretty" -- I mean "unpleasant looking." Her demeanor comes across as too cool. She shares this trait with Nancy Pelosi who by and large looks like she just ate a lemon and thinks you're the stupidest thing she has run into all day. Imperious facial expressions are always unattractive.
This judgement about Hillary isn't made because she is a woman, it's made because, very simply put, that's how she comes across. I don't want people blubbering all over TV cameras; I don't want to see the leadership, or would-be leadership, singing Kumabaya and weeping into their shirtsleeves. It makes me uncomfortable. Being genuinely human, displaying happiness, sadness, surprise - these are appealing traits, it bonds us to one another in a way that political philosophy does not. We relate to emotions because we have them and empathy makes it possible for us to understand someone else's. Lovely to see some, let's hope we don't see a trend.
Of course we are in "emotional times" - but am I to understand that we are now blaming politicians solely for this mess? Believe me, fingers should be pointed inward at the American people as well. Middle-class parents, even well-intentioned ones, are taxi cabs for their kids, not parents. Many do not monitor friendships, the collective behavior of their kids' friends, what their kids are doing when they are not around and parental competition for success --bigger SUV's, larger homes, more toys has rotted the core of the family value system. Children's sports are riddled with inconsistencies - everyone gets a trophy, even those who fail to succeed. This makes young people weak adults. We can reward success without demeaning a true effort. There are, indeed, struggling families out there, many we never even know about because they are in America's rural areas and too far away from public assistance to get any. There is also the trend of "get pregnant, worry about it later." This irresponsible approach by two adults is not my problem. It becomes my problem when you can't pay for the child yourself and just continue multiplying as though it's your entitlement to breed and my bill to pay. We need to keep our excesses in check, but our societal philosophy today is to back off from having self-discipline or at least insisting that others do, and be responsible when they don't. To that end, greed at the top of some major coroprations is rampant and sickening. However, hard-working, talented and ambitious middle management and support staff have the right to take their skill set elsewhere if their benefits and salary is not commesurate with their input. This is a capitalistic society - not communism. Move; leave town, find better work, don't wait for it to come to you for Pete's sake. We have to encourage government to step in only when we feel that a corporation has done something illegal or harmful. We should give incentives to companies who treat employees better, and if that means giving a major corporation a tax break because they provide outstanding health coverage, so be it. The biggest problem with healthcare lies with the insurance companies themselves. But the American people are stronger collectively than any single politician or company. Stand up; don't wait for government to take care of you - it isn't it's job. Stop crying, be strong. Other generations have prevailed and so can this one.
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