Editorial cartoon should knock political views only

Publication Date: 01/24/2008

When I read the Opinions section of the Jan. 14 issue, I did a double take and I was completely appalled at what I saw. There was a cartoon bashing Hillary Clinton. Now usually I am all for political cartoons, but this one crossed a line. The cartoon, "Madam President Meets the Bad Guys," shows Clinton crying, while male world leaders stand around her spewing female stereotypes.

This cartoon is offensive not only to Clinton, but to women everywhere. It reduces women to being nothing more than over-sensitive and self-conscious. If this cartoon were attacking Clinton's political views, rather than her gender, I would not have been so astonished. But when I saw the phrase, "This is when PMS goes nuclear," I felt disgusted. It is disappointing that we live in a time when women are supposed to be able to do the same things as men, yet people still have the mindset that women are not fit to hold positions of high power. Not all women are over-sensitive and weak, and whoever drew this cartoon (or agrees with its views) needs to take a look at all of the strong women throughout our history. Women such as Rosa Parks, Ida B. Wells, and Annie Sullivan were strong women who shaped our history. It could be argued that they did not hold positions of high power, which is true, but they were extraordinary leaders, and they certainly didn't cry all over themselves when things got tough. If these women could do such amazing, seemingly impossible things, then why can't a woman run our country?

Kelly Funk, a sophomore in the College of Liberal Arts, wrote a letter to the editor last week saying that The Exponent owes an apology to its female readers, and I completely agree. We don't live in biblical times anymore, and it is ridiculous and disrespectful to print a cartoon with such a primitive view on women being president.

Alexandra Taylor

Freshman in the College of Education