Don’t be fooled

With the recent attention on Sarah Palin being chosen as Sen. McCain’s running mate, I would like to know why phrases like “Governor Palin is pulling the woman vote” are being used. The word woman is clearly standing in for white, upper-middle class, heterosexual women.

I find this shocking. I don’t think anyone could make the argument that a politician was pulling male votes. This statement just seems too broad. Why is it okay then to generalize women or people of color? Just because all women share the same sex organ or black people share the same skin color does not mean these groups will vote the same way or for the same reason.

When the media refers to the woman or the black vote it is just a modern form of sexism and racism. When talking about who women are voting for, it is essential for the media to be held to the same standard as if they were talking about who men are supporting.

Since the category of men is just too extensive, the category of women should be as well.

The overgeneralization in this presidential race is becoming just another way of empowering white, middle-class, heterosexual males. As women, I urge you not to be lumped into a group that represents more than half of the world’s population. I think it is important to establish who these people are that are voting a certain way, not just their sex or skin color.