Monday, August 22, 2005

The problem with Cindy Sheehan's nickname

The news media loves to trivialize important issues and by giving them nicknames. They especially love to trivialize women and women's issues. This has been going on a long time: Consider that suffragists were called "suffragettes" (and unfortunately, still are, by both news professionals and other citizens). Second Wave feminists were called "women's libbers." And now Cindy Sheehan is the "Peace Mom."

Calling Sheehan the "peace mom" accomplishes a number of things. It makes her and her cause "cute," which is always the first line of attack against women who should be taken seriously. It also invites images of the 60's--hippies, war protesters, drugs--all the things that conservatives hold in contempt. And it implies weakness. That the word "peace" is a synonym for impotence is sad, but it is a fact, thanks not only to conservative talking points, but to the fourth estate.

So I have a new nickname for Sheehan: She is the "Truth Mom."

4 Comments:

Damn, Diane. Good damn point. Well done, hoorah, yippee, etc. I hope you will send this to your local Op-Ed pages, or, better yet, post it on MoJo so more can be sure to be careful w/ their language. Right on.

I would venture, too, that "Mom" has connotations of sentimentality of a sort that "activist" does not. Though "Mom" does have a strong and respected connotation, too, it places her in an easily identifiable "soft-hearted" category, in which many folks will be able to categorize her actions/contributions as mama bear grieving rather than informed comment.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:46 PM  

Well, yes, calling her the anything "Mom" is offensive to me not only because, as you say, of the sentimentality, but because of the association with "soccer mom," one of the most dreaded phrases ever coined.

I want her called "Ms. Sheehan," but I just thought I'd take a moment to riff on the media's madness.

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