Last Friday in class, we discussed the impact of feminism, or lack of, in the last elections for the President of United States. In her blog post, “Likable”, Sady Doyle makes the argument that we all should admire Hillary Clinton “[b]cause the fact that she’s dealt with [all the misogyny], and kept her shit together, is admirable.” However, while I do agree that Hillary Clinton is great for her ability to keep her cool in these types of situations, I think it is not necessarily a part of the political system that will go away, even if we solve misogynistic practices. Even people like Donald Trump still receive many offensive remarks like criticism over the size of his hands, his hair, or even his skin tone.
However, what made Hillary Clinton so much more admirable than Donald Trump was how she responded and presented herself in times of criticism. Clinton did not lash out in Twitter to insult others whenever it seemed like she was angry, and she certainly did not address every single insult thrown at her in an attempt to boost her own ego. However sadly, she was not elected in the end. Personally, I disagree with Doyle’s last statement. While it would be nice for presidential candidates to “not have to climb over a barbed-wire fence of hatred in order to change the world,” I think it is a necessary part of the election to help train future presidents to be able to act properly under pressure. A president that holds his cool in an election, even when it seems like they have all the world against them, would be one that performs well under the pressures of everyday office work.