feminism ain't easy: gaslights around every corner

I may have mentioned it once or eleven times, but Meet the Press on the television is a must around here on Sunday mornings. This past weekend was no exception, and goodness, was it interesting. The highlight (for me, anyway -- I know not everyone enjoys political debates) was a roundtable conversation about how the upcoming presidential election will be influenced by female voters. If you didn't catch it but you'd care to, it's available at the Huffington Post here.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Rachel Maddow and the way she handled herself during the conversation. Partially, sure, it has to do with the fact that I agree with her viewpoint, but more importantly I admire the way she articulated her opinions in an unfailingly civil and rational way. What impressed me even more in this particular exchange was the fact that she made of point of calling one of her adversaries' tactics what it was: condescending.

I posted that article with the Meet the Press clip on Facebook as well, in the hopes that more people would see it and participate in the cultural conversation about how the policies advanced by the two major political parties in this country will affect women. As an afterthought, I also added a link to this article by Yashar Ali about the concept of "gaslighting": the dismissal of women's feelings and opinions by way of framing them as irrational or otherwise invalid and unimportant. Sometimes it's intentional and sometimes it's not, but it's insidious, and it's everywhere.

When Alex Castellanos stopped debating the merits of Rachel Maddow's factual argument and referred to her as very "passionate" about her opinions, he was -- either intentionally or not -- engaging in gaslighting. He was framing her statements as emotion-based rather than fact-based, with of course makes them sound a lot less convincing. Kudos to Ms. Maddow for calling him on it.

I posted the article about gaslighting in connection with the Meet the Press clip in part because I think it's fascinating to watch the exchange with that in mind. I'm also hopeful that more people will notice (and, of course, work to decrease) gaslighting not just in political debates, but in their own lives.

Imagine my surprise, though, when I realized that Mr. Castellanos's comments during the discussion weren't the only gaslighting example on display. Once I'd clicked "submit" and the video clip appeared as a link on the page, the title as provided by Huffington Post was an example of gaslighting unto itself:


"WATCH: Maddow Flips Out on 'Meet the Press'"


You'll note, if you watch the piece, that Ms. Maddow does not "flip out." She states her opinions. She appears to be annoyed with Mr. Castellanos. She counters points she disagrees with. But she does not "flip out," and to say that she does inaccurately presents her as someone who is irrational and less worthy of respect.

But what, you ask, is the best part in all this? Could it get more deliciously ironic? Why yes, yes it could: the Huffington Post also ran the very same gaslighting article I linked to above on its site here back in September of 2011. They filed it under, among other things, "women's rights" and "inspiring."

Insidious, indeed.