alexandraerin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alexandraerin) wrote2010-05-09 11:29 pm
alexandraerin) wrote2010-05-09 11:29 pm
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Judging by the numbers.
Three women have sat on the Supreme Court in its entire history. Two of them are serving on the nine-person body right now. Another one is about to be nominated. Anybody want to start the countdown until people start complaining about "affirmative action" because of two women being nominated/appointed (hopefully) in a row? You know it's going to happen... or rather, is probably already happening.
Never mind that women make up roughly half the population, and never mind that our government is meant to be representative of We The People.
And of course, nobody blinks when two men are appointed to the same body in a row, or if a succession of men hold a top-level leadership position. That's not suspect. It's just... normal. Business as usual. A succession of men isn't even seen as a pattern. If a series of left-handed men, or red haired men, or men of any one particular non-white race/ethnicity were appointed to the Supreme Court one after another, it would be remarked on with varying degrees of seriousness.
"Man" is the unremarked and unremarkable assumed default... especially for leadership positions, but for humans in general. Iconographically speaking, we're expected to let a generic male figure stand in for humanity as a whole if needs be. An icon that is female is expected to stand for women.
But... I'm borrowing trouble. Grousing about complaints that I fully anticipate but haven't yet heard. That's never a good thing. Instead, I'll just congratulate Elana Kagan. I'll have to do some reading before I know if I'm in favor of her confirmation or not, but this was my first reaction and I had to get it off my chest.
Never mind that women make up roughly half the population, and never mind that our government is meant to be representative of We The People.
And of course, nobody blinks when two men are appointed to the same body in a row, or if a succession of men hold a top-level leadership position. That's not suspect. It's just... normal. Business as usual. A succession of men isn't even seen as a pattern. If a series of left-handed men, or red haired men, or men of any one particular non-white race/ethnicity were appointed to the Supreme Court one after another, it would be remarked on with varying degrees of seriousness.
"Man" is the unremarked and unremarkable assumed default... especially for leadership positions, but for humans in general. Iconographically speaking, we're expected to let a generic male figure stand in for humanity as a whole if needs be. An icon that is female is expected to stand for women.
But... I'm borrowing trouble. Grousing about complaints that I fully anticipate but haven't yet heard. That's never a good thing. Instead, I'll just congratulate Elana Kagan. I'll have to do some reading before I know if I'm in favor of her confirmation or not, but this was my first reaction and I had to get it off my chest.
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