Brett Kavanaugh's use of the word 'emotional' exposes a gross double standard
Emotional. This is the word Brett Kavanaugh employed in an op-ed to describe his behaviour during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In an op-ed entitled "I Am an Independent, Impartial Judge" published in the Wall Street Journal, Kavanaugh characterised his conduct in the hearing as "emotional," perhaps, "too emotional at times." He prefaced this statement by saying that his testimony was a reflection of his "deep distress at the unfairness of how this allegation" of sexual assault was handled. Here, he is attempting to justify his behaviour and convince the American public that he is fit to serve. That he is, as the headline says, an "impartial judge."
SEE ALSO:Congrats to Brett Kavanaugh on getting to be angryBut it is Kavanaugh's use of this particular word that is most telling. It is a word with a legacy of gendered baggage. A word we typically associate with women's rage. A word that is often used pejoratively to denigrate and undermine women who display rage. Kavanaugh's decision to use this word highlights the gross double standard at play in our cultural acceptance of men's rage and our dismissal of women's anger.
Activists shout slogans during a protest against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh October 4, 2018.Credit: Alex Wong/Getty ImagesOf course, it shouldbe permissible for women to admit when they are emotional — just as much as anyone of any gender should be allowed to express their emotions. But, we live in a patriarchy and that means some people are allowed to be emotional and others are not.
One of the many take-aways from the hearing was that there is a vast chasm of difference in standards of what's acceptable in men and women's behaviour. "What a study in contrasts," wrote the New York Timeseditorial board. "Where Christine Blasey Ford was calm and dignified, Brett Kavanaugh was volatile and belligerent; where she was eager to respond fully to every questioner, and kept worrying whether she was being “helpful” enough." Kavanaugh was "openly contemptuous of several senators" and "evasive" while Dr Ford was "credible and unshakable."
The very fact that Kavanaugh has chosen to employ this highly gendered term as a euphemism for his own patent volatility underscores the cultural "contrasts" in behavioural standards in society. "It's okay — even expected — for men to express anger," wrote Dr Kerri Johnson — professor of communication studies and psychology at UCLA — in a study on perceptions of gender and emotion. "But when women have a negative emotion, they're expected to express their displeasure with sadness." What Kavanaugh is saying here is this: I am allowed to be "emotional" (read: angry) because my family and I were wronged by these allegations. My anger, because it is male, is permissible.
Imagine for a moment that Dr Ford had conducted herself in the same way Kavanaugh. Imagine if she penned an op-ed afterwards describing her behaviour as "emotional." It's difficult to picture such a scenario. Not only because Dr Ford's conduct was so diametrically opposed Kavanaugh's, but because a woman would never willingly label her own behaviour as "emotional". It would be tantamount to hitting self-destruct.
"When a couple is having an argument, even if a woman has a well-thought-out reason for being upset, a guy might say, 'You’re just being emotional.'
"When a women shows anger in institutional, political, and professional settings, she automaticallyviolates gender norms," says Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her:The Power of Women's Anger. "When a man becomes angry in an argument or debate, people are more likely to abandon their own positions and defer to his. But when a women acts the same way, she’s likely to elicit the opposite response."
So, what does the word "emotional" mean when we apply it to women? Per Matthew Zawadzki — a professor at UC Merced specialising in perceptions of emotions — the term "emotional" is used to "label women whom you don’t want to have a voice in a situation."
"When a couple is having an argument, even if a woman has a well-thought-out reason for being upset, a guy might say, 'You’re just being emotional,'" Zawadzki told Refinery29. "It's a way to discredit her instead of having to listen; the words 'you’re acting crazy' really mean 'I don’t have to pay attention to you.'"
This word, when used to talk about women's rage, is redolent of our cultural disapproval of angry women. The emotional woman is a trope that many women do their utmost to avoid lest they be accused of acting in a way that might be deemed unprofessional, improper, and unjustified. "You're too emotional" is a sentence that many women will have heard in response to their expression of anger. It's a sentence we're all too familiar with and one that's used to undermine and silence.
Just as Kavanaugh has chosen to use the words "forceful and passionate" as ways of characterising his behaviour (and as palatable euphemisms for his anger) he is using the word "emotional" to try to humanise himself and regain control over people's perceptions of him. But, in doing so, he serves to remind women everywhere that he can do something they cannot. When a woman is "emotional" she is discredited, but when the same is said of a man, he's justified.
Brett Kavanaugh is an emotional man. And society has afforded him that privilege.
Featured Video For You
Across the globe, nasty women and men hit the streets one day after Trump's inauguration
(责任编辑:关于我们)
-
广东超一半的北运淡水鱼来自这里!全链发力打响“南海鱼”金字招牌
广东超一半的北运淡水鱼来自这里!全链发力打响“南海鱼”金字招牌_南方+_南方plus8月下旬,位于佛山市南海区的广东何氏水产有限公司车水马龙,一辆辆活鱼运输车整装待发,热闹非凡。立秋过后,我国华北、西 ...[详细] -
13日中午12点,2018雅安足协“迎新杯”足球邀请赛圆满收官。此次比赛历时2周、3个比赛日,共9支队伍、近300人参赛。如今,随着雅安全民健身运动的普及,足球运动群众基础愈加巩固。加上足球运动的无穷 ...[详细]
-
广东再掀义务植树热潮,乡村绿化已种植苗木371万株_南方+_南方plus南粤春来早,植树正当时。眼下正是植树造林的黄金时节,广东各地掀起了春季植树的热潮。全省县镇村积极响应义务植树号召,大家挥锹铲土、 ...[详细]
-
汽车日益普及,不少人对驾驶情有独钟,不管是开车上班,还是驾车旅行,汽车都成为人们出门代步的首选。车辆在行驶过程中,最怕遭遇各类突发情况。车主掌握突发事件的应急处理,能提高自身驾驶水平,也能为安全行车提 ...[详细]
-
How do you make safe, cheap nuclear reactors? Bury them a mile deep
Startup Deep Fission has come up with a new way to deal with the economic and safety problems of nuc ...[详细] -
还有几天,我市春节的重头戏——2018四川雅安首届熊猫灯会即将举办,市民在观看五彩缤纷的彩灯,和逛耍庙会的同时,也应该保护好自己的人身财产安全。1、彩灯制作多为易燃物品,市民在灯会现场应不宜使用明火, ...[详细]
-
雅安日报/北纬网讯3月29日,省石油制品行业协会在成都举行2017年度全省诚信经营加油站授牌会,我市汉源县大木加油站、汉源县中圆加油站、荥经县中业有限责任公司加油站、宝兴县沙湾加油站共4座民营加油站入 ...[详细]
-
灯会现场现场直击:绚烂华灯 点亮雨城夜幕降临,华灯初上,雅安的夜晚灿若星辰。沿着挂满彩灯的道路,来到位于市区熊猫绿岛公园的雅安首届熊猫灯会下称:熊猫灯会)现场。作为我市有史以来首次大型灯会,市民及外地 ...[详细]
-
Echo Dot (5th gen) deal — get it for $29.99 at Amazon
GET $20 OFF:As of Aug. 23, you can get an Echo Dot (5th gen) for $29.99 at Amazon, down from $49.99. ...[详细] -
雅安日报/北纬网讯3月27日,恰逢茶祖吴理真生日。第十四届蒙顶山茶文化旅游节开幕式后,全国新时代茶产业发展与乡村振兴研讨会在名山区蒙顶山茶史博物馆举行。与会嘉宾结合新时代茶产业发展,研讨乡村振兴战略下 ...[详细]