Okay, I'm procrastinating and don't want out go out in the cold. I will go out, but I can afford another hour or two online.
I just read
this,
this and
this (the second entry) on gender in the West Wing. It's making me think about gender on West Wing.
Firstly, I won't deny that the political world of the West Wing does resemble the good old boys' network, but until you show me the last female President of the US, I believe that's pretty much a political reality. (Same as here in Australia. I doubt we'll get a female Prime Minister any time soon. Or even a Prime Minister who isn't white, male, upper/middle class and educated in the "right" schools. It's intriguing how many of them went to the same schools. Apart from Bob Hawke, who rocked and was a clever politician, but I digress.) Basically, it is an area which has been traditionally male dominated, and the West Wing would lose all credibility if the main staff were five women and one man.
Having said this, I don't think that the West Wing is particularly sexist. Admittedly, the characters themselves can say sexist remarks (especially Josh and Leo) but I do enjoy the female characters on West Wing, except for Mandy and Amy.
Which is why Donna's uneven, why Mandy COULDN'T work... why CJ gets to be awkward and fumbly. All stereotypes, all warranted or unwarranted. Ainsley eats ... Margaret's a loon. Abbey shuttles between caretaker and shrew.Generally, I think that's a very unfair statement on the women in WW. All of the characters on WW are very flawed and very capable people and none of them are continually stable episode to episode. They have good days, and bad days; times when they're distracted and times when they are utterly focused; times when they are absolutely right and times when they are completely wrong. You could blame it on uneven writing or say that it gives them a more human air, but either way, it's not something that only happens to the girls.
CJ is my favourite female character on WW and I'm inclined to question some of the comments regarding her status on the team. As far as I can see (and please, someone correct me if I'm wrong) the position of Press Secretary is a PR position, not a political advisory position. If CJ's spending her time controlling the press, which she does do admirably, she would have to rely on others for information and to know what direction she needs to lead the reporters. Considering the pure amount of knowledge that she needs to acquire to cover the several different stories in each briefing, I think that it needs to be recognised that she cannot do everything.
I'm wondering why it doesn't say anything less of Josh that he simply cannot control the press when he tries to fill in CJ's position. Yet somehow there is the implication that because CJ is not shaping policy, she is being relegated to a lesser status. It bothers me the way that feminism is sometimes taken to mean being superhuman. As if women are not in fact equal unless they can successfully perform three times as many tasks as men can, and that any flaw in their character is immediately taken to be chauvanism on the part of the writers.
CJ holds her own among the main staff which is no easy feat. Not because they are all men and she a lowly woman, but because they are all highly intelligent and impressive people. It is an environment which favours males, and I don't deny that CJ fights against this, but I don't get the impression that within the main six, she is patronised or excluded on sexual grounds. Admittedly, you can argue that they purposely kept her out of loop regarding India and Pakistan, but I would argue that all of the cast have been out of the loop on one issue or another.
I like Donna's efficiency at her job (something far above my daily standards) and her interest in innane knowledge. I like the fact that she can relax somewhat around her boss, and that she has the security and self-confidence to talk to him on a more personal level. I like the way that Ainsley knows her legal standing and has the courage of her convictions. I like the emotional intensity of Abbey, that she loves Jed and supports him, but takes her opportunities as the First Lady seriously.
I like the fact that these women are flawed and that they have the strength to accept responsibility when they are wrong. I like the fact that they demand respect from others and see themselves as equal people, even as they understand that there is a defined heirarchy within the White House (and that there would be chaos if there was not).
Now, as for Mandy and Amy, they both annoy me. I don't think that's because Mandy
was too strong, too volatile, her strengths were similar to the men's strengths, and in the eyes of the unenlightened, a strong woman is a bitch, or maybe, it's only partly because of that. Mandy (and generally Amy too) do have the more typically male strengths so far as they both have Josh's flaws, too loud, too pushy, self-orientated, ego-driven and downright obnoxious. It's these flaws that make me decry Josh as a jerk, and them as annoying.
However, as much of a jerk as Josh can be, we do see the other side to him. We do see that he puts himself out for others, that he is capable of acts of extreme thoughtfulness, and occasionally will ride in and be someone's champion. I just don't see these redeeming features in Amy and Mandy. I do see two characters who have trouble accepting when they are wrong and manage to get almost everyone offside with them. Honestly, these are the characters that I have trouble believing would continue to work in the White House. They step on too many toes and have too much difficulty apologising (or even realising that they should apologise).
*steps off soapbox*
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kaneko yesterday. Such a good film. *g* My only gripe was the loud, suspenseful "Da da DAH!" music they ended on. Would have been so much cooler without the "To Be Concluded" sign, with just a quiet ending.
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