American misogyny on the ballot: Even if Kamala Harris wins this election, Trump’s anti-women MAGA cult will still have caused harm.
There is a macho cult behind Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” movement. It implies that only if contemporary American men learn to be strong, “manly men,” like their dads and grandfathers, dominate “their” women, and “take back control”—whatever that means—will the US be able to be “great again.” It pushes men to suppress their emotions, follow outdated sex stereotypes, use violence to advance in life, and follow the advise of so-called prominent “alpha males,” such as podcaster Joe Rogan or billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of X (and now a major Trump supporter).
Built on the pledge to restore America to a romanticized golden age when women understood their role and everyone lived happily, this poisonous movement has Sadly, it set the tone for the next presidential election in the most powerful country in the world. We now live in a world where millions and millions of American men (and a surprisingly high number of women) seem to view Donald Trump as the embodiment of masculine power and believe that his reelection as president is the sole solution to the nation’s numerous issues.
American misogyny on the ballot: The reality TV personality and former president has a history of disparaging and demeaning women on broadcast and social media. At his thousands-strong televised demonstrations, he frequently makes derogatory remarks about well-known women, particularly those who openly criticize him. He disparages their families, their reproductive decisions, and their outward looks. He has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by at least 26 women. These accusations, which date back to the 1970s, include voyeurism, rape, unwanted kissing, and groping. In a civil trial last year, a jury convicted him guilty of sexual assault and gave his victim $5 million. Despite Trump’s denials of all charges, anyone paying attention can see how little he values women. of heeding his words and actions. Even his choice for vice president, JD Vance, is blatantly misogynistic and disparages their Democratic opponents by referring to them as “childless cat ladies.” Trump picked the judges who ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade while he was president, depriving American women in numerous states of significant control over their bodies and lives.
In a normal environment, Trump’s history of violent machismo and sexism would be enough to guarantee that he would never again be allowed near the White House. However, our world is not sane.
Stereotypes about masculinity have been used by the MAGA movement to shape the entire election. They apparently persuaded enough people to believe that physical stamina, a readiness to use violence against adversaries, and being a “macho man” are the key factors in winning this election.
American misogyny on the ballot: Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s main opponent, has been under fire for months for her “sexual history” rather than her stance on issues or her behavior while in government. She has been charged of having “slept her way to the top” and being “promiscuous” when she was younger. Matt Walsh, a conservative journalist and filmmaker, wrote on X that Harris had “made a career out of begging for handouts from powerful men.” Megyn Kelly, the head of Fox News, said that these remarks were beneficial to voters and completely “fair game.” Naturally, these are just unfounded rumors—the classic tale of unfounded rumors being used against a successful lady. Furthermore, even if they were accurate, her past romantic relationships would not have any effect on Harris’s ability to do her duties or distinguish her from Trump, a well-known serial adulterer and woman abuser who benefited from family wealth and connections to reach his current position.
Trump’s “macho” supporters have accused Harris of being a “home wrecker” (because of a previous relationship with a man who was separated but not yet divorced from his wife); of actually being a man who transitioned to live as a woman (this one is difficult to interpret, but maybe the implication is that she would not have been this successful in politics if she was a natural-born woman?); and of “not having a stake in the future of the nation” as a result of her lack of biological children. Harris has also been accused of not being Black enough (because she is half South Asian), not being South Asian enough (because she is half Black!), and not being American enough (because she was born to immigrant parents). Harris is the only child of a couple of first-generation Black and South Asian immigrants.
Overall, the MAGA movement appeared to be arguing during the campaign season that Harris shouldn’t be elected president because, as a woman, she lacks the moral, physical, and emotional strength to lead the “strong and manly” United States during this difficult time.
American misogyny on the ballot: Given the apparent success of the current Trump campaign—despite his numerous scandals and 34 criminal convictions, he is still tied with Harris in all recent polls—and his unexpected win over political heavyweight Hillary Clinton in 2016, some have begun to speculate that perhaps America is not yet—and never will be—ready to elect a woman to the presidency.
These pessimists are certainly correct about the sexism and misogyny in American society, as well as the difficult path female candidates must take in American politics, but they appear to be overlooking two crucial truths. One, Clinton, who lost the Electoral College but won the popular vote in 2016, had a lot more political baggage than Harris. Furthermore, Kamala Harris is not far behind in the polls this year and has a very real chance of winning this election in spite of all the slurs, insults, and misogyny.
It’s true that most men, particularly white men, appear to be backing Trump’s machismo and turning out for him; according to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted in October, Trump leads Harris by a staggering 52 to 43 percent among male voters. However, women are also supporting Harris because they understand the harm that Trump’s four years in office have done to their rights. A recent Harvard Institute of Politics poll shows Harris is 30 points ahead of women aged 18 to 29. Tens of thousands of women, particularly young women, are believed to have cast early ballots in battleground states like Arizona and Michigan in order to secure a Harris victory.
Therefore, it is still possible for a woman to become president in the near future. However, the American misogyny that Trump exposed, exploited, and exacerbated will not go away quickly even if Harris is elected and becomes the country’s first female president.
The potential election of Harris in 2024 will not put an end to sexism and misogyny in the nation, just as the election of President Barack Obama in 2008 did not signal the end of racism in American culture.
Kamala Harris is not a true feminist, which contributes to this.
American misogyny on the ballot: Transgender ideology is catered to by the Democratic vice president. In the name of “inclusivity,” she seems prepared to let men who claim to be women violate women’s hard-won sex-based rights. She is in favor of so-called “gender-affirming” surgical procedures that cause unnecessary bodily harm to otherwise healthy women and girls and frequently make them lifelong patients. She is the first well-known American presidential contender to advocate for the comprehensive decriminalization of prostitution, which she calls “sex work.” Harris is also not a friend to women in many respects. Regretfully, she might be behaving in this manner because she thinks that real feminism won’t be successful in an American election.
However, Trump is undoubtedly able to describe what a woman is, even if Harris is unable to do so for whatever reason. He believes that women are merely sexual objects, mothers, and caregivers rather than complete human beings with rights, views, and liberties.
This is why, despite all of my reservations about Harris’ feminist credentials, I would not think twice about voting for her over Trump if I were an American.
In just a few days, we will know if enough Americans of all genders who care about women’s rights come to the same decision, vote for Harris, and end the misogynistic circus that has been Trump’s political career.
However, this election season will have repercussions regardless of the political reality we awaken to on November 6 and the misogyny, hatred, and violence against women it normalized. Given the harassment and deception they will encounter simply for being a woman pursuing power and authority, women will be more reluctant to run for public office in the future. America is not yet a feminist nation, and it is certainly not prepared to elect a true feminist to lead it, as seen by the hatred Harris has received in recent months—not because of her beliefs, but because of her sex.
Source: Aljazeera