The "Sarah Palin" Fever

As seasonal allergies and flu fevers hit hard, there is one world-wide fever that is particularly unexpected and unsettling: the "Sarah Palin" one. From silly impersonations of her on YouTube and Palin hairdos to non-stop media coverage and analysis of each and every word she says, it is becoming simply unbearable. I know I am contributing to this fever by writing this very post, but sometimes you have to vent about something to be able to begin healing!

What i don't understand is how much of this fever is REALLY triggered by her gender as opposed to everything else she is and stands for? But then, why didn't Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, or Pat Shroeder get this celebrity-like treatment and attention? And her motherhood -- why is it that all those men's fatherhood is never brought up or their ability to "balance it all" questioned? There is something seriously wrong with our political gender double standards.

Despite their proven track record, I refuse to believe that McCain and Republicans are stupid enough to think that most women of America are stupid enough to vote for them just to get a woman VP. I partially agree, however, that whether they intentionally meant for this to happen or not, the Sarah Palin fever is stealing the spotlights away from the real issues American voters and media should be focusing on only weeks before elections.

Well, there are also the recent distractions of the stock market, economy, and Ike. To me these issues come handy in a "World 101" lesson on how the greatest majority of people on earth do not prioritize political participation when their #1 concern is survival and immediate financial security.

So while the Obama supporters are busy balancing their checkbooks and re-calculating their monthly expenses based on the new oil prices, Sarah Palin is busy getting a private tan in the comfort of her own mansion and shopping for designer shoes.

As Eve Ensler nicely put it in her "Drill, Drill, Drill" article: "I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke."