Colbert Takes on Media's Treatment of Women

I love Stephen Colbert.

Watch the clip of last night's "The Word" here. (Sorry I have trouble getting Comedy Central videos to embed)

While I'm not familiar with Archie comics, I think Stephen Colbert hit the nail right on the head with last night's "The Word"!

His sarcastic commentary points out one of the main tools to keep women less than: turning women on each other. Turning women on one another is one of the ways that women are kept at a second class status. If women stopped fighting amongst themselves, comparing themselves to one another, etc. I think there is a subconscious fear among many men that women actually have more power than them (as Colbert points out) and by creating in-fighting among women is a way to keep women down.

I also liked how he commented on how women characters are often only defined by the man that they can land. In so many romantic comedies, strong business women are portrayed as not being happy enough until they have found that right man (see my review of The Proposal). Women obviously can't be happy by themselves, women need a man to make them happy.

And finally we get to his great commentary on Hillary Clinton. Only reporting on Clinton's response to a question about her husband is insulting. I think Clinton had every right to have that response. People should be asking her about her opinions on the things she is working on, instead of what Bill thinks about it. Only reporting on her response to that completely diminishes the amazing work that Hillary Clinton is doing.

Stephen Colbert has provided some great insight into the media's treatment of women in his great, sarcastic way.