Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power in Contemporary American Politics
Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power in Contemporary American Politics

Author: Hinda Mandell

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2017-04-17

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1440843287

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Examining how gender impacts political sex scandals in the United States, this book explains how political sex scandals contribute to the mistrust of government and identifies why these events have serious consequences for our political system. The increasing tabloidization of politics and focus on politicians involved in sex scandals is both problematic and important. When a major political sex scandal occurs, it occupies as much as 25 percent of all news coverage in the United States. Even if people may deny it, they enjoy "consuming" and talking about political sex scandals. Written by a former journalist who has frequently explored the intersections of politics, sex, and gender in the United States, Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power in Contemporary American Politics investigates how political sex scandals contribute to the mistrust of government and why these events have great significance in our frenzied media environment. The book makes use of comprehensive descriptive data (including statistics) to explain how political sex scandals are a representation of society's broader gender dynamics, conveying subtle messages about power and morality. It addresses the roles of men and women in political sex scandals over time, the increasing tabloidization of politics, and the often-overlooked consequences of sex scandals for the political system. Author Hinda Mandell also documents how scandals' multiple negative effects for the politicians themselves and for society include turning politics into a spectator sport, contributing to the mistrust of government, the questioning of politicians' competence and judgment as a group, and politicians' diminishing effectiveness in office.

Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power in Contemporary American Politics
Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power in Contemporary American Politics

Author: Hinda Mandell

Publisher:

Published: 2023

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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The increasing tabloidization of politics and focus on politicians involved in sex scandals is both problematic and important. This book examines how gender impacts political sex scandals in the United States, in the past and today; explains how political sex scandals contribute to the mistrust of government; and identifies why these titillating events do have serious consequences for our political system. When a major political sex scandal occurs, it occupies as much as 25 percent of all news coverage in the United States. Even if people may deny it, they enjoy "consuming" and talking about political sex scandals. Written by a former journalist who has frequently explored the intersections of politics, sex, and gender in the United States, Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power in Contemporary American Politics investigates how political sex scandals contribute to the mistrust of government and why these titillating events have great significance in our frenzied media environment. The book makes use of comprehensive descriptive data (including statistics) to explain how political sex scandals are a representation of society's broader gender dynamics, conveying subtle messages about power and morality. It addresses the roles of men and women in political sex scandals over time, the increasing tabloidization of politics, and the often-overlooked consequences of sex scandals for the political system. Readers will see how the types of sex scandals that politicians are typically involved in differ by political party, and that all major political sex scandals have involved male-not female-politicians engaged in bad behavior. Author Hinda Mandell also documents how scandals' multiple negative effects for the politicians themselves and for society include turning politics into a spectator sport, contributing to the mistrust of government, the questioning of politicians' competence and judgment as a group, and politicians' diminishing effectiveness in office.

Sex Scandals in American Politics
Sex Scandals in American Politics

Author: Alison Dagnes

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2011-09-15

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1441106464

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From the misbehavior of President Clinton to Governor Mark Sanford's Argentinean tryst, sex scandals have become a prominent feature of American public life. This unique collection of essays explains why politicians elected for their leadership and promises of ethical behavior risk their career, and the socio-political consequences of their actions. It argues that political sex scandals are distinct from other types of sex scandals because the nature of elected office is very different from "civilian" life. The construction, disgrace, and aftermath of political sex scandals are examined from different academic angles, including the politics of place, human communication, political psychology, media, sociology, feminism, and criminology. The essays delve into the role of culture and geography on the political outcome of a scandal, the rhetoric of apologia, the psychology of risk, trends and patterns in media coverage, the impact on different organized interests, legal ramifications, and how different countries view political sex scandal.This accessible work will engage anyone studying American politics, political behavior, political communication as well as sociological issues and the role of the media.

Gender, Race, and Social Identity in American Politics
Gender, Race, and Social Identity in American Politics

Author: Lori L. Montalbano

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-08-26

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 1498573843

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Gender, Race, and Social Identity in American Politics: The Past and Future of Political Access explores the ways in which cultural expression is represented in American politics as it intersects with issues of gender, race, and the construction of social identity. Specifically, this body of work examines how representations in the media and larger culture can establish and diminish the status of diverse communities of American politicians. Contributors analyze the rhetorical and performative changes that have occurred in America as it has shifted politically from growing acceptance and tolerance to an obscure—and often hostile—conservative ideology. This book contributes to the growing dialogue surrounding American politics by citing specific cases of gender and race-based infringements of the current political system, as purported by media and party players. This book will be especially useful to scholars of political science, media studies, gender studies, and critical race studies.

Women, Power, and Rape Culture
Women, Power, and Rape Culture

Author: Bonnie Stabile

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2022-09-27

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1440876983

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Focusing on how rape, sexual assault, and harassment relate to underrepresentation of women in public authority, this book provides an insightful exploration of the policy context that impedes women's advancement to positions of power. The election of Donald Trump precipitated one of the largest outpourings of political protest on a single day in U.S. history with the 2017 March for Women. The emboldened #MeToo and #TimesUp movements reacted not only to the historical injustice of sexual offenses perpetrated upon women, but women's associated underrepresentation in positions of power and public authority. Women, Power, and Rape Culture examines the principal events, actors, and paradigms in the politics of rape, sexual assault, and harassment since Trump's election. Unlike other studies, it connects these traumatic events to women's underrepresentation in the public sphere. Chapters consider the power of presidential speech, judges, and Congress to create structural barriers to women's representation as well as the stultifying effects of weak college and university responses to sexual violence. Disparities in women's representation in positions of public authority are considered in light of the disproportionate burden imposed on women by a culture that discounts the prevalence of rape and harassment and by the policies that inadequately address them, allowing them to perpetuate.

Gladiators in Suits
Gladiators in Suits

Author: Simone Adams

Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Published: 2019-08-21

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 0815654685

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One of the most popular shows to come out of Shondaland, Shonda Rhimes’s production company, is ABC’s political drama Scandal (2012–18)—a series whose tremendous success and marketing savvy led LA Times critic Mary McNamara to hail it as “the show that Twitter built” and Time magazine to name its protagonist as one of the most influential fictional characters of 2013. The series portrays a fictional Washington, DC, and features a diverse group of characters, racially and otherwise, who gather around the show’s antiheroine, Olivia Pope, a powerful crisis manager who happens to have an extramarital affair with the president of the United States. For seven seasons, audiences learned a great deal about Olivia and those interwoven in her complex world of politics and drama, including her team of “gladiators in suits,” with whom she manages the crises of Washington’s political elite. This volume, named for both Olivia’s team and the show’s fans, analyzes the communication, politics, stereotypes, and genre techniques featured in the television series while raising key questions about the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and viewing audiences. The essays range from critical looks at various members of Scandal’s ensemble, to in-depth analyses of the show’s central themes, to audience reception studies via interviews and social media analysis. Additionally, the volume contributes to research on femininity, masculinity, and representations of black womanhood on television. Ultimately, this collection offers original and timely perspectives on what was one of America’s most “scandalous” prime-time network television series.

Politicians Behaving Badly
Politicians Behaving Badly

Author: Paulina S. Cossette

Publisher:

Published: 2019-12-10

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 9780367427993

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History tells us that elected leaders tainted by scandal often pay a political price for their questionable behavior. Some prior research suggests that, on average, the impact of economic scandal (e.g., misuse of public funds) is more damaging than that of sexual misbehavior (e.g., extramarital affairs). But we are currently in an era in which allegations of sexual misbehavior have taken center stage - and the focus today is less on issues of morality than on allegations of sexual harassment and assault broadly defined. Especially since 2016, such allegations have engulfed a large and growing number of political figures. Many were forced to resign their positions, while others chose to end their campaigns for election or re-election. With the rise of the #MeToo movement and related grassroots efforts to address the problem of sexual harassment, the issue seems likely to play an important role in the 2020 elections and beyond. This book employs data from an internet-based survey (based on a national sample of roughly 1300 registered voters) to examine citizens' attitudes about sexual harassment, and the extent to which those attitudes shape their voting preferences. With an innovative experimental design, the authors assess whether those attitudes and preferences vary with the target candidate's partisan affiliation (Republican or Democrat); gender (male or female); and response to the allegations (denial, apology, or with some sort of counterframe as defined in the book). Appropriate for students, scholars, and general readers alike, this book offers a timely analysis of an important political issue.

The Paranoid Style in American Politics
The Paranoid Style in American Politics

Author: Richard Hofstadter

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2008-06-10

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 0307388441

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This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter's classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs.In The Paranoid Style in American Politics, acclaimed historian Richard Hofstadter examines the competing forces in American political discourse and how fringe groups can influence — and derail — the larger agendas of a political party. He investigates the politics of the irrational, shedding light on how the behavior of individuals can seem out of proportion with actual political issues, and how such behavior impacts larger groups. With such other classic essays as “Free Silver and the Mind of 'Coin' Harvey” and “What Happened to the Antitrust Movement?, ” The Paranoid Style in American Politics remains both a seminal text of political history and a vital analysis of the ways in which political groups function in the United States.

Scandalous Economics
Scandalous Economics

Author: Aida A. Hozic

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0190204249

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This book is about the neglect of gender and race in explanations of the Global Financial Crisis. It is also about the sexual scandals and gendered austerity policies that have relegated public debate, and the crisis itself. We need to look at the activities and the privileges of the advantaged - the "TED women" of the crisis -- as much as the victimization of the disadvantaged - to fully grasp the interplay between gender and economy in this age of restoration.

Media Depictions of Brides, Wives, and Mothers
Media Depictions of Brides, Wives, and Mothers

Author: Alena Amato Ruggerio

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2012-09-27

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 0739177095

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Media Depictions of Brides, Wives, and Mothers, edited by Alena Amato Ruggerio, explores how television, film, the internet, and other media variously perpetuate gender stereotypes. The contributors to this volume bring a variety of feminist rhetorical and media criticism approaches from across the communication discipline to their analyses of how television, film, news coverage, and the Internet shape our expectations of the performance of women’s identities. This collection includes studies of Bridezillas, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Sex and the City, Sarah Palin, Nancy Pelosi, The Devil Wears Prada, Practical Magic, “momtini” blogs, and Mad Men fan websites. Readers will learn to apply the insights from each chapter to their own sets of myths, stereotypes, and assumptions about gendered roles, and to recognize the possibilities for both liberation and domination when women’s practices of marrying, mating, and mothering are represented and misrepresented in the media. This collection is an essential contribution to media studies and criticism of gender stereotypes in contemporary culture.