Thursday, November 6, 2014

Brent Musburger: The Feminist Pendulum Swing and Other Fun Things to Worry Over (Previously posted on ESPN Las Vegas blog)

(Previously posted on January 11, 2013, as my part of the ESPN Las Vegas blog)




Brent Musburger


When any extreme is corrected on a pendulum, the equal but opposite extreme takes its place. With each swing, the movements become gradually smaller, eventually finding its way to center.


By now, everyone has heard about this - ESPN Announcer Brent Musburger's comment on Miss Alabama Katherine Webb's looks . He also collectively commented on A.J. McCarron's mother, Dee Dee McCarron, but no one seems to be wrapping her up in this non-issue tornado. Lucky woman. She's actually dealing with the correct amount of frou-frou surrounding comments like these; in other words, nothing.

Having been born and bred in the midst of "consciousness raising" and bursts of feminism throughout the South, I am well-versed in the shenanigans that make even the most closeted feminist put her roast on low, take off her apron, and snatch up a picket sign (or in these more modern times, take to their Twitter accounts.)

I actually went about this in opposite. I heard all the opinions about the clip before actually clicking on the numerous links to listen to the source. By the end of it, I was in shock.

Before you furiously open a window to start your anonymous angry retort, let me say this: I don't get it either. I was shocked anyone even bothered to mention it twice, let alone let it spin into this atrocious non-issue. (seriously...? This is how people want to spend their copious free time? Aren't there children in Africa that need to be saved from diamond mines or something like that?)

In my opinion, Musburger stated a fact that sounded more like an opinion, and maybe that's the real issue here. Miss Alabama is, you guessed it, beautiful. (Imagine that, right? It was a total shock to me, too. I mean, honestly, I really started buying into the advertisement-disguised-as-a-movie, "Miss Congeniality"'s idea that these were all scholarship events where girls worry themselves over pizza slices and sound-bite-sized answers.) And Musburger took that time to comment on it, along with another commentator who joined in. Musburger finished by jokingly advising young Alabama boys to start throwing the ball around with Dad so they could be as lucky as the quarterbacks. Honestly, that was the only comment I came close to having an issue with...but I have other things to do with my time than complain about it...like my job, my schoolwork, raising my kids, and catching up on "Nashville."

Speaking of which, let's back this up juuust a bit. Suppose Musburger had been perusing the GMAT scores of Auburn graduates while waiting for the next play and came across Ms. Webb's enormously gorgeous score. He then blurts out how really smart she is and how lucky A.J. McCarron is. Do we have an issue then?

Anyway, in these current times where sitcoms are filled with dopey husbands with condescending and much-too-smart-for-them wives, we seem to be comfortable batting at anyone - even a complimenting announcer - not because he actually did anything wrong but because when the pendulum swung against us (meaning women), we weren't allowed to say anything. Now, though, we are constantly up in arms about this stuff. We (meaning everyone) are hypersensitive and are allowing horrible behavior (meaning by the people who criticized Musburger.) We are teaching people that it's okay to treat people (meaning men) the way we were (meaning women). Wasn't the point that we didn't want anyone treated like this?

Long and short of it, I'm waiting for the pendulum swing to right itself and settle in the middle. Right after the Oompah-Lompahs deliver my breakfast...with toast.
 
(original post: http://www.espn1100.com/Brent-Musburger-The-Feminist-Pendulum-Swing-and-Ot/11190684?archive=1&pid=288967)





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