Mad Men Era Lives On in the White House

by rabbifink on October 26, 2009 · 5 comments

Obama BasketballHas the White House traveled back in time and space to the Mad Men era? To a place in time where women are 2nd class citizens and were refused equal opportunities?

Most people would say, “of course not”. But there are those who disagree.

Just ask Terry O’Neill the president for the National Organizatin of Women (NOW) about it. O’Neill says that this is a real issue.

The brouhaha started with the President’s pickup basketball games. Apparently, only men have been invited to play so far. According to O’Neill, this is an affront to women everywhere.

Yes, she is serious.

It’s hard to believe, as the Obama Administration has been the portrayed as the most inclusive and minority friendly administration to inhabit the White House.

It’s ridiculous because women don’t play NBA basketball. It is not because they are discriminated against, but just because they are not as good as the men. Women don’t have the same physical bodies that men have.

O’Neill takes this to mean that women are 2nd class. That is her problem. She can take it how she wants, but it would be prudent to be rational about it , as opposed to politically charged and driven. Here is her take:

“we need to see the White House leading the way for desegregating the work places all around the country and it is troubling.” (Hat tip ABC News Blog)

The NY Times is reporting that the Obama Administration does not think there is a problem here. But the NY Times digs deeper and sees that there is a sense of of “manliness” in the White House. And somehow that is a big problem as well.

“Still, some high-profile sectors of the White House — economics and national security, for instance — are filled with men and exude an unmistakable male vibe.

So apparantly, not only are women offended by not being invited to play basketball, but women are offended by “manly” men in the White House? Is it a crime for a man to be masculine. That sounds to me like discrimination against men!

Women are not expected to be men and men should not be expected to be like women!

Why can’t we all just be what we are and get along?

We’ve come a long way from the Mad Men era, I think this could be the start of the Mad Women era.

But don’t worry too much. This just in! Obama has invited a female aide to play golf with him. This is a first and not a moment too soon. Who thinks O’Neill will be happy with this?

(Not me)

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Tagged as: ABC News, basketball, golf, Mad Men, Mad Women, NOW, NY Times, Obama, politics, ridiculous, women

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  • Offwinger

    This is not NBA level basketball. This is a rec level pick-up game. There is no reason women should NOT have been invited.

    When people talk about glass ceiling and exclusive behavior that exists today, it’s not about refusal to hire. It’s about being able to participate in the social networking activities that allow for career growth. This includes golfing and pick-up basketball.

    Does that mean that most or even more than a few people would be interested? Probably not. When I organized regular faculty-student pick-up games, I always made it clear that women were welcome and invited to play. But to be honest, the reality is that once we had a solid group coming that already had some level of experience or skill on the court, we had a hard time getting more than one or two other women or older faculty members of either gender to want to run with us. And I’ve always been a bit concerned that my overuse of sports references and analogies is exclusionary of non-sports fan, a group that is disproportionately female.

    Is NOW over-reacting? There are more important things to worry about. However, you’re trivializing a completely legitimate complaint about the barriers that women face in the workplace.

    • http://finkorswim.com rabbifink

      Excuse me. I am not trivializing the barriers women face in the workplace. NOW is doing that.

      They are using a silly basketball game to try and illustrate a real issue. That is trivializing the real issue.

      Instead of crediting Obama with giving women great opportunities in his administration, NOW focuses on a non-issue.

  • Offwinger

    You’re not understanding my point.

    A regular pick-up game is NOT silly.

    It’s an opportunity to build stronger relationships with coworkers and your boss (the president). It’s also an opportunity to have someone’s ear and discuss things in a low-key setting.

    Things come up at these games. Everyone shoots around to warm up. You chat about stuff. Usually, it’s casual (how are the kids doing?) or goofy trashtalking. That stuff MATTERS. It’s the glue that holds social relationships together. You build common ground. You gain familiarity and trust. Also, sometimes work stuff comes up out of nowhere, and you wind up having a conversation that actually has some effect.

    Obama deserves credit for the general inclusiveness of his administration, but that does not entitle him to a pass for failing to recognize one of the most subtle ways in which women are excluded in the current workplace. It’s about socialization and the access and opportunity that these kinds of “games” offer.

    I may not agree with the approach NOW has taken, and I wouldn’t necessarily agree that this is a high priority concern compared to others, but it is very real. I wonder if maybe you’ve never participated in these kinds of events in a workplace setting to see the access it gives you to people you wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to talk to, whether it’s through company softball or pick-up basketball games with colleagues, or golf outings (a popular place for deals to be made), which is why you think it’s just a silly game.

    • http://finkorswim.com rabbifink

      That is only a valid point if we assume that the ONLY “bonding” Obama EVER DOES is on the basketball court. I can’t imagine that is the case.

      And most of his “playmates” are not even administration members. They are friends and pseudo-celebrities…

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