Jessica

Vozel

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June 22, 2009

The ‘Uppity’ Barbara Boxer Dares to Stand Up for Herself

On Tuesday, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California did something apparently inexcusable: She requested that a U.S. Army brigadier general testifying before her Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works call her “senator” instead of “ma’am.” She was polite about it, saying, “You know, do me a favor. Could say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am’?” She even tempered herself a bit afterwards: “It's just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it.” General Walsh quickly and politely acquiesced. 

It seems like a rather innocuous exchange, really – one that has probably happened hundreds of times in the history of U.S. government. It’s no secret that government officials want (even demand) respect. It takes a certain sort of egoist to enter the political arena in the first place. Supposedly, President George W. Bush required even his friends call him “Mr. President.” It was also a short exchange, all of five seconds, maybe, and then it was back to business – General Walsh was testifying about the stagnated progress of post-Katrina reconstruction.  

Yet, this rather mundane sound bite had garnered significant attention in the blogosphere, particularly of the negative kind for Sen. Boxer. I can’t repeat the names she has been called by a frothing public, but let’s just say they’re similar to those used many times against women in positions of power (see: Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign). I can say that “uppity” was a common adjective affixed to said insults. It certainly doesn’t help that she is a Democrat, either, as conservatives tend to be the squeakier wheels when it comes to these things. 

And yet, let’s reverse the scenario. A female military officer stands as a witness before a stodgy male senator and calls him “sir.” He corrects her and says he prefers to be called “Senator.” He works, hard you see. Let’s make him Republican for good measure. I can’t imagine the same outcry. Certainly, no one is going to call him uppity. He’s just asking for the respect that is due to him! And he said “please” and “thank you”!

What more does that uppity military woman want?  We could even make both Senator and General male. Again, probably not a peep from anyone on the matter. It just wouldn’t be newsworthy. 

One astute blogger, Lindsay Beyerstein, says it’s all in the name of the game. This sort of power play is incredibly common in any kind of testimony, and has nothing to do with wanting to be called “senator.” She writes, “Ask a lawyer, a reporter, a cop, or anyone else who questions people for a living. These little primate dominance displays are a good way to throw a target off his game, especially if he isn't used to being challenged.” Sen. Boxer, perhaps, was establishing that she was the one doing the questioning and wanted Gen. Walsh to know that.

As Beyerstein points out, it happens all the time. But when it is a woman who is requesting she be addressed a certain way by a man – in a way that reflects her title – it makes her worthy, in the eyes of some, of names far worse than “ma’am.” It’s not about politics, or rhetorically sneaky power plays, or a lack of respect for or from either party here (I’ll add here that General Walsh was following military protocol in using the term “ma’am”), it’s about a woman daring to stand up for herself and subvert her prescribed role.

And a lot of people still aren’t comfortable with that. 

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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