This dates us, but the Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, presidential debate on Monday reminds us of the Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs tennis match in 1973.
The much-hyped “Battle of the Sexes” match was between Riggs, an arrogant attention-seeker, and King, the epitome of a calm, talented athlete. Riggs had challenged all women players to take him on, and King accepted.
King whomped Riggs, but not before Riggs took an early lead.
Fast forward to 2016, and, while much has changed, much is still the same.
On Monday night Trump took an early lead and then got royally whomped by Clinton. If we were applying tennis rules, it would have been a fast six sets to one for Clinton.
We suspect part of Trump’s problem was that he just couldn’t believe that he had to actually listen to a woman, let alone debate with her. He didn’t prepare for the debate, again thinking that his natural superiority and intelligence would be enough. He assumed that when he spoke, even when he repeated lies, that his word would count for more than Clinton’s.
But what is most alarming is not that he would underestimate his opponent so much, or that he would overestimate his own ability, but that the viewing audience could give him any points at all in this debate.
It speaks to the incredible cloud of sexism that covers everything in today’s society that viewers saw him as even remotely competent to share the stage with Clinton.
Would U.S. voters accept Trump as a candidate if he were not running against a woman?
Here is a man who is a pathological liar – he wouldn’t even admit he had the sniffles during the debate despite video proof –who panders to racists, bankrupts working people, gloats that he doesn’t pay taxes, and dehumanizes women and the disabled.
And yet polls suggest he is only two to 10 points behind Clinton.
Pundits suggest his popularity relies on followers who are white, poor and feeling left out of the American dream. It’s an economic and cultural backlash. But sexism is somehow, most of the time, not worth examining.
Really?
When Barack Obama ran for president, race was front and centre as a discussion point and factor in the election. As it should have been.
This time around sexism becomes the topic only when Trump’s outrageous comments and actions are called into question. Sexism is just so ingrained in our lives that it takes an overblown sexist like Trump to even get our attention. Otherwise, sadly, it’s business as usual.
