Fired Up: Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I didn't know what I was going to write about when I woke up this morning but I just found some inspiration...

I had the Today Show on in the background while making my oatmeal (I never thought this would happen but oatmeal is my new breakfast...and I actually kind of like it now) and heard Meredith's interview with Tina Brown (founder and editor of http://www.thedailybeast.com/) and Gloria Allred (feminist lawyer) about Elizabeth Edwards' new book, Resilience. Tina attacked Elizabeth for the subject of her new book (Mr. Wonderful's affair with his campaign staffer, Reille Hunter) and questioned why she would choose to spend her time dredging up the affair. Gloria defended Elizabeth and explained that she should be able to handle the affair in anyway she sees fit, particularly given her experience in surviving the death of a child and battling terminal breast cancer. During the course of the interview, Meredith also showed excerpts from the New York Times' Maureen Dowd's recent piece about the book, in which she too attacks Elizabeth's motives and her choice in writing this book.

First off, who really gives a crap if this woman wrote a book about her husband's affair and can't the Today Show producers find something more important to over produce? Second, if the poor woman (I mean, how much more can the broad take?) wants to write a book about surviving Ken's (John Edwards reminds me of the Ken doll) trangressions and if said book helps one other woman cope with her own complicated marriage (yes, I do realize complicated marriage is redundant), then more power to her. Third, why are women so freakin' hard on each other? While I am happy to be a woman most of the time, sometimes I really hate my own kind. Really. What is it about the way we're raised that makes us so hard on each other? (I suspect somehow it all relates to the evil estrogen...) I don't think men beat up on each other this way. No, they form Good Ol' Boy networks and help each other get rich everyday. Not us, though. No, we'd much rather rip each other apart about everything from our choice to stay home to raise our babies to the subject of our books.

I'd like to see Tina and Maureen endure a 25+ year marriage, the tragic loss of a child, some terminal cancer, Mr. Wonderful's affair (that may have produced a love child), and see what kind of book they'd write. I mean, for the love of God, not all of us can masterfully capitalize on our husband's political career and marital transgressions to become a U.S. Senator and Secretary of State! Some of us are just mere mortals trying to do our best to survive everyday. Give the girl a break!

Okay, my rant is over. Now, time to tackle my growing pile of medical bills! Oh, and I'm still working on the updates to Concrete Jungle, How Do You Like Me Now, and Headed South.