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“I think the world in general has complicated feelings about women in authority”- Chimamanda Adichie on how Hillary Clinton is Portrayed in the Media
In a chat with People magazine, Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie gets very vocal about her thoughts on the ongoing politics in America especially the faceoff between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and the part the media has played in it.
See what she had to say below.
On why she is so concerned about American politics: What happens in America, just by virtue of being really the most powerful country in the world, will in some ways affect other people who are not necessarily Americans.
On the frustrating news coverage of the 2016 elections: It’s sad reputable media houses have to say things like, ‘We have to make sure that President Obama did not found ISIS.’ There’s a part of me that wishes that Hillary Clinton had a proper opponent that she could really debate. It’s a disservice to her intelligence.
On how Hillary Clinton is scrutinized in the media: People complain about Hillary not being charismatic, or say that she’s robotic – I think it’s her reaction to how she’s been treated, and a large portion of that treatment has been because she’s female. There’s a lot of talk about, ‘Oh, Hillary Clinton is so disliked.’ And I just keep thinking, ‘Well, she’s won all of these elections. Why are we not asking the question of who likes her and why she’s liked?’. I think the world in general, both men and women, has complicated feelings about women in authority and women in power. They say she doesn’t smile, they say she should laugh. There’s a lot that goes into the way that the public engages with her that would not happen if she weren’t a woman.
On her June short story for NYT called “The Arrangements”: I don’t think [Trump] thinks of women as full and equal beings, so I wanted to kind of poke fun of that. It’s the women in his life who have their own motivations, who kind of humor him, and who know him more than he thinks he knows himself.
On the effects of Donald Trump’s controversial comments about women: I think it’s perfectly fair to disagree with Clinton on her policies. But to call her a bitch? To talk about her being murdered? Even to talk about her personal life and her marriage, I just find it deeply misogynistic. And it’s not just making others to be comfortable in their misogyny – what it does is that it gives them an opportunity to say, ‘It’s not because we’re misogynistic. It’s not because she’s a woman.’ And that’s even more troubling.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Janette Pellegrini
