To the Editors:
I was disappointed in seeing the article "Hillary tries to relax as 50th nears" in the October 21st edition of The Dartmouth. My dismay was over two points:
(1) Although it has become a widespread practice in the press, and as such goes virtually unnoticed, it is disrespectful to refer to the First Lady of the United States by only her first name. Regardless of one's politics, it should be realized that the First Lady is the spouse of our elected chief-of-state, and that she should be accorded due respect. Newspapers do not title articles about the vice president's travels with headlines such as "Al goes to China" .
(2) The article speculated on how the First Lady's upcoming 50th birthday was influencing her personal and political actions. This is a more subtle (and therefore more insidious) slight. I do not recall ever reading of how an approaching chronological milestone was influencing a male public figure. The actions of Speaker Gingrich or President Clinton have not been attributed to their nearest birthday.
Could it be that the press, having tired of giving us a political analysis of the First Lady's hairstyles, views the her turning 50 as just another opportunity to launch flimsily disguised personal attacks? By stepping outside of the traditional role molded for first ladies, and expressing her strong opinions in a public forum, Mrs. Clinton has challenged the status quo and has triggered a backlash of surprising vehemence from those who perceive her as a threat.
Or is the issue a broader one, in which reaching the half century mark is viewed in our society as an achievement for men but a dreaded sign of obsolescence for women? Mrs. Clinton, as a lightening rod for critical judgment on career women, is thus just an easy target for implying that this period of life represents an impending crisis for such women.
I ask that The Dartmouth, as a paper affiliated to an institution seeking to broaden understanding between different groups in our society, more carefully consider how it reports on our nation's most visible female representative.
