Why is this photo hilarious to fellow liberals who are supposed to be opposed to sexism?
Seriously, it was the meme on Twitter over the weekend, and I can't figure out why. Yes, I get it, it looks like Michele Bachmann is blowing a corn dog which looks like a gonzo-length dick. Teehee. Because, see, corn dogs look like dicks. Heehaw!
But what's the joke beyond the easy dick joke? Is Bachmann against oral sex and this is an ironical statement about hypocrisy? Short of that, it looks like we're teeheeing at a woman who is accidentally appearing to give a blow job. In some circles, that's hilarious, but in the liberal twittosphere, and without any satirical subtext to substantiate the joke, it seems sexist.
I know. I'm Debbie Downer. And I posted a Def Leppard video this morning. But come on.
UPDATE: If you're familiar with my cartoon work or, hell, the podcast, you'd understand that I'm no prude when it comes to comedy. But whenever I write a cartoon about a famous person in a sexual or excretory context, there's always some thread of commentary in there -- even if the cartoon is totally low brow. No one who's defending the corn dog meme in the comments has been able to explain what the point of the meme is. And without a point, it screams out sexism.
Likewise, when we tease a Republican politician who's caught doing drugs or having a gay sex or employing a "wide stance," it's should always be a commentary about conservative anti-gay "family values" hypocrisy. Not the gayness itself. Without the hypocrisy basis for the jokes, our teasing would come off as utterly homophobic.
To that point, the Marcus Bachmann meme is fair game because of his "barbarian" remarks and his "cure the gay" business. He's a hypocrite and deserves to be mocked as a means of shaming him for his anti-gay positions. I don't see that justification in the context of Michele Bachmann. Yes, her record is homophobic. But the corn dog pic doesn't call attention to her homophobia since the visual simulates a hetero sex act. So, again, in lieu of any political or sociological point, it seems sexist.
And, in terms of political strategy, when the Republicans do the same thing to a liberal woman, be it the First Lady or Nancy Pelosi or whomever, this Bachmann meme will make it less possible for us to condemn them for being the misogynistic goonsquad they are. We will lose that high ground position and open ourselves up for the counter-attack: What about the Bachmann corn dog meme? And our counterattack will be less effective.
That's all. There's lots of hilarious shit we can use against Michele Bachmann. "Haha! Bachmann Eats Dick!" isn't one of them. Sorry.