Blog #5 " Gender Differences in the Media Interviews of Bill and Hilary Clinton"

I think this study initially had good intentions of what they were studying but I think I would like more studies done on other important current political figures. I do agree though that women have to carry themselves a certain way, especially when they are under the scrutiny of the general public. I mean, look at what happened to Sarah Palin. Although there are some people who absolutely adore her, I think she's a dingbat because of the way she presents herself in interviews and in public speech. For me, I guess you could say that she employed a little too much powerless language? Still, I think it would be very interesting to analyze her speech vs that of Hilary Clinton. Like they President George W. Bush and his various verbal blunders, some people are picking on/making fun of certain aspects of speech that Palin employs as well. Maybe trying to sound like a folksy American isn't the way to go for a politician?

But I digress from the topic of this paper. It was interesting to see though to see some of the differences presented in how Bill and Hilary addressed their interviewers. I think in some cases, Hilary may be aware of the female "tendencies" to address their interlocutors by their first name to establish camaraderie, but if she wants to present herself as someone with power, then she won't address them in that manner. I think it is interesting to see though how they are addressed and it probably does have to do with the fact that Bill was President of the United States. I don't want to diminish her status as a Senator, but Hilary wasn't President although she was a possible option. Still, I'm not sure I agree with the whole concept of powerless language in relation to the phrase " you know." I still like to think in some cases, it may be a dialectal thing or just something someone says. Of course the study showed that women were more likely to use it but does the use of "you know" really indicate a lack of power?