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Is the term "Catfight" sexist regarding two female politicians?

steverino

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steverino
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Jul 20, 2006
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I mentioned to my Politically Correct sister what I called "the catfight" between Nancy Pelosi and Jane Harmon who seem to share a rivalry dating back to high school. My sister told me that the term "catfight" was out of bounds, that it is about political differences, and "not about women."

I feel that men have their own version. Bush Sr. chose Quayle over Dole, which I feel is as much a guy thing as the Pelosi/Harmon thing is a gal thing.

I would be very interested to know what others here think.


"Pelosi is going to oust Jane Harmon from her senior position on the intelligence committee. Harmon had the seniority to be chairman--but Pelosi has other ideas (such as Alcee Hastings, the former federal judge who was impeached by the Senate).
Harmon is one of the most respected members of congress, and her ability to work across the aisle to get things done will be missed. She apparently crossed Pelosi in the past, and it's payback time."
 
I don't know but damn I would love to see them duke it out in jello. Oh hell, ok, I'm a pig.
 
I think in this day and age we can use the term "catfight" to apply to both sexes. Ditto "pissing contest".
 
I mentioned to my Politically Correct sister what I called "the catfight" between Nancy Pelosi and Jane Harmon who seem to share a rivalry dating back to high school. My sister told me that the term "catfight" was out of bounds, that it is about political differences, and "not about women."
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substitute "women" for "cats" in the below description and "humans" for "men"......

A catfight is a physical clash between two cats. Like most animals, cats will fight each other over territory, mating rights and to defend their young. Catfights consist mainly of grappling combined with powerful slaps to the face and body.

Humans may find it difficult to distinguish between cats playing and a genuine fight; the most obvious indicators of a real fight are that one or more of the cats is screaming and/or continuously hissing, one cat is overly dominant (in a playfight the cats will usually switch roles), and either cat receiving actual physical damage; though even in real catfights, cats rarely do more damage to each other than a few scratches. The best way for a human to stop a catfight is by distraction, such as making a loud noise or dropping something; attempting to physically separate the cats will usually cause them to turn their aggression towards the interfering human.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfight_(animal_behavior)

:duck:

...only joking :)
 
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I think the term catfight in this context is very degrading.

I shall bitchslap the next person who uses it.
 
steverino said:
"Pelosi is going to oust Jane Harmon from her senior position on the intelligence committee. Harmon had the seniority to be chairman--but Pelosi has other ideas (such as Alcee Hastings, the former federal judge who was impeached by the Senate).
Harmon is one of the most respected members of congress, and her ability to work across the aisle to get things done will be missed. She apparently crossed Pelosi in the past, and it's payback time."
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No, not sexist. I think your sister is being oversensitive, but then, I have little time for PC "you can't say that" points of view.

It is a common turn of phrase used interchangeably by women and men to describe a particularly nasty kind of disagreement or dispute between women. Not all disagreements between women are so characterized. It may be that in this instance, the interaction underway is less a catfight, the emotion and fury based confrontation, and is more the cold, hard, stab-in-the-back ruthless politics sort of fight. :) The less pulblic the fight, and the more "behind the scenes" the venuen, the less of a catfight it would be. Your use of mild hyperbole is not out of bounds, IMO, as making jokes often for overstatement.

Likewise, chest thumping tends to be a term used for certain mail boasting or boastful behaviour, used by both men and women to describe such an encounter between two men.

My two bits.

DR
 
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nails said:
I dont like the term at all. It really gives the impression that women are bitchy simply for having a dispute, regardless of what it is about. reminded me of something i read recently...

http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/women.html

seems true enough.
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The issue seems to be more about using different words for disputes between women differently than between men or between a woman and a man.

I am not sure that is discrimination by itself, is for example every specifically male or female description in some way discriminatory?
 
steverino said:
"[Jane] Harmon had the seniority to be chairman"
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That's rather more literally sexist IMO. But it's a cultural legacy that doesn't exactly infuriate me.

Note: no sexism charge being levelled at steverino for quoting the accurate title of the head of the intelligence committee :)
 
acuity said:
That's rather more literally sexist IMO. But it's a cultural legacy that doesn't exactly infuriate me.

Note: no sexism charge being levelled at steverino for quoting the accurate title of the head of the intelligence committee :)
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Funny. The label of "chairman" did cross my mind, but it was the accurate quote.
 
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