Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Political Analyst Asked Whether Kamala Harris Was 'Being Too Aggressive' During the Debate, and Twitter Made Him Absolutely Regret It

Political Analyst Asked Whether Kamala Harris Was 'Being Too Aggressive' During the Debate, and Twitter Made Him Absolutely Regret It
Democratic presidential candidate, California Senator Kamala Harris, at The Knight Concert Hall, Miami, Florida on Thursday, June 27, 2019 for the First Democratic Debate. (Photo by Gustavo Cabellero/NBC News/MSNBC/Telemundo)

Really?

California Senator Kamala Harris dominated on the second night of the first Democratic debate of 2020 presidential candidates according to many people who viewed the event. Harris—born in Oakland, California to a Tamil Indian mother and Jamaican father—is a former district attorney and state Attorney General.

Making her case was a skill Harris excelled at to rise to the level of success she did.


But Harris is still a woman and a person of color. And some people have outdated expectations for how women, especially women of color, are allowed to act and speak.

The tone policing of women of color is so pervasive that numerous sociological and psychological studies and articles have been completed on the subject.

So when political analyst Stuart Rothenberg's reaction to what many hailed as an exemplary performance was to ask...

"Is Harris being too aggressive?"

...people were not surprised.

But they were also not happy. And they let Rothenberg know.

Women definitely could relate to the situation.

Competent women who speak their mind often get labeled "aggressive" when their male counterparts are praised as being "assertive" and "ambitious" or a "go-getter" when displaying identical behavior.

The same reaction came from women over and over.

People called Rothenberg's hot take sexist.

Women were not appreciative of Rothenberg's impression or characterization of Harris.

@brooklynmarie/Twitter

People advised Rothenberg to delete his post.

Several women shared the criticisms they often face, regarding whether they smile enough, their perceived tone or their clothing.

However one woman fell into that same trap of judging Harris on her appearance over her words.

But she was quickly checked for it.

And even those who agreed that Harris was aggressive rather than knowledgable or assertive, thought the inclusion of "too" was inappropriate for the job Harris is seeking.

At the end of the night, Rothenberg declared Harris and South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg the big winners.

The political analyst has yet to respond to the backlash over his characterization of Harris as aggressive.

To learn more about sexism, the project Everyday Sexism was established. After the success of the project, the book Everyday Sexism: The Project that Inspired a Worldwide Movement, available here, was created as a companion to the original project.

"The Everyday Sexism Project was founded by writer and activist Laura Bates in April 2012. It began life as a website where people could share their experiences of daily, normalized sexism, from street harassment to workplace discrimination to sexual assault and rape."

The book Underserved Women of Color, Voice, and Resistance: Claiming a Seat at the Table, available here, can help  allies understand daily life for women of color and advocate for them to be heard without the traditional judgments and obstacles they face.

"Women of color face unique social challenges that exist at the intersections of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. While some challenges are common to women of color, others reflect the distinct journey each woman makes as she negotiates her identity within her family, professional circle, social and romantic relationships, and community. The editors have constructed a rich collection of voices in this work exploring the politics of women of color across various social contexts."

More from News

screenshot of KSAT ABC 12 news anchors  and Stephania Jimenez

Texas News Anchor Slams Noem And Abbott For Using Flood Press Conference To Praise Each Other

KSAT ABC 12 News anchor Stephania Jimenez called out the priorities of federal and state officials during disasters live on air on Saturday.

Jiminez spoke out after a fifth news conference that was supposed to be about the deadly flash flooding west of San Antonio began with yet another mutual admiration society performance by Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, and nearly everyone else behind the microphones.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Mike Johnson
Fox News Sunday

Mike Johnson Blasted After Claiming All Congress Can Do After Texas Floods Is 'Pray'

House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing angry criticism after he appeared on Fox News to remark on the deadly flooding in Texas that has killed hundreds, claiming that all Congress "knows to do at this moment is pray" in response to the disaster.

Speaking during the ongoing search and rescue operations, Johnson spoke as the people of Texas continue to raise mounting questions about the effectiveness of current warning systems and whether more could have been done in advance to prevent the loss of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Elon Musk
Omar Havana/Getty Images; Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Image

Trump Lashes Out After 'Train Wreck' Elon Musk Announces He's Creating New Political Party

President Donald Trump attacked his former ally Elon Musk in a post on Truth Social after the tech billionaire announced over the weekend that he's creating a new political party called the "America Party" amid their ongoing feud.

Musk has made clear that he vehemently opposes the president's One Big Beautiful Bill—and will work to unseat any Republicans who've supported it, saying they've "voted for the biggest debt increase in history." He founded the new political party on July 5, the day after Trump signed the legislation, which adds roughly $3.3 trillion to the national debt.

Keep ReadingShow less
Black and white photo of a server dressed in all black peering through a window.
Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash

Restaurant Servers Describe The Worst Dates They've Ever Witnessed

I have been a waiter on and off for many years.

The things I've seen!

Keep ReadingShow less
Marjorie Taylor Greene
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

MTG Ripped After Vowing To Introduce Bill Making 'Weather Modification' A Felony

Republican state legislators in Louisiana introduced two bills this year banning "weather modification activities" primarily focused on "chemtrails"—things that don't exist. Florida's Republican-controlled state government signed a law banning weather modification activities and geoengineering.

Geoengineering is a term for large-scale to planetary-scale interventions in the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and soils to counteract some of the effects of climate change. There are no large-scale geoengineering programs in the United States as of 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less