The “Fighting Gamecock” is the mascot of the University of South Carolina. For the male sports teams this is abbreviated to “Cocks” because they are clearly the ones the mascot is meant for. Officially the women’s teams are more demurely referred to as the “Lady Gamecocks,” but try spitting out “Go Lady Gamecocks” in the heat of the moment when you are rooting for a team. Would a separate identity as the “Gamehens” be preferable? I’m not sure. What brought this to mind was Diane’s recent post at the Dees Diversion:
Did anyone notice how difficult it was on last night’s Real Time for Bill Maher to come up with a “name” for a female person who tills the land and grows crops for a living? He showed a photograph of a farmer whose crops went unharvested because there were no Mexican workers to pick them. “Here’s a farmerwoman,” he said, somewhat hesitantly, then stumbled over a few more attempts to identify her.
Finally, Ben Affleck–bless him–leaned over and told Maher that the word he was looking for was “farmer.” “Yes, but–she’s a woman,” Maher replied, still totally clueless….
Diane had noted back in September:
“Maher said something about what the Bush administration had done to “the working man.” Mary Frances Berry, one of the panelists, said “The working woman, too. You said just ‘the working man.'”
Then he said it: “There are so many more important issues. Don’t hang me up here.”
Maher no doubt holds the view that as long as there is war, famine, poverty, violence, political oppression, body odor, poor posture, ugly shoes and inferior grade two-ply toilet paper in the world, no one should concern themselves with petty conceits like sexism, least of all his.
–Ann Bartow
