Amanda Marcotte
Encyclopedia
Amanda Marie Marcotte (born September 2, 1977) is an American blog
ger best known for her writing on feminism and politics. Time magazine
described her as "an outspoken voice of the left" and said "there is a welcome wonkishness to Marcotte, who, unlike some star bloggers, is not afraid to parse policy with her readers"—while also describing her blogging as "provocative and profanity-laced".
in the west of the state. Around 2004, she began to write for Pandagon. She has written about political differences with her small-town family. She lives in Brooklyn
, New York, and writes for Slate
and The Guardian
.
2008
presidential campaign hired Marcotte to act as the campaign's blogmaster. Soon afterward, many bloggers began to quote Marcotte's blog, especially posts in which she attacked the Catholic Church's position on birth control and access to abortion. One Marcotte blog post that was criticized included:
Columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez
wrote, "Her hostility to religion and in particular the Catholic Church should alarm Edwards." Journalist Terry Moran
wrote, on an ABC News
blog, "her comments about other people's faiths could well be construed as hate speech
."
Marcotte's most outspoken critic was Bill Donohue
of the Catholic League
, who publicly demanded that the Edwards campaign terminate Marcotte's appointment, claiming that she was anti-Catholic and calling her a "vulgar trash-talking" bigot. An Edwards campaign press release on Thursday, February 8, 2007 stated that while Edwards was "personally offended" by some of what Marcotte wrote, her job as the campaign blogmaster was secure.
On February 12, 2007, the Catholic League denounced Marcotte's review of the film Children of Men
as "anti-Christian". Later that day, Marcotte announced that she had resigned from the Edwards campaign, and accused Donohue of a sexist perspective in the calls for her resignation. The campaign accepted her resignation. She returned to her work on other blogs.
contributing editor Cathy Young
has described Marcotte as a "leader of the cyber-lynch mob in the Duke University rape hoax". In "Marcotte's eyes, the real crime of the independent feminists
is helping preserve the idea that the presumption of innocence applies even in cases of rape and sexual assault."
Marcotte declared on her blog that people who defended the accused Duke students were "rape-loving scum". Time
reported that in "late January, more ethics charges were heaped on the District Attorney in the Duke University sexual-assault case, and Marcotte attacked the news with her usual swagger and sarcasm:"
The New York Times and others
made so much "hay" over what she wrote that she ended up deleting the post entirely. In an article that she wrote for Salon
, she referred to this as the first in a series of "shitstorms" that caused her to resign from the John Edwards campaign
When the book was finally released, it again set off controversy in the feminist blogosphere
for use of images that many saw as racist. To illustrate the volume, the publishers used images taken from the 1950s Joe Maneely
comic, Lorna, the Jungle Girl, which was chosen for its retro
comic art look. The illustrations used included stereotypical images of "savage" black Africans being beaten up by a white, blonde, superhero
, described as "racist cartoons of 'natives' in a jungle setting." Marcotte subsequently issued an apology, adding that a second printing of It's A Jungle Out There will not contain illustrations.
In 2010 Marcotte's second book was published, titled "Get Opinionated."
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger best known for her writing on feminism and politics. Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
described her as "an outspoken voice of the left" and said "there is a welcome wonkishness to Marcotte, who, unlike some star bloggers, is not afraid to parse policy with her readers"—while also describing her blogging as "provocative and profanity-laced".
Background
Born in El Paso, Texas, she was raised in the small town of AlpineAlpine, Texas
Alpine is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,786 people at the 2000 census, and had increased to 5,905 by 2010.-History:...
in the west of the state. Around 2004, she began to write for Pandagon. She has written about political differences with her small-town family. She lives in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York, and writes for Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
.
Edwards campaign controversy
On January 30, 2007, the John EdwardsJohn Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
2008
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
presidential campaign hired Marcotte to act as the campaign's blogmaster. Soon afterward, many bloggers began to quote Marcotte's blog, especially posts in which she attacked the Catholic Church's position on birth control and access to abortion. One Marcotte blog post that was criticized included:
Columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez
Kathryn Jean Lopez
Kathryn Jean Lopez, is an American conservative columnist who is nationally syndicated by the United Feature Syndicate.She is also the editor of National Review Online...
wrote, "Her hostility to religion and in particular the Catholic Church should alarm Edwards." Journalist Terry Moran
Terry Moran
Terry Moran is the co-anchor of Nightline.-Biography:Moran was born in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Lawrence University in 1982.-Professional career:-Career as Correspondent:...
wrote, on an ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
blog, "her comments about other people's faiths could well be construed as hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
."
Marcotte's most outspoken critic was Bill Donohue
William A. Donohue
William Anthony "Bill" Donohue is the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the United States, a position he has held since 1993.-Life and career:...
of the Catholic League
Catholic League (U.S.)
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, often shortened to the Catholic League, is an American Catholic anti-defamation and civil rights organization...
, who publicly demanded that the Edwards campaign terminate Marcotte's appointment, claiming that she was anti-Catholic and calling her a "vulgar trash-talking" bigot. An Edwards campaign press release on Thursday, February 8, 2007 stated that while Edwards was "personally offended" by some of what Marcotte wrote, her job as the campaign blogmaster was secure.
On February 12, 2007, the Catholic League denounced Marcotte's review of the film Children of Men
Children of Men
Children of Men is a 2006 science fiction film loosely adapted from P. D. James's 1992 novel The Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In 2027, two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse. Illegal immigrants seek sanctuary in England, where the last...
as "anti-Christian". Later that day, Marcotte announced that she had resigned from the Edwards campaign, and accused Donohue of a sexist perspective in the calls for her resignation. The campaign accepted her resignation. She returned to her work on other blogs.
Statements on Duke Lacrosse Case
ReasonReason (magazine)
Reason is a libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 60,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the Chicago Tribune.- History :...
contributing editor Cathy Young
Cathy Young
Cathy Young is a Russian American journalist and writer whose books and articles, as well as columns which appear in the libertarian monthly Reason, and also weekly in The Boston Globe, primarily espouse equality feminism and libertarianism.-Life and Career:Born in Moscow, the capital of what was...
has described Marcotte as a "leader of the cyber-lynch mob in the Duke University rape hoax". In "Marcotte's eyes, the real crime of the independent feminists
Individualist feminism
Individualist feminism is a term for feminist ideas which seek to celebrate or protect the individual woman....
is helping preserve the idea that the presumption of innocence applies even in cases of rape and sexual assault."
Marcotte declared on her blog that people who defended the accused Duke students were "rape-loving scum". Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
reported that in "late January, more ethics charges were heaped on the District Attorney in the Duke University sexual-assault case, and Marcotte attacked the news with her usual swagger and sarcasm:"
The New York Times and others
made so much "hay" over what she wrote that she ended up deleting the post entirely. In an article that she wrote for Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, she referred to this as the first in a series of "shitstorms" that caused her to resign from the John Edwards campaign
Print publications
In 2008, Marcotte published her first book, entitled It's a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments. Jill Filipovic of AlterNet described the book as a "how-to manual for feminist-minded women to take on a sexist society and have a good laugh along the way." In August 2007, Marcotte posted an image of the chosen book cover on her blog; the image "was a retro-Hollywood pulp cover of a gorilla carrying a scantily clad woman." The image immediately came under fire for perpetuating racisttropes, and, consequently, Marcotte and Seal Press changed the cover image.When the book was finally released, it again set off controversy in the feminist blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
for use of images that many saw as racist. To illustrate the volume, the publishers used images taken from the 1950s Joe Maneely
Joe Maneely
Joseph "Joe" Maneely is an American comic book artist best known for his work at Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics, where he co-created the Marvel characters the Black Knight, the Ringo Kid, the Yellow Claw, and Jimmy Woo.An exquisite draftsman whose delicate yet solid, fine-line...
comic, Lorna, the Jungle Girl, which was chosen for its retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
comic art look. The illustrations used included stereotypical images of "savage" black Africans being beaten up by a white, blonde, superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
, described as "racist cartoons of 'natives' in a jungle setting." Marcotte subsequently issued an apology, adding that a second printing of It's A Jungle Out There will not contain illustrations.
In 2010 Marcotte's second book was published, titled "Get Opinionated."
External links
- Pandagon blog
- Why I had to quit the Edwards campaign article by Marcotte in Salon