(no subject)

I don't post much about politics. And I intend to continue that trend! But over on The Slog, there's a guest post by one of the candidates for governor of Washington, who's explaining that no, really, he's totally a feminist, and supports women. And it ends with what is perhaps the most unfortunate metaphor I've seen all month, which I had to share with the world.

"I'm aware that there's still a thick glass ceiling blocking many women from attaining professional success. But as Governor, I promise you that I will continue to appoint qualified women to positions of power. With your help, I can be the man who hands you the broom to break through that ceiling."

I would just like to take a moment to look at that paragraph, and admire the levels at which it fails, while being by all indications a sincere attempt to explain support for feminism. Sometimes there's nothing left to say but oh dear.

ETA: I am mildly relieved to discover this is actually a spoof of the candidate, and not the candidate himself posting.

(no subject)

You were waiting for more Cicero, right? I certainly hope so, because I have an awful lot of Cicero for you right now.

As I've been footnoting more thoroughly, I find more of my commentary ends up in the footnotes. Which isn't necessarily bad, but does make me more away of what the footnotes in my edition do--or don't--include. Some odd glosses or lacks thereof, some useful explanations of people being referred to, some really good comments about when Cicero's argument is working well (or poorly), or when we can hypothesize about what he's responding to in the speeches we don't have.

It is not always clear when he's reporting what's Cicero is claiming, vs. when he's stating something as fact in the actual case, which is a little uncomfortable-making at times. But for my own peace of mind I'll assume that when he uses the term "sluttishness" about Clodia he's talking about how Cicero is trying to portray her.

Frankly, Clodius and Clodia sound like a lot of fun to hang around with. Caelius sounds like a shifty thug. But I always end up a bit prejudiced against the men being defended in these Greek and Roman cases, when the double standard is blatantly on display.

( Now, less me! More Cicero! )