Female presidents are officially as bad as men.(A "House of Cards" rant)

in #entretainment6 years ago

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House of Cards did it in its 6th season: President Claire Hale is even more mysterious, driven and scheming than President Francis Underwood. I am really enjoying this season, and it's because of it, that I'm going to point to the elephant in the room: while Claire Hale is a good example of a strong woman, she is NOT a fitting example of a good human being, or one of a good president as well.

She lives and moves in the most toxic work environment of all, in the highest sphere of politics, and we are led to believe by the story that she does everything she has to do to stand up against all the people who are handling her, bullying her, forcing her to do things against her will, especially men, for the good of the country.

I applaud Netflix for making an intriguing and compelling political show, I want Claire's presidency to span for at least 6 more seasons, and I will enjoy watching them all. This article is not about bashing on an excellent show, and it is certainly not about bashing on powerful women. It is about bashing on hypocrisy.

In "House of Cards", there is no monopoly on manipulation, violence, and shitty behavior. There is not a single character inside the white house(neither men nor women) that could be considered "a good person"(aka. a person who has a genuine appreciation for other human beings and acts most of the time not from pure self interest but considering the needs of others, making win-win deals). Granted, it would not be realistic to portray politicians as good persons, but here is the thing: we were told for years that when a woman takes over the white house, all would be different, hunger and poverty would end and there would be no wars. Both in the show and in real life, we have witnessed that it not true at all.

I come from Argentina, a country where we've had not one, but two women President, and while they've done some real good changes that benefitted society, they've also taken part in their fair share of shady deals, proving they can be just as corrupt as men. To all the women out there that will support a woman president above any man just because she is a woman, a true representative of your gender, I get it... I truly do, we can't keep excluding half of humanity from power just because of some shitty old men's tradition(patriarchy). But please, stop trying to sell us the "better than you" theme, and just get off your high horse, leave it on the entrance. I vouch for you not because I believe for a second that you are better, but because I personally welcome that change, as I'm pro-equal rights and opportunities for both women and men, pro-animal rights, and pro responsible development of Ai sentience (because I believe machines will one day achieve full sentience and when they do they should be treated as individuals, with the same rights, but that's another subject). I believe any form of segregation to be essentially wrong.

But Claire Hale, the character, is not selfless, she is not even a patriot, nor was Francis Underwood. They are both the antiheroes in this story, and they only seem less bad at times when they are fighting bigger villains. I am, however, truly amazed by Robin Wright's (the actress playing Clair Hale) superb acting, and wide emotional range, and believe her to be one of the best actresses there are, and that is why I'm rooting for her, but I am rooting for the most dangerous and badass woman in the series, that much is clear to me.

All images in this article are from the House of Cards Netflix series and are the property of their respective owners. Support an excellent show by giving it the thumbs up.

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Nice to read you again my friend! Hope ill see you more in here!