Unit D Blog #28

The article that we read on Media Matters shows us ways in which the media and certain interested parties have been criticizing and portraying judge Sonia Sotomayor. These media outlets mentioned in the article seemed to constantly worry about the "temperament" of the Latina judge, playing off the stereotypes of the typical "fiery, aggressive, Latina woman" that is utilized in sitcoms on major networks nearly every day. Strangely enough I have never heard of this concern when speaking about a male judge nominee. This goes to show that men and women are judged differently when applying for a position and this is clearly unjust. The man in the article who seemed to have the biggest problem with the then nominee for Supreme Court position Sotomayor, was even taking quotes that he obtained by interviewing Sotomayor's coworkers and chopped them up to sound like these interviewees were doubting her ability to lead. In fact, her coworker had actually been trying to talk Sotomayor up, praising her for her actions in the court. When all was said and done however the quote was used against her, claiming that she was in fact "not smart." The brainpower of Sonia Sotomayor is not even up for debate, as she has graduated from two Ivy league universities, one at the top of her class. The media will play on every stereotype and bias that it can, with everybody wanting to give their input on the female judge. Sotomayor has since fought through adversity and now sits on the Supreme Court, a place where she has worked exceptionally hard to get to, and a place where she certainly deserves to be.