By Devon White
Is it more acceptable for men to cry in public than women? There seems to be a glaring double standard prevalent in not only politics, but also society at large.
House Speaker John Boehner has a habit of crying at a drop of a hat; when the Republicans won the House in 2010 and when he was given the gavel for House Majority Speaker are two recent examples that come to mind. But when Hillary Clinton got teary at a New Hampshire campaign event in 2008, she was met with her share of critics who questioned her presidential stability.
“If you get too emotional, that undercuts you,” Clinton said. “A man can cry; we know that. Lots of our leaders have cried. But a woman, it’s a different kind of dynamic.”
According to a poll done by Economist/YouGov, “two out of three Americans say that seeing a politician cry would have no impact on their opinions of them.” Most Americans were concerned about the candidates’ dedication and overall emotional stability.
Is there room in politics for crying or do we prefer all of our politicians to be stoic mountains of emotional stability all of the time?