"Four women stir the US with the public unable to take them all in," a
headline from a major Chinese news website was flaring across the screen
a few weeks ago.
In the short commentary, the writer described how the media busied
themselves chasing after one American woman after another as they made
news.
The four have been none other than Hillary Clinton, who became the first
woman in US history to run for president; NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak, who
is facing attempted kidnapping charges; Anna Nicole Smith, a statuesque
model and 1993 Playboy Playmate of the Year, who died a mysterious death
in the middle of long-drawn out legal battles for inheritance; and Drew
Gilpin Faust, the celebrated historian who became the first female
president of Harvard University since its founding in 1636.
According to the online writer, the different fates of the four women
demonstrate two sides of American society. On the one hand, the US is now
mature enough to accept women in high political and academic echelons;
but on the other, the country's heavily economic plus social development
may not "naturally promote the development and progress of women".
I think the writer made a good point and her viewpoint also applies to
developing societies, such as China. But I still have misgivings about
putting them all together with such a sensational banner headline.
My misgivings may be out of sync with the trendy media, except that Drew
Faust, Hillary Clinton, Lisa Nowak and Anna Nicole Smith have been
newsmakers for years, and it is only natural that their rise or fall hit
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