Michele Bachmann is in a pickle.
Back in 2006, her husband Mr. Marcus Bachmann asked/told/commanded her to get a post-doctorate degree in tax law. Bachmann, recalling the incident, told her husband that she didn’t want to. “Tax law? I hate taxes,” Bachmann said to Marcus. “Why should I go into something like that? But the Lord says, be submissive. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.'” So she did as she was told.
In the Republican debate last week Michele Bachmann was asked, if she wins the presidency, would she be submissive to her husband. The audience showed their displeasure in the question by booing the moderator, and a friend of mine joined in, saying that the question was sexist. Bachmann seemed to share the same feeling about the question. She hesitated, then answered, saying that to her, ‘submissive’ meant respect for each other.
I, on the other hand, think the question about her submissiveness to her husband was appropriate, seeing that she intends to run for the most powerful position in the United States of America. People ought to know exactly who will be making the crucial decisions and policies for the country. Who will she be answering too?
And the question didn’t stop at the debate. Michele Bachmann went on CBS’s Face The Nation on Sunday, and was asked to explain her “submissive” statement again, to which she continued her “submissive means respect” answer. She said, “submission, means respect – mutual respect. I respect my husband, he respects me,” she added. “We have been married 33 years, we have a great marriage…and respecting each other, listening to each other is what that means.”
The CBS host asked Michele if submissive meant subservient. Bachmann replied,
“You know, I guess it depends on what word people are used to, but respect is really what it means. Not to us. To us it means respect. We respect each other, we listen to each other, we love each other and that is what it means.”
So I, determined to prove that my interpretation of the word was wrong all along, looked up the word in the dictionary. And to my shock and dismay, was this:
Submissive (səbˈmɪsɪv)
adj. “of, tending towards, or indicating submission, humility, or servility, compliant.
Nowhere in that definition was the word “respect.” So still determined to prove that I was mistaken, I looked up the synonyms for submissive, and again, I was shocked to find the following;
Synonyms of Submissive:
- abject,
- accommodating,
- acquiescent,
- amenable,
- bowing down,
- conformable,
- complying,
- deferential,
- docile,
- domesticated,
- dutiful,
- giving in,
- humble,
- ingratiating,
- lowly,
- malleable,
- meek,
- menial,
- nonresistant,
- nonresisting,
- obedient,
- obeisant,
- obeying,
- obsequious,
- passive,
- pliable,
- pliant,
- resigned,
- servile,
- slavish,
- subdued,
- tame,
- tractable,
- uncomplaining,
- unresisting,
- yes,
- yielding
I tried, and I simply cannot find the word “respect” as a definition for submission. But this comes as no surprise, we are talking about Michele Bachmann – she is the same one who tried to re-invent American history, and claim that America’s founding fathers “worked tirelessly to end slavery.”
So her claiming that “respect” means submission, is expected. It’s a lie… but it’s expected.
