Inadequate Representation

In our AP Lang class, we've been watching bits and pieces of a film; a documentary called Miss Representation. The claim of the film seems to be that how women are represented in the media affects the way females look at themselves and what they can achieve. One way they attempt to lure watchers into their point of view is through the use of various "experts" on the subject. Another is the sudden flashing of media clips from various sources bashing females because they supposedly can't think of the idea of a female in power. But I can't help but question a few things about the tactics they use, specifically these two.

First of all, the media clips they flash in rapid succession is a bit suspicious. In particular, certain clips presented by people such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. Now anyone that knows Rush Limbaugh knows that he is largely conservative and, logically, wouldn't be that fond of a very democratic speaker of the house. But one of the clips they used to make their point was used incorrectly. During one of his radio shows, he played the famous song "Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz, portraying the talk show host as sexist against female politicians. However, if you listen to the rest of the broadcast, he makes it clear the celebration was for a blow to the democratic party, NOT an attack on the gender of the politician. Check out the clip here (0:57-2:34).

The other thing I couldn't bring myself to believe were a few of the representations in the movie. One such person is Katie Couric, reporter for ABC and formerly CBS. During her first appearance in the film, she makes several baseless claims about the subject with no reference to any source of information. However, after a little searching, I'd be much more inclined to believe her than one of the other representatives shown in the film. While the movie does a lot to show examples of men bashing positive female roles, there are examples of female on female bashing as well, surprisingly enough from one of the reps themselves. Already losing her credibility being introduced as a comedian, Margaret Cho made a pretty clear attack on both Sarah Palin and her daughter. In this video, (1:07-2:47) she says that the family should "stay in reality television." If you follow the movie's claims, then how does this not fit the bill? If she's such an advocate of this, why is she contributing to the problem?
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