Jesse Watters Hits Jasmine Crockett With A Shameful Dig — And Sadly, It Proves 1 Thing

Yahoo

10 hours ago

Fox News host Jesse Watters recently made a perplexing quip about Rep. Jasmine Crockett's (D-Texas) personal life.
During a segment of 'The Five' on Thursday night, panelist Emily Compagno complained that Crockett had criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies and its dehumanizing rhetoric surrounding immigrants during a hearing on Capitol Hill the day prior.
Watters then jumped in and attempted to take a swipe at the Democratic representative, claiming that he 'researched' her and learned about her dating life.
'She's single, she's 43, she's never been married,' he said about his findings on Crockett, who's 44.
'I'm trying to figure out what makes her tick. I think I can set her up with someone. I know a guy in D.C. — he's white, hopefully that's not a problem — but he will make her happy,' he scoffed. 'And maybe then she will not hate everybody else besides herself so much.'
'And it would be my pleasure to do it,' he added.
Watters was slammedon X, formerlyTwitter, for making the misogynistic quip about Crockett, suggesting that her, or any woman's happiness, depends on marriage. Not to mention, Crockett's personal dating life is, of course, none of his business.
Kari J. Winter, a professor of American studies at the University at Buffalo whose expertise includes gender, feminism, race and class, said that Watters targeting Crockett — who often faces racist and anti-Black attacks online — just proves one thing about a lot of her critics:
″[They] target her with racist, misogynistic hate speech not only because they embrace sexist white supremacist values, but also because they are desperate to avoid responding to her points and policies,' she said.
'Trump's anti-immigrant actions are illegal and unconscionable. What can his sycophants say? They have nothing. Therefore, they are 100% focused on riling up rather than informing their audience,' Winter said. 'They throw out every vile, outrageous insult they can think of in order to steal our attention away from the Trump administration's alarming, illegal, democracy-undermining actions.'
Winter added that Crockett is 'whip-smart, courageous and eloquent' and that the congresswoman 'understands that a just legal system is the foundation of democracy.'
Monica Cwynar, a licensed clinical social worker with Thriveworks, who specializes in trauma and coping skills, said that as a Black therapist, she believes 'personal attacks, especially against women of color like Congresswoman Crockett, detract from the real issues at hand and reflect entrenched sexism and racism in our public discourse.'
'Such remarks are not only unproductive but also deeply harmful, as they overshadow important policy discussions and contribute to a culture where personal denigration is prioritized over substantive critique,' she continued.
Cwynar said that comments like Watters' work to diminish 'the voices of women in politics' and reinforce 'damaging stereotypes.'
And even if Watters made the remark about Crockett in jest, making those types of comments about a woman's relationship status — especially in a public forum — 'reinforces harmful societal norms' and 'perpetuates a misogynistic narrative that suggests [a woman's] worth is tied to having a man in their lives,' Cwynar said.
In general, negative remarks about women being single can 'lead to emotional harm, instilling feelings of inadequacy and shame,' she later noted, adding that 'society often imposes expectations that equate a woman's success with marriage and motherhood, which can significantly diminish her sense of self-worth and autonomy.'
Speaking about Watters' dig at Crockett on 'The Five' specifically, Cwynar said that his commentary 'undermines the diverse ways women can lead fulfilling lives.'
Winter believes this is all part of Watters' plan.
'Jesse Watters is a merchant of outrage whose career as a commentator is based on grabbing our attention by spewing shocking, hateful speech,' she said. 'I'm guessing that he searches for racist, sexist stereotypes so that he has an easy stockpile to trot out day after day.'
'Perhaps the only way for people to escape from the right-wing cesspool of hate is to turn our backs and walk away,' she added. 'We need to choose to focus our attention on the people, issues and work that we truly care about.'
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