₦airaland Forum

FannySwindler1:
Who the fu.. ck is she to be upset about someone else's bio as a wife. Totally Idiotic and Utterly Disgusting person.

What do one expect from a woman with oral diarrhoea.

oral diarrhea?

Nor b small thing I go read o

The way Nigerians reacts harshly to opinions that do not conform to their wack religious and cultural views is mind boggling. Chimamanda has every right to express herself the way she wants, she is not supposed to impress you.

GodOfAction:
Popular Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has now reacted to being slammed by Nigerians over a question she asked American politician, Hillary Clinton.

The feminist had during a PEN World Voices Festival told Hillary Clinton that she is upset that her Twitter bio starts with ‘wife’ .

Adichie to Hillary; “In your Twitter account, the first word that describes you is ‘Wife.’ And then I think its ‘Mom,’ and then it’s ‘Grandmother.”

“And when I saw that, I have to confess that I felt just a little bit upset.

And then I went and I looked at your husband’s Twitter account, and the first word was not ‘husband,” Adichie said.

She was curious as to why with all of Clinton’s career accomplishments; did her Twitter bio primarily identify her as a “Wife”.

Bill Clinton’s Twitter bio leads with, ‘Founder, Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States’.

Adichie said she wanted to know if it was Clinton’s choice to first identify in relation to her husband, and if so, why?

“When you put it like that, I’m going to change it,” Clinton said, prompting roars from the crowd.

However, Clinton had pretty good explanation for why ‘Wife’ kicked- off her bio, which is that women should be able to celebrate both their accomplishments and their relationships.

Howbeit this question didn’t go down well with a lot of Nigerians who took to the social media to lampoon the feminist saying she’s being extreme.

Well Chimamanda who’s known to never back down has now responded to her critics via a Facebook post, telling that she is tired of Nigerians who read a headline and, without bothering to get details and context, jump on the outrage bandwagon and form lazy, shallow opinions.

Read below:

“Dear Unnamed Person Who I Am Told Is On Social Media Saying I am Her Family and Telling Me to Shut Up:

Cynicism is ugly. It doesn’t flatter anyone. Yours doesn’t suit you at all.

I remember you vaguely; I think you were in my class in primary school. And now you claim to be my ‘family’ and you are asking me to shut up.

Did you watch the video of the conversation? Did you read a full transcript?

I am tired of Nigerians who read a headline and, without bothering to get details and context, jump on the outrage bandwagon and form lazy, shallow opinions.

I am tired of Nigerians cynically thinking of anybody in public life as a ‘brand.’ No, I am not a brand. I am a person who feels strongly about certain issues. I choose to talk honestly about them. I made the choice to talk about feminism knowing very well the kind of hostility it brings – but I think it’s important and I will continue to speak my truth and hope to bring about some change, no matter how small. Adirom agba egwu ka m data ego.

No, of course you don’t actually deserve a response, but I have some free time today. So I want to make you feel a little important because it sounds like you need it.

And I want to reflect on an absolutely lovely hour spent on stage with Hillary Clinton.

I was happy when I was told that Hillary Clinton had specifically requested to be in conversation with me at the PEN World Voices festival. I am an unapologetic fan of Ms. Clinton’s. I have been for many years.

I felt quite emotional when I met her. Having read and followed her for years, it was moving to see her: the warm, human, observant, present, thoughtful person (and looking wonderful, with her hair and makeup on point!).

She said she had read my books and I restrained myself from doing cartwheels.

“Is there anything you don’t want to talk about?” I asked backstage.

“Ask me anything,” she said.

Towards the end of our conversation, I told her how, having read her writing about her own life, I think she has a great love story with Bill Clinton. A wonderful friendship. I said I feel irritated and protective of her when people dissect her personal life, but I also confessed to having an interest myself, particularly about her public Twitter profile. (I first noticed it when I was researching a piece about her during the presidential campaign). I was upset that the first word used to describe her was ‘wife.’ Was it a choice she had made or was it something done for her campaign and, if it was a choice she had made, did she think my reaction to it was fair?

Her response was very thoughtful.

I was too excited, emotional, slightly nervous, to be on stage with this remarkable woman. Had I kept in mind how easily outrage-mongers would jump on a headline, I would have phrased my question better. I would not have made it about my being upset, because it can come across as navel-gazing.

But the truth is that we were supposed to be having a ‘conversation,’ the context of our conversation was personal and warm, I had made the decision to speak from the heart, and it would be dishonest to pretend that I had not reacted personally to so many issues around Ms. Clinton, whose life has become a kind of crucible of all the questions that affect women.

We all react personally to public figures. And I WAS upset that the Twitter bio of a woman who is the most accomplished person to run for President of the United States, would begin with ‘wife.’ And considering her personal history, it just didn’t seem to fit.

I felt that ‘wife’ was used as an attempt to placate all the men and women who will not vote for a woman unless they are able to see her FIRST in domestic terms.

Yes, it’s just Twitter. But it matters. It’s a public platform. It’s where people go to hear directly from her.

And there is context to consider.

In LIVING HISTORY, Ms.Clinton writes that the two most difficult decisions she has made in her life were staying married to Bill Clinton and running for the senate seat in New York.

Women, especially women in public life, face a lot of societal pressure about how to be, how to live, much more than men do. Women in public life are considered ‘cold’ and ‘un-relatable’ unless they define themselves in domestic terms. Women’s accomplishments are often considered incomplete unless they have also ticked the ‘marriage’ box. These things are not true of men, even though marriage can be a wonderful thing for both men and women.

Feminism is indeed about choice. But it is intellectually lazy to suggest that, since everything is about ‘choice,’ none of these choices can be interrogated. Choices are never made in a vacuum. And sometimes, for women, choices are not always real choices.

After she got married, Ms. Clinton kept her name, but she was so viciously criticized for this that she then took on her husband’s name. Was this a ‘choice?’ Would she have done so if she wasn’t being attacked and if she didn’t want to feel responsible for her husband’s potential losing of votes?

During the last presidential campaign, she was expected to account for the policies of her husband’s administration. She was labeled an enabler of sexual harassment. She was accused of cynically staying married because she wanted to benefit politically.

Much of Ms. Clinton’s public image is a caricature of a person who is untrustworthy, calculated, cold, dishonest. That caricature has its roots in her early public life when she was the First Lady of Arkansas.

Her crime was that she did not conform to the traditional role of First Lady. She had kept her name. She clearly considered herself to be her husband’s equal partner. She did not intend merely to be a Wife. She had her own dreams, her own ambition. She dared to say that she wasn’t planning on ‘staying home and baking cookies,’ which was not about denigrating stay-at-home mothers but simply about saying that that was not what she wanted to do.

A small comment about a small thing, but it was significant and revolutionary because she was consciously resisting the status quo.

But she was attacked for that. Horrendously. And those attacks were repeated so often that they stuck and they contributed to her being reduced to a caricature.

It was therefore upsetting to see her first descriptor as ‘wife.’ The question isn’t about including ‘wife’ in her Twitter bio. The question is about giving ‘wife’ a certain primacy as the first word that describes her, and it speaks to larger questions about the societal expectations placed on women.

Ms. Clinton wrote in her most recent book WHAT HAPPENED, that she ran for president because she thinks she would have been a ‘damned good president.’

She certainly would have been. And so I suggested, half-joking, that ‘Would have been a damned good president’ is a perfect Twitter bio start. And then mother and wife and grandma and Senator and hair icon etc could follow!

I completely stand by my question and by my conviction that it is a subject that matters.

I had a truly enlightening evening on that stage with Ms. Clinton, and was once again awed by her grit, her humanity, her sparkling intelligence.

After the conversation, Ms. Clinton told me, “It was like talking to a friend.” She is now my Aunty For Life.

Oh, as for YOU, Unnamed Person, saying that I am ‘family’ to you, mbakwa biko. The people I consider family don’t ‘do petty.’

Saying “shut up” to a woman who airs an opinion is so unoriginal. Try and be a bit more inventive.

Try reasoning. Try intelligent debate. Try understanding things in context before you reveal your ignorant misogyny to the world. Try reading more than a headline. Try reading a whole book. Or two. And please keep talking. Keep speaking. Don’t ever shut up.

~CNA

Source; http://dailyleakblog.com/2018/04/24/chimamanda-adichie-responds-to-critics-over-hillary-clintons-twitter-bio-comment/

Come and pay my ‘groom’ price since you wanna be equal with men. Hypocritical feminist, idiot.

What a conceited, self-centered, condescending biitch.

MichaelSokoto:
anoda so called feminist spotted!

Don't use that word on me! If you were able to comprehend, I said she is entitled to her opinion, and if you don't like it there are other issues in the world you can contribute to.

nkemdi89:
Don't use that word on me! If you were able to comprehend, I said she is entitled to her opinion, and if you don't like it there are other issues in the world you can contribute to.

He's also entitled to his opinion of you.

Just as I'm entitled to my opinion above.

"Professing themselves to be wise they became fools... "
Rom1:22

By the time she wins her next award hopefully the Booker Prize.

I expect Nigerians Here to start hailing her as a Nigerian, as if they contributed anything to her success.


Shitthole people.

oyb:
i agree for a simple reason; yes to my family i may be known as husband/father, but that is not how I am presented to the world. No one who goes into a meeting, or a social gathering is introduced as husband/father. introductions are tied to hierarchical positions and social standing.

there is no social standing in being a husband or father, as most males are in these roles. unfortunately though, the more backward/misognyistic the society, the more standing is assigned to being a wife/mother, a role that most women are also in.

i am much more than a husband/father - and women are also much more than wife/mother. if a persons sole or most notable purpose in life is to marry and bear children, then that is a real problem ; and anyone supporting that is not much better than the saudi's they would be vilifying on other threads

Did Hillary Clinton go into any public meeting or social gathering describing herself as wife? Chimamanda went to her personal twitter bio to pick offence at the way she described herself. Hello!!!! It's her personal space, she's free to describe herself the way she wants to Ok. Have you seen Obama's bio? He describes himself as dad and husband first before anything else. Is Obama also a victim of misogyny? Gosh!! What gives you the impression that you have the right to invade people's personal spaces and dictate to them how they should describe themselves and even have the nerve to tell them you are "upset" with them because their description of themselves does not tally with your own convoluted view on things? This is beyond ridiculous, it's outright stupidity!!!

Clinton is ambitious. No qualms about that. But she is dishonest, bitter calculative, rude and condescending. Clinton would call a goat her brother for political favours. If she had chosen to use wife and mother on her Twitter bio to change political opinions, she laid her bed so shall she lie on it. Perhaps if she had tried to be a good person, she would not have had to convince anyone. She is a politician. Most politicians try to change public opinion od themselves while contesting. America has had male politicians that tried to show that they uphold family values to please their electorate. I do not see you screaming sexism.

I agree that powerful and ambitious women face gender bias. I call out those gender biases. But these gender biases do not apply to Clinton. She is who she is. If pretence was what she needed, I am glad she got in line. She is like every politician. Let her be one!

nkemdi89:
Don't use that word on me! If you were able to comprehend, I said she is entitled to her opinion, and if you don't like it there are other issues in the world you can contribute to.

u can't bully me to change my comment!
aaah dey my house, comman beat me.

whoknowstoday:
I really pray you or your generation do not become any future president as you have pronounced yourself before you jail all our maidens and women, also remember that not all ladies walk freely into their hubby's house, there are many hardworking and independent ladies out there who do not give a hoot about guys money.

You have sense my brother. Spot on

You shouldn't have replied, anyone who is lazy enough to insult you in
the first place will not take the time to read this response.

nkemdi89:
To those saying she can never be higher than Clinton, she isn't in competition with anyone and like she rightly said, she isn't a brand, let her air her opinion its her right, we should stop the hate, there are so many issues going on round the world, our impacts can made in those. I see jealousy, hatred and tribalism among those bashing her, Its not compulsory to agree with her opinion, the last time miss Clinton came to Nigeria she never said anything good about us and now its privileged to having her on the same platform with adiche.

Why are you saying tribalism? A lot of those condemning her stance are from her region. Are they being tribalistic to themselves?
She is entitled to her own opinion. The question was a bit rude, and personal though. She's not a journalist or tv host looking for juicy stories and high ratings on tV, who can push their guests to swear for them on live TV.

" Adirom agba egwu ka m data ego."


what does that mean though?



She needs Data for her phone?


Back to the topic.

Her problem was that Hillary Clinton used such to describe herself while her husband Bill Clinton didn't reciprocate same.

Neoteny:
He's also entitled to his opinion of you.

Just as I'm entitled to my opinion above.

Mind you name calling is not an opinion.

MichaelSokoto:
u can't bully me to change my comment!
aaah dey my house, comman beat me.

Oh you are in your house, please go get a job and be productive , lazy youth.

eezeribe:
Chimamanda can dissect Hillary Clinton as much as she likes;but one thing remains certain,the likes of Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama will forever remain more highly rated than Ngozi Adichie...

More highly rated because of their personal achievement or their marriage to successful men?

Hillary Clinton is a proud WIFE of former US president and one of the most influential men in the world,Bill Clinton;while Chimamanda remains the wife of a nobody,a man who is so weak that his wife can't even bear his surname.
I have nothing against TRUE FEMINISM,but there is a thin line between COMMON SENSE and NONSENSE.

You have everything against feminism and the fact that you think that being a wife to a powerful man is
a great achievement confirms that.
If you think I am wrong do you know the full names of any of these men's wife: Socrates, Alexander the Great,
Newton or Einstein?

What were the contributions and why are they irrelevant today while women such as Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie
still keep an impressive resume?

I hope you are not one of those who goes about bashing women who set their life goals to marry rich men,
because that would be hypocritical of you.

kaorama:
Thank you, my dear. Have always known her from UNN. Always seeking for attention, even when she has the stage.

The both of you started the journey, where are you now?

kaorama:
Back then in UNN, the Priest in the campus catholic chapel warned her parents to call her to order after she challenged, in writing, the Priest's teachings on morality. She is Mrs know-it-all.

Yeah I remember that incident and I remember responding to her in The Punch newspaper.

She's egocentric. Probably trying hard to get the attention of the Nobel Prize Commission.

Bless you

eezeribe:
Chimamanda can dissect Hillary Clinton as much as she likes;but one thing remains certain,the likes of Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama will forever remain more highly rated than Ngozi Adichie...
Hillary Clinton is a proud WIFE of former US president and one of the most influential men in the world,Bill Clinton;while Chimamanda remains the wife of a nobody,a man who is so weak that his wife can't even bear his surname.
I have nothing against TRUE FEMINISM,but there is a thin line between COMMON SENSE and NONSENSE.

kingthreat:
This is how I see it. When it comes to Feminism, Hilary Clinton is one of the world's champions. That's why thousands of them protested when Trump became president.
Now this Nigerian feminist who managed to escape being a home-wrecker in Anambra by being a successful writer, saw some flaws in her champion. To her, her champion should be Hilary Rodham not Hilary Clinton. It's just like an upcoming terrorist, telling Abu Shekau that he is not wicked enough, they should kill more. This is the reason why Hilary didn't react insulted with that question. Her mentees were simply scolding her for not being a total radical.
As for Chimamnda, I keep saying it her views are embedded in selfishness and idiotic feminism. Well feminism, homosexuality, atheism are part of the rave now and this woman is banking on it.

exactly you hit the nail rightly

Please who read all of that?

eezeribe:
Chimamanda can dissect Hillary Clinton as much as she likes;but one thing remains certain,the likes of Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama will forever remain more highly rated than Ngozi Adichie...
Hillary Clinton is a proud WIFE of former US president and one of the most influential men in the world,Bill Clinton;while Chimamanda remains the wife of a nobody,a man who is so weak that his wife can't even bear his surname.
I have nothing against TRUE FEMINISM,but there is a thin line between COMMON SENSE and NONSENSE.

There is no such thing as TRUE feminism. Feminism in itself is a farce borne out of angst.

Zane2point4:
exactly you hit the nail rightly

Thanks

eyinjuege:
Why are you saying tribalism? A lot of those condemning her stance are from her region. Are they being tribalistic to themselves?
She is entitled to her own opinion. The question was a bit rude, and personal though. She's not a journalist or tv host looking for juicy stories and high ratings on tV, who can push their guests to swear for them on live TV.

I mentioned three things, which were hatred, jealousy and tribalism, and most of the people bashing her fell into those categories, she became popular not only because of her books, but she is vocal too, and left for me as an adult, I have the liberty to accept what I want to, her opinions are not laws , that means its not binding on anyone. And miss Clinton herself never saw it from that direction of the question being rude, its just that our African mentality makes us see it that way. An average black has a significant percentage of pull him down syndrome in him, that's why the condemnation was coming from people who tagged themselves " family " .

nkemdi89:
To those saying she can never be higher than Clinton, she isn't in competition with anyone and like she rightly said, she isn't a brand, let her air her opinion its her right, we should stop the hate, there are so many issues going on round the world, our impacts can made in those. I see jealousy, hatred and tribalism among those bashing her, Its not compulsory to agree with her opinion, the last time miss Clinton came to Nigeria she never said anything good about us and now its privileged to having her on the same platform with adiche.

Why must you bring tribalism into this, she is getting backlash from white men and women too. That question she asked was inappropriate and deserved the bashing she got.

innocent children and WOMEN are been murdered by so called herdsmen in Benue and the so called feminist chimanda and some foolish nigerians and more concerned about The useless and crooked old hag called Hillary clinton's married life.

As for the Ugly so called feminist chimanda i am guessing the women of kogi state who have been murdered and are still murdered are not feminine enough for chimanda to speak up against the killers who are killing them. and as for Killary clinton she lost the Election so she should go curl herself up on a rocking chair in an old people's home and Die slowly.

the blind stares of a million eyes looking hard but woun't realise that they will never see the stars.

Damage control dead on arrival. The black disillusioned bitch Amanda is trying to force other women to rate their marriage and relationship status below personal accomplishments. That is playing God!

Why must this ugly, attention- hungry goat try to be on the spotlight all the time?

It means , she doesn't dance to attract money.

I dont have anything against the lady ohhhhh BUT my concern is why will she start asking someone about her status in public? It like enforcing her opinion on one who is higher than her.

Chukazu:
" Adirom agba egwu ka m data ego."


what does that mean though?



She needs Data for her phone?


Back to the topic.

Her problem was that Hillary Clinton used such to describe herself while her husband Bill Clinton didn't reciprocate same.

DJHANDSOME:
The way Nigerians reacts harshly to opinions that do not conform to their wack religious and cultural views is mind boggling. Chimamanda has every right to express herself the way she wants, she is not supposed to impress you.

Does Hilary Clinton not also have the right to express herself the way she wants?

And you wonder why the black man hate the black women so much. There you have it i think.