I'm a Co-Vocabularist

Read the last lines of Paul Schott's post:

November 27, 2009, 7:02 am

Palinized

A term used to describe the vilification of female Republicans (as well as other associations with Sarah Palin).

Discussing sexism in the media, Julia Baird observed in Newsweek:

Now an ugly new term has entered the lexicon: being Palinized, usually intended to mean being viciously attacked for being female and Republican. GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann wrote in a letter to supporters that she did not want to be “Palinized” with personal attacks or “liberals’ scorn.” Former beauty queen Carrie Prejean claims she has been “Palinized” by the “liberal media” for her anti-gay-marriage views. And now Palin thinks she has been Palinized by NEWSWEEK, for last week’s cover image of her looking fit and posing in running shorts, even though she has been photographed and filmed more than once in aerobic gear (most recently on Oprah just a few days ago).

Palinization has been used in a variety of ways since Sarah Palin’s vice-presidential nomination:

· In September 2008, spectacle wearers hoping to emulate the “soccer mom” look reportedly asked opticians to “Palinize” them.

· At a Democratic fund-raising concert in October 2008, Bruce Springsteen joked that the audience ought not to expect the highest quality performance: “Palinize your expectations,” he quipped.

· Some observers discussed the Palinization of the McCain campaign – noting his concessions to the Christian Right.

· In December 2008, commentators suggested that Caroline Kennedy’s senatorial campaign managers had Palinized her, observing that her media appearances – like Sarah Palin’s – were carefully stage-managed.

· Other usages can be found in the Urban Dictionary.

(The co-vocabularist Yisrael Medad recently emailed Schott’s Vocab another Palin-related term, used in The Washington Post: Palinista – a Palin supporter.)