Τhe unfathomable complex of the sexist nomenklatura of the Greek Parliament came in the spotlight on the occasion of various events that took place last weekend. Three female lawmakers became the target of sexist verbal attacks staged by their male political opponents, members of Samaras’ coalition government, both from PASOK and Nea Dimokratia.
One of the reasons for the sexist outbreak of several ‘socialist’ PASOK MPs was the decision of MP Theodora Tzakri to vote in favor of SYRIZA censure motion. Tzakri was expelled from PASOK’ parliamentary group even before the voting results were announced.
Theodora Tzakri (ex PASOK)
In a statement justifying the reasons she voted in favor of the censure motion, Theodora Tzakri, a former minister, spoke of an “incompetent government”, of an “act of responsibility towards the country” noting that her voters “have entrusted me to deal with serious problems and not to validate the email of lenders,” implying the rough way the Troika forwards its commands to Greek government via e-mails.
“The government is characterized by a surplus of social cruelty, incompetence and lack of democracy and plan to exit the crisis,” she concluded.
Theodora Tzakri
Hardly had Tzakri issued her statement, the offended PASOK party officials rushed to verbally attack her with a language full of stereotypes about her fashion loving dressing style. A verbal attack that had nothing to do with an intellectual challenging confrontation in the substance of the economic policies criticism.
A fierce sexist war against Tzakri was launched in the social media, with comments referring to her appearance and her stylish choices like expensive bags and high heels.
Paris Koukoulopoulos, former unionists and current PASOK parliamentary group spokesman to Vima Fm:
“What she did was just wrong . Now we exit the loan agreements, she turns against the loan agreement. the suit she wore is not trendy. It get out of fashion very quickly…. she had to find fashionable suits and she wore the anti-loan agreement one.”
PASOK spokesman Odysseas Konstantinopoulos claimed “I see all the former ministers, whose drivers did not manage yet to close the door of their Mercedes, to turn against loan agreements.” (via kathimerini)
Targets of sexist comments by their male colleagues became also two other female lawmakers Zoi Konstantopoulou (SYRIZA) and Rachil Makri (Independent Greeks).
Zoi Konstantopoulou (SYRIZA)
Health minister Adonis Georgiadis (Νea Dimocratia) verbally attacked Zoi Konstantopoulou in the Greek Parliament claiming she needed a psychiatrist.
“As much as I know Miss Konstantopoulou from the preliminary commission I can certify that she really needs help and we should help her.”
The health minister, who is not a doctor but a bookseller, felt the need to comment on the incident where Konstantopoulou was dragged by a police squad, she was calling for help and asking the prosecutor to intervene outside the ERT headquarters on Saturday evening.
video: Georgiadis speaking in the Parliament on Sunday
embedded by Embedded Video
YouTube Direkt
It wasn’t long ago, when the sexist attack against Zoi Konstantopoulou had come from the leader of PASOK, Evangelos Venizelos personally.
During a meeting of the parliament committee investigating the Lagarde list, Venizelos advised Konstantopoulou out of the blue to have a child.
- Venizelos: I wish you get pregnant soon
- Kosntantopoulou: why?
- Venizelos: just so
- Konstantopoulou: for what reason?
- Venizelos: It’s a wish (Vima)
Rachil Makri
Another PASOK official, former minister and deputy prime minister Theodoros Pangalos did not miss the chance for a sexist show, apparently in line with the fantasies of an aging man.
Referring to MP Rachil Makri (Indepentent Greeks) who climbed on the ERT railings in a support action on Saturday too, Pangalos told Vima FM:
“When you have a lady from the Parliament, who not only climb but also sits οn the railings that are sharp….” (ethnos).
Would Koukoulopoulos, Venizelos, Pangalos and Georgiadis use such comments and language if they had to refer to their male colleagues?
“sharp rails” in the mind of a 75-year-old politician
Would Koukoulopoulos refer to a chic suit worn by a SYRIZA male lawmaker or would Venizelos advice SYRIZA-leader Tsipras to get his wife pregnant? Would Pangalos feel the same joy seeing a male MP from Independent Greeks sitting on a sharp rail? And would the health minister claim a male MP needs a psychiatrist because he calls for help?
Most likely they wouldn’t. Because in their prejudiced mind, they think, they would need full pants and balls to verbally attack a male political opponent. But in their narrow mind suffering from acute lack of political culture, it’s the easy “HO-HO_HO” way to discriminate and degrade a woman politician with connotations of sexual content and prejudiced diagnosis by fake doctors.
But apparently our Greek politicians, the socialists of PASOK and the conservatives of Nea Dimocratia, need to hide behind cheap sexist language when it comes to save face and cover their intellectual defeat by their female colleagues. Our coalition government politicians apparently have to follow their urgent inner voice and the imperative need to prove they are superior to their female colleagues.
Yes, they behave as they were taught: in the good old Greek macho style.
PS how comes that no PASOK official publicly criticized Tzakri’s high heels and trendy deux-pièces, when she was member of the party?
Could you try to find an English mother tongue translator or writer to check this? There are so many mistakes as to make it very difficult to read.
oh dear, you again? after all these years, same unsolved problems?
Actually VAN, are you referring to a “Native Speaker”? Mother toungue sounds like you used Google Translate from your language. KTG does all this for free I imagine out of the goodness of her heart.
thanks for the support. this woman has been complaining since two years, I think lol
Please note that the far right politician Adonis Georgiadis (ex-LAOS, now Nea Dimokratia) is not just an ordinary “bookseller”. The bookstores of Georgiadis publishers (Ekdoseis Georgiadi) sell books by arch Nazi Konstantinos Plevris. This Holocaust denier is Georgiadis’ friend for a long time. Georgiadis has himself expressed insulting anti-Jewish views and has extensively advertised Plevris’ book “The Jews, the whole truth”, which advocates the extermination of Jews as “subhuman beings”.
of course, but we have posted about earlier.