Memo to the Media: Stop Talking About Women Like We Are Stupid

[Content Note: Misogyny.]

Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee, naturally talk has turned to who will be his running mate. One of the emergent themes in the corporate media is whether Trump will choose a female veep in order to neutralize criticisms of his misogyny and his low favorability with women.

Already, Trump is determined to make this election as difficult as possible for women, engaging in rank sexism toward Hillary Clinton, toward female critics like Elizabeth Warren, toward female reporters, and toward female voters.

It is not fun to be a woman who must navigate his constant disgorgements of misogyny just to follow this election.

And the media is not helping. They're not helping by uncritically reporting his sexism, and they're not helping by indulging sexist narratives about Clinton, and they're not helping by airing segments in which they speculate that Trump choosing a female running mate will somehow improve his fortunes among female voters.

There are, of course, some women who support Trump—but the vast majority of us do not. And the suggestion that we would forgive and forget his past misogyny, and overlook all his inevitable future misogyny, just because he chooses a woman to run beside him, is incredibly demeaning.

Women are not stupid. Women who oppose Trump do so for a number of reasons: Not just because of his sexism, but because of his racism, his Islamophobia, his categorical unfitness and unpreparedness for the US presidency.

And we are not easily fooled. A man who has spent decades being a famous chauvinist in both his personal and professional life does not magically become a friend to woman even if he manages to keep his sexism to himself for a couple of months, and even if he chooses a woman as a prominent colleague.

It's bad enough that we've got to listen to Clinton being constantly belittled on the basis of her womanhood, and bad enough that we've got to listen to Trump run his mouth about the "woman card" and brag about being endorsed by a rapist and accuse female journalists on being on their period if he doesn't like their questions.

We don't need endless media speculation about how he can win us over with a transparently cynical ploy that didn't work for John McCain and won't work for him.

Dear Media: Stop. Just stop. No Love, Liss.

[UPDATE: Meanwhile, Donald Trump has tapped his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was accused of assaulting a female reporter, to lead the hunt for his running mate. Because of course he has.]