Maria Isabel Campo candidate for mayor of Valledupar, responded to the journalist’s opinion column Edgardo Mendoza titled ‘That’s (almost) how they are, women politicians!’, published in this publishing house.
Mendoza began the text ensuring that “With women it is necessary to have a lot of prevention”, then he stated that he had asked a series of questions to Campo, but also to Darling Guevara, also candidate for Mayor, and the candidates for Governor ofl Cesar Katia Ospino, Alexandra Pineda and Elvia Milena Sanjuán.
Lea: That’s (almost) how they are, women politicians!
ALLEGED QUESTIONS
According to Mendoza, to the question “Which characters of any genre or era are you admirers of?” María Isabel Campo would have responded: “Alvarito Uribe and Maria Concepcion Loperena”.
While in doubtWhat would you like to reincarnate as in case there is an afterlife?”the columnist put the sentence in the words of the Vallenato lawyer “On a free mare!” which displeased the candidate, who stated that the answers were invented.
HUMOR OR MISOGYNY?
“It was not humor: it is a form of violence against women, pure misogyny and sexualization. This is how the primitive male has always minimized the female role and her capabilities ”, The former official of the National Planning Department expressed through her social networks.
Another of the questions raised in the column was “What books have you reread more than twice?” According to the also cartoonist, the leader of the Renacer Vallenato group would have responded: “Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues and Pepe’s Tales”.
In her reply, the daughter of the former mayor of Valledupar Rodolfo Campo Soto rejected that the journalist tried to make humor “At the expense of female candidates” to the Mayor and the Government of Cesar.
“YOU WERE WRONG”:
“You were wrong, Edgardo: you wanted to be funny but you ended up being coarse and rude to all of us, the candidates, and to the women of this land where your mother gave birth to you. Maybe you tried to be funny but you got a crude face”, added Campo Cuello.
The former general secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism argued that the right to express an opinion “does not include the right to undermine the dignity and honor of women by inventing responses.”
Likewise, the candidate, who received the endorsement of the National Salvation party, asked for respect for her and the other women who are campaigning in Cesar.
‘I FEEL ADMIRATION’: MENDOZA
Thus, EL PILÓN consulted Mendoza about his position regarding the reaction of one of the candidates he mentioned, and the lawyer stated: “If we columnists start responding to each interpretation of the issues and the people that we refer to in one way or another, our time would not be enough.”
And I add: “This type of question has been used for a long time, perhaps infrequently, starting because the answers are imaginable. So with the imagination you can neither discuss nor refute”.
The columnist also indicated that he respects the possible anger of the former official, but that, according to him, as well as other vallenatos, he feels “pure admiration” for her and her family.
“We also understand other incendiary voices for which I am never a firefighter… Time can eventually prove us right. If not, don’t worry, you also live for no reason”, the writer noted.
SIMILAR CASE
A similar case occurred between the candidates for the Governorship of Cesar Kaleb Villalobos and Alexandra Pineda after the former director of the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cesar (Corpocesar) publicly stated that democracy in the department “It couldn’t be reduced to a fight between Barbie dolls.”
Alexandra Pineda and Kaleb Villalobos, candidates for the Governor of Cesar. PHOTO: COURTESY.
Given this, the former deputy from Cesar expressed through her social networks that Villalobos’s comment had been “misguided and peppered with misogyny”, In addition, that referring to the candidates in that way “It only helps to perpetuate repeated stereotypes about women and their political rights.”