Tensions are running high this election season. Partisan politics have become more divisive and onslaughts of TV campaign ads have become more incisive. Thankfully, we have the wonders of the internet to lighten the mood. More specifically, thank God for Twitter.
Before Twitter, the nationwide response to binders full of women would have been experienced in solitude in living rooms across America, in momentary looks of bewilderment, grimaces, and chuckles. Perhaps a pundit would have recalled the quote and discussed it on air. In this scenario, I would not have laughed as much as I have in the past few days.
Oh, the power of a hash-tag.
Halfway through the debate, internet analysts were shocked to find trending #bindersfullofwomen and a spike in google searches of “binders full of women”. Doug Cronin summed up my evening in a tweet:
Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the world wide web’s finest responses to #bindersfullofwomen as much as I did.\
Everyone is all worked up about #bindersfullofwomen, but I'm most frightened by his attitude that women need to be home by 5 to make dinner.
— Betsey Stevenson (@BetseyStevenson) October 17, 2012
https://twitter.com/BernadttBendik/status/258781454761357312
First you get the money. Then you get the power. Then you get the #bindersfullofwomen.
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) October 17, 2012
I'll never forget the day I found my dad's stash of #bindersfullofwomen #debate
— Libraryben (@Libraryben) October 17, 2012
I'd love to see the meeting minutes from that roundtable. #bindersfullofwomen
— David Weller (@dcweller) October 17, 2012
Gosh can't we find some women who are qualified? #bindersfullofwomen
— Irwin Feldman (@IrwinFeldman) October 17, 2012
https://twitter.com/Vittletweet/status/258824184044584960
#BindersFullOfWomen: now that we know where he keeps women, will he soon slip on the whereabouts of the rest of his tax papers?
— Ron Knowles (@reezybbimp) October 18, 2012
https://twitter.com/BlGBlRD/status/258638142272315392
I'll never forget the day I found my dad's stash of #bindersfullofwomen #debate
— Libraryben (@Libraryben) October 17, 2012
For some, the 140 character limit just didn’t cut it. Amazon customer reviews of “Avery Durable View Binders” have become a forum for satire. Hopefully all this commentary will result in more women in high-level positions
