South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg took the subway to Harlem on Monday to have lunch with Rev. Al Sharpton. The trip was documented by Lis Smith, the candidate's communications adviser.
.@PeteButtigieg fitting in seamlessly with the 3 train crown en route to Harlem #peteforamerica pic.twitter.com/ooeBO7AfW2
— Lis Smith (@Lis_Smith) April 29, 2019
A closer look at the photo raises some troubling questions.
In addition to the social depravity on display here, in terms of letting his suit jacket occupy a neighboring seat, Buttgieg appears to be engaged in what experts have described as "manspreading," a passive-aggressive display of misogyny intended to perpetuate the patriarchal hegemony whilst asserting one's (male) dominance over a public space.
Some male politicians, such as Bill Clinton, are notorious manspreaders. Other, more feminist politicians, such as Joe Biden, are more respectful. Sophisticated world leaders, such as President Donald J. Trump, engage in manspreading as a non-misogynist way to assert their dominance over rival males.
Buttigieg's comms adviser tweeted out a second photo of the mayor's subway ride, and attempted to make a "womanspreading" joke at her own expense, perhaps to deflect some of the attention from her boss's egregious behavior, which presumably caused numerous female subway passengers to feel unsafe.
Prep time on the 3 train with @PeteButtigieg. Does this count as womanspreading? ( and yes my sunglasses are on and cords and @nypost are popping out of my bag) pic.twitter.com/yaJcYXkFlC
— Lis Smith (@Lis_Smith) April 29, 2019
In reality, manspreading is not a joke. The Metropolitan Transit Authority even launched a campaign to eradicate the practice back in 2015.
It's not a great look for the Democratic Party, which has been on the receiving end of mounting criticism that its field of primary candidates, is too white and too male to represent the party's base. Four of the top six Democratic presidential candidates, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, are white men, including Buttigieg, who is currently third behind frontrunners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.