Branches Book

BRANCHES

public forum they hold to determine whether or not the Goddesses should permit the boys to join. Some argue that “there is a benefit to educating the genders separately,” demonstrating the diversity of opinion in modern rhetoric. Eventually, the troop votes to permit the boys to join, representing the decision that the troop’s ultimate and primary goal is equality. The effects of this variety of feminism are fully manifested later during a public debate. Leslie’s primary opponent during her city councilmember campaign is Bobby Newport, the airhead heir of the Sweetums Corporation, a candy company that supports Pawnee’s economy. Leslie envisions the televised debate as the opportune opportunity to catch Newport in the polls through demonstrating her vastly better reasoning and political abilities against him. During the debate, Leslie poses well-reasoned and well- articulated responses, though Bobby Newport continuously gets a better audience response for his nonsense responses. Leslie opens the debate with a standard attack on Bobby’s character, saying that he has “never earned anything in his life.” In response, Bobby states that he feels personally hurt, prompting debate moderator Joan Calamezzo to warn, “Just a reminder to our candidates to keep it civil. Looking at you, Leslie.” The majority of the debate follows in this fashion; each of Leslie’s arguments is clearly less popular than Bobby’s poorly reasoned, poorly delivered arguments. This clearly embodies a dynamic which many women are familiar with: despite the woman being better qualified, the man is better received. Then, despite the near-ubiquity of this experience, other women frequently fail to recognize or do anything about it. Instead, like the debate moderator, they play into that power dynamic, giving it greater legitimacy. The episode calls upon this shared experience to create the base reality that the audience engages with the comedy through. Leslie is eventually able to win the debate through a final, highly personal statement against Newport. After he warns that Sweetums will leave Pawnee if Leslie wins, Leslie decides to do what she certainly knows to be right. She offers, “I’m angry that Bobby Newport would hold this town hostage and threaten to leave if you don’t give him what he wants…I love this town, and when you love something, you don’t threaten it.” The people at the debate are highly receptive to her statement. Leslie’s closing statement is significant because it offers the solution to the previously shown problem. While Bobby’s unwarranted popularity disadvantages Leslie, her sincerity is still able to win the town over. Instead of addressing the problems with the debate, or ignoring this problem altogether, as suggested by her campaign manager Ben, Leslie continues to address the problems of the debate. She espouses her true beliefs in such a way that is relevant to the townspeople and is able to help them overcome their biases. This victory is significant to the overall message

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