Diary of a Politically Observant Girl

Over on The Guardian’s Comment is Free, bestselling novelist and occasional January contributor Tracy Quan (Diary of A Manhattan Call Girl) shares her observations on the issues that came up when MSNBC’s David Shuster “had the cheek to suggest on air that Chelsea Clinton was being ‘pimped out’”:

... he was probably trying to sound au courant. “Pimp” is so overused and de-sexed (by everyone from Virgin Atlantic to Entertainment Weekly) that people may forget what it once meant. Hillary Clinton, apparently, has not. Her outrage was predictable, given that prostitutes and pimps are viewed (even by blue state liberals) as stereotypes -- not as people, but as pariahs.

But Hillary’s reaction strikes me as precious. When will Chelsea be old enough to deal with the ironies and insults associated with her mother’s career?

As usual, Quan manages to touch on issues of politics and human rights with great élan, making us look forward even more to the publication of her new novel, Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl, coming from HarperCollins UK in June.

Quan’s Guardian posting is here.