Hillary Clinton Called Out "Ogrish Males" Staffers

Among the 7,000-plus pages of Hillary Clinton emails released by the State Department Monday night was a reference to Clinton calling out what were described as "ogrish males." Because duh. Back in May 2010, one of her top aides, Philippe Reines, sent an email of congrats after Hillary Clinton apparently called out "ogrish males" on her staff for not supporting women's issues. The brief message speaks volumes, not only about the sexism that must pervade the State Department and other federal agencies, but also about Clinton's fearlessness in challenging that sexism and shutting it down.

The majority of the messages were fairly routine (although we did learn that she hates snow days and loves The Good Wife), but one email in particular offered a glimpse of just how Clinton proves who's boss.

On May 27, 2010, Reines wrote to Clinton:

I for one loved that you finally called out the ogrish males on your staff who roll their eyes at women's issues and events.

Sure, it was already common knowledge that Clinton doesn't tolerate such nonsense, but this is such a clear picture of her cracking the whip when necessary — and brutish dismissal of gender issues definitely warrants a good reprimanding.

Unfortunately, the email is also a depiction of the sexism that pervades the workplace, even on a federal level. Reines continued:

But fyi, I’m pretty sure I saw [REDACTED] roll their eyes at the very moment that you were obviously referring to them. They just don't get it.

It's already reprehensible that these male staffers refuse to recognize the importance of women's issues, but to then roll their eyes at Clinton only provides further evidence of why these issues need to be addressed. Rolling one's eyes is a flippant act that suggests little respect for the person it's directed at — even if that person is Secretary of State of the United States. However, it's safe to assume that the particular male staffer wouldn't even dare to roll his eyes at, say, Secretary John Kerry, or any other male colleague.

The email is a frustrating indication that sexism transcends all fields and levels of authority, plaguing virtually every workplace. Thankfully, more and more women are breaking through the barriers to change the status quo. It takes a strong woman and leader like Clinton to enact real change. Sometimes that means making watershed speeches on women's rights or pushing for legislation that would help close the gender gap, but other times it means calling out a couple of doofuses in the conference room.