His Female Companion

€uroMeinke · 04-21-2007, 09:54 AM

NPR has focused on Paul Wolfowitz of the World Bank lately - but all those scandals aside, I'm intrigued that the term "his female companion" keeps coming up in reference to Shaha Ali Riza, a woman he is romantically linked to - not girlfriend, mistress, partner - but consistently, "his female companion."

Thinking perhaps this is a new form of NPR politically correct speech, I plugged the term into Google and returned many more articles on Paul Wolfowitz - and a link to a wikipedia page on "beards" - are they implying he's gay - I wondered?

Anyway, I continue to be intrigued by the term and what it implies about their relationship and status. Is it becasue Shaha Ali Riza is too respected a person in the World Bank to diminish her as a "girlfriend" (i.e. defined only by her relationship to the man) - If so, is this term a symbol of arriving at professional success as an unmarried woman? or is it just becasue she's an older woman and "girlfriend" or "mistress" imply a sexual relationship which we'd rather not think about older people having?

Alex · 04-21-2007, 10:03 AM

I had a friend on LJ rant against the outlets using the world "girlfriend" saying it only applies to young people. I had never heard this and I responded saying "companion" seemed the stupidest of the options.

As for its general use, it is because that is generally the rules laid out in the major newspaper styleguides to not use girlfriend. Slate had an article about it a couple days ago.

Strangler Lewis · 04-21-2007, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

or is it just becasue she's an older woman and "girlfriend" or "mistress" imply a sexual relationship which we'd rather not think about older people having?

Or perhaps a relationship we presume they are too old to be able to have.

Tref · 04-21-2007, 11:13 AM

Have you seen Wolfowitz? Could be that nobody wants to admit that he may actually be having sex. It would not be something you would want to get out there.

Press: "And who are you?"
Woman: "I'm his gir----uh, I am his faithful female companion. Sort of like Tonto. We fight crime together."

3894 · 04-21-2007, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

older people

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

too old

Wolfowitz is almost a year younger than my better half yet the thought of Wolfowitz involved with anyone makes me cringe. It's not his age for me, obviously. Wolfowitz is off the graph ooky-wise because he's a Republican war monger who licks his comb to comb his hair

Gn2Dlnd · 04-21-2007, 03:30 PM

Yeah, the comb licking.

How about "ladyfriend?"

Strangler Lewis · 04-21-2007, 03:52 PM

How about "Wolfowitz's old lady." And he should revise his testimony accordingly: "Yeah, I hooked the old lady up with a job so she would quit her bitchin' about my hours."

I think he could pull it off.

3894 · 04-21-2007, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

How about "Wolfowitz's old lady."

If she really got her job just because she's (ew) sleeping with Wolfowitz (ew, ew, ew), then she's une grande horizontale (with either incredibly bad taste or the sexual discernment of a goat).

Alex · 04-21-2007, 06:58 PM

That's what is so horrible about this "scandal." She didn't. She was very well established as a major player in middle east development and an advocate for women's rights in the Middle East.

She was very much the reasonably high ranking professional at the World Bank before her significant other (a relationship begun after Wolfowitz and his first wife separated) happened to be appointed to run the place.

As soon as he was nominated Wolfowitz disclosed the relationship and recused himself from any involvement in personnel decisions related to her. It was the World Bank ethics committee that decided propriety required that she be trasnferred (against her will) to the State Deparment, given a raise, and a promotion (since she was being harmed through no fault of her own).

The ethics committee then instructed Wolfowitz to do it, despite his attempt to recuse himself.

The World Bank board of directors and ethics committee has already investigated this twice without finding any impropriety. This whole scandal is like some weird form of bureaucratic entrapment. The ethics committee requires Wolfowitz to give his girlfriend a raise and then he get slammed for it.

I despise Wolfowitz's policy views but it is really hard to see what he did wrong in this case.

But I feel really bad for Riza. She's a respected professional and since most people don't pay the slightest bit of attention to these stories beyond the headlines most everybody is going to assume she was a secreatary without typing skills, some kind of Fawn Hall.

(That said, there are some very valid, so far unexplained questions about possible influence at the DoD prior to Wolfowitz's departing the administration.)

€uroMeinke · 04-21-2007, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

But I feel really bad for Riza. She's a respected professional and since most people don't pay the slightest bit of attention to these stories beyond the headlines most everybody is going to assume she was a secreatary without typing skills, some kind of Fawn Hall.

Which is why I wondered if the subtext of the "his female companion" was somehow meant to imply "not a Bimbo"

04-21-2007, 09:54 AM	#1
€uroMeinke L'Hédoniste Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: A.S.C.O.T. Posts: 8,671	His Female Companion NPR has focused on Paul Wolfowitz of the World Bank lately - but all those scandals aside, I'm intrigued that the term "his female companion" keeps coming up in reference to Shaha Ali Riza, a woman he is romantically linked to - not girlfriend, mistress, partner - but consistently, "his female companion." Thinking perhaps this is a new form of NPR politically correct speech, I plugged the term into Google and returned many more articles on Paul Wolfowitz - and a link to a wikipedia page on "beards" - are they implying he's gay - I wondered? Anyway, I continue to be intrigued by the term and what it implies about their relationship and status. Is it becasue Shaha Ali Riza is too respected a person in the World Bank to diminish her as a "girlfriend" (i.e. defined only by her relationship to the man) - If so, is this term a symbol of arriving at professional success as an unmarried woman? or is it just becasue she's an older woman and "girlfriend" or "mistress" imply a sexual relationship which we'd rather not think about older people having? __________________ I would believe only in a God that knows how to Dance. Friedrich Nietzsche
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04-21-2007, 10:03 AM	#2
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I had a friend on LJ rant against the outlets using the world "girlfriend" saying it only applies to young people. I had never heard this and I responded saying "companion" seemed the stupidest of the options. As for its general use, it is because that is generally the rules laid out in the major newspaper styleguides to not use girlfriend. Slate had an article about it a couple days ago.
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04-21-2007, 11:13 AM	#4
Tref Not Tref Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,188	Have you seen Wolfowitz? Could be that nobody wants to admit that he may actually be having sex. It would not be something you would want to get out there. Press: "And who are you?" Woman: "I'm his gir----uh, I am his faithful female companion. Sort of like Tonto. We fight crime together." __________________ Tref3.0 Listen in aural 3-D to Pop's muzak! (New songs added semi-bi-daily) j & j Did you know that Emas eht yltcaxe is exactly the same spelled backwards?!
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04-21-2007, 03:30 PM	#6
Gn2Dlnd Parmmadore Jim Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Casita del Queso Posts: 3,810	Yeah, the comb licking. How about "ladyfriend?" __________________ Does anyone still wear a hat?
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04-21-2007, 03:52 PM	#7
Strangler Lewis Doing The Job Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: In a state Posts: 3,956	How about "Wolfowitz's old lady." And he should revise his testimony accordingly: "Yeah, I hooked the old lady up with a job so she would quit her bitchin' about my hours." I think he could pull it off. __________________ Live now-pay later. Diner's Club!
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04-21-2007, 06:58 PM	#9
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	That's what is so horrible about this "scandal." She didn't. She was very well established as a major player in middle east development and an advocate for women's rights in the Middle East. She was very much the reasonably high ranking professional at the World Bank before her significant other (a relationship begun after Wolfowitz and his first wife separated) happened to be appointed to run the place. As soon as he was nominated Wolfowitz disclosed the relationship and recused himself from any involvement in personnel decisions related to her. It was the World Bank ethics committee that decided propriety required that she be trasnferred (against her will) to the State Deparment, given a raise, and a promotion (since she was being harmed through no fault of her own). The ethics committee then instructed Wolfowitz to do it, despite his attempt to recuse himself. The World Bank board of directors and ethics committee has already investigated this twice without finding any impropriety. This whole scandal is like some weird form of bureaucratic entrapment. The ethics committee requires Wolfowitz to give his girlfriend a raise and then he get slammed for it. I despise Wolfowitz's policy views but it is really hard to see what he did wrong in this case. But I feel really bad for Riza. She's a respected professional and since most people don't pay the slightest bit of attention to these stories beyond the headlines most everybody is going to assume she was a secreatary without typing skills, some kind of Fawn Hall. (That said, there are some very valid, so far unexplained questions about possible influence at the DoD prior to Wolfowitz's departing the administration.)
	Submit to Quotes