Chile Prez Slammed for Summit Sexist Joke

Pinera's CELAC remarks were 'prehistoric,' opposition says
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 7, 2011 1:05 AM CST
Chile Prez Slammed for Summit Sexist Joke
Pinera is seen at the inaugural summit of CELAC, a regional body that excludes the US and Canada.   (Getty Images)

Opposition lawmakers in Chile say President Sebastian Pinera embarrassed the country by telling a sexist joke to the other 32 heads of state at a regional summit over the weekend. "Do you know what the difference between a politician and a lady is?" he asked. "When a politician says 'Yes,' he means 'Maybe,' when he says 'Maybe,' he means 'No,' and if he says 'No,' he's not a politician. When a lady says 'No,' she means 'Maybe,' when she says 'Maybe,' she means 'Yes,' and if she says 'Yes,' she's not a lady."

An opposition senator slammed Pinera for the "prehistoric and sexist remark" at the inaugural Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and urged the country's women's minister to comment, the BBC reports. The minister responded that while Pinera often cracked jokes, she didn't find this one amusing. The other heads of state at the CELAC summit apparently weren't too offended by the joke—Pinera was chosen as the first head of the new international body, the Santiago Times reports. (More Chile stories.)

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