--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man has to be Joe McCarthy to be called…" description: "\"A man has to be Joe McCarthy to be called ruthless. All a woman has to do is put you on hold.\" — Marlo Thomas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da9/marlo-thomas-8603_complaining_a-man-has-to-be-joe-mccarthy-to-be-calle_2874764.jpg" --- # A man has to be Joe McCarthy to be called ruthless. All a… ![“A man has to be Joe McCarthy to be called ruthless. All a woman has to do is put you on hold.” quote by Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da9/marlo-thomas-8603_complaining_a-man-has-to-be-joe-mccarthy-to-be-calle_2874764.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da9/marlo-thomas-8603_complaining_a-man-has-to-be-joe-mccarthy-to-be-calle_2874764.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da9/marlo-thomas-8603_complaining_a-man-has-to-be-joe-mccarthy-to-be-calle_2874764.jpg) > “A man has to be Joe McCarthy to be called ruthless. All a woman has to do is put you on hold.” [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ruthlessness is labeled differently for men and women, highlighting gender bias. **In simple terms:** Gender bias labels men as ruthless, women as passive. Key Takeaway Challenge gender stereotypes. Themes gender bias power dynamics Mood critical insightful Type social commentary opinion When to use this quote - workplace - media representation - political discourse Key Concepts double standards social expectations Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape perception? - What examples show gendered labeling? A Different Perspective Not all women are passive; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Ruthless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-ruthless-961025/) [Complaining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaining/) [Holding on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-on/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Joe mccarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joe-mccarthy/) [Mccarthy Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mccarthy-called-3951512/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Ruthless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruthless/) [Ruthless Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruthless-woman-3951510/) ## Related quotes > [A man can be called ruthless if he bombs a country to oblivion. A woman can be called ruthless if she puts you on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/a-man-can-be-called-ruthless-if-he-bombs-a-country-to-oblivion-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“The media called us ruthless terrorists. We're not. We're just fighting for what's right. Being born a nought shouldn't automatically slam shut myriad doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malorie-blackman/the-media-called-us-ruthless-terrorists-we-re-not-we-re-just-fighting/) [Malorie Blackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malorie-blackman/) > [Television has changed how we choose our leaders. It elected Ronald Reagan and a host of Kennedy-look-alike congressmen with blow-dried hair and gleaming teeth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-steel/television-has-changed-how-we-choose-our-leaders-it-elected-ronald/) [Ronald Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-steel/) > [When you write fiction, there were things about Washington that I've experienced and wanted to write about, including the swamping nature of it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/when-you-write-fiction-there-were-things-about-washington-that-i-ve/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [If any other religious cult knew so few basic facts about its own seminal beliefs as the liberal cult does about Joe McCarthy, Janet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/if-any-other-religious-cult-knew-so-few-basic-facts-about-its-own/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“Resurrecting the tactics of Joe McCarthy, Agnew called Humphrey "squishy soft on communism." He observed, "If you've seen one slum, you've seen them all."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/resurrecting-the-tactics-of-joe-mccarthy-agnew-called-humphrey/) [James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/) > [The genesis of Donald Trump's relationship with Paul Manafort begins with Roy Cohn. That Roy Cohn: Joe McCarthy's heavy-lidded henchman, lawyer to the Genovese…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/the-genesis-of-donald-trump-s-relationship-with-paul-manafort-begins/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“I wondered...if there should be anything wrong with Sen. Joe McCarthy (Republican) of Wisconsin which a .577 solid would not cure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-wondered-if-there-should-be-anything-wrong-with-sen-joe-mccarthy/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whatever else the religious Right may be, it is a bonanza for its opponents... Reports of the great terror that is upon us are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-john-neuhaus/whatever-else-the-religious-right-may-be-it-is-a-bonanza-for-its/) [Richard John Neuhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-john-neuhaus/) > [We've seen senators like Ted Cruz before. The historical comparison most commonly invoked involves Joe McCarthy, whose scurrilous red-baiting crusade in the early 1950s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/we-ve-seen-senators-like-ted-cruz-before-the-historical-comparison/) [Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/) > [Joe McCarthy and his Senate hearings were like witch-hunts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desi-arnaz/joe-mccarthy-and-his-senate-hearings-were-like-witch-hunts/) [Desi Arnaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desi-arnaz/) > [“Of the things I had not known when I started out, I think the most important was the degree to which the legacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/of-the-things-i-had-not-known-when-i-started-out-i-think-the-most/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [The portrayal of Senator Joe McCarthy as a wild-eyed demagogue destroying innocent lives is sheer liberal hobgoblinism. Liberals weren't cowering in fear during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-portrayal-of-senator-joe-mccarthy-as-a-wild-eyed-demagogue/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [For some of us it seems like yesterday when Ike was in the White House, the U.S. Senate censured Joe McCarthy, and the Supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/for-some-of-us-it-seems-like-yesterday-when-ike-was-in-the-white/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Donald Trump is using an age-old trick of right wing populism, much like George Wallace, much like Joe McCarthy, Pitchfork Ben Tillman who in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/donald-trump-is-using-an-age-old-trick-of-right-wing-populism-much/) [Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/) ## More by Marlo Thomas > [I know George Burns was a very happy man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/i-know-george-burns-was-a-very-happy-man/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [“Steady as she goes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/steady-as-she-goes/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [What I love about the theater is the work ethic. I grew up with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/what-i-love-about-the-theater-is-the-work-ethic-i-grew-up-with-it/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [Marriage is like a vacuum cleaner. You stick it to your ear and it sucks out all your energy and ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/marriage-is-like-a-vacuum-cleaner-you-stick-it-to-your-ear-and-it/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [I realize now that I was a feminist and the minute I heard the word I certainly knew it meant me, but at that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/i-realize-now-that-i-was-a-feminist-and-the-minute-i-heard-the-word-i/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [Living with these teenage boys allowed me to see how much their psyches were like their girl counterparts. They were more familiar to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/living-with-these-teenage-boys-allowed-me-to-see-how-much-their/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [I find that balancing my life with my work with the kids at St. Jude, working on books, working on my career as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/i-find-that-balancing-my-life-with-my-work-with-the-kids-at-st-jude/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [I wish someone would have told me that, just because I'm a girl, I don't have to get married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/i-wish-someone-would-have-told-me-that-just-because-i-m-a-girl-i-don/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [Laughter is important, not only because it makes us happy, it also has actual health benefits. And that's because laughter completely engages the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/laughter-is-important-not-only-because-it-makes-us-happy-it-also-has/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [It's fascinating for us women to begin looking at our lives in five-year plans. It really does help you keep on track. If that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/it-s-fascinating-for-us-women-to-begin-looking-at-our-lives-in-five/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [The Golden Girls certainly proved that there was a large audience for a show about older women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/the-golden-girls-certainly-proved-that-there-was-a-large-audience-for/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [There's no doubt about it... I was born a feminist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/there-s-no-doubt-about-it-i-was-born-a-feminist/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [One woman is a pest and two women is a team, but three women or more is a coalition. If you can bring a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/one-woman-is-a-pest-and-two-women-is-a-team-but-three-women-or-more/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [Never face facts; if you do, you'll never get up in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/never-face-facts-if-you-do-you-ll-never-get-up-in-the-morning/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [What I'm loving about Hilary Clinton is that she has the job that's been held mostly by men. She's made it her job, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/what-i-m-loving-about-hilary-clinton-is-that-she-has-the-job-that-s/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) [Explore all 79 Marlo Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) ## More Complaining quotes > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? 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Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [They have no right to complain! If women were cool with knowing their man is cheating on them then they have no right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/they-have-no-right-to-complain-if-women-were-cool-with-knowing-their/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Do not complain of life's unfairness. It is never fair - at best it is impartial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/do-not-complain-of-life-s-unfairness-it-is-never-fair-at-best-it-is/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [But if people will laugh at my work and keep a sound roof over my head, who am I to complain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-burke/but-if-people-will-laugh-at-my-work-and-keep-a-sound-roof-over-my/) [Billie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-burke/) > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. 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