Now that I’ve hit a half century at my time here on this fantastic planet, I have a tendency to look back through the years and compare the notorious “then and now” scenarios. This is known as reflection and it is a fantastic thing. Frankly, I wish more folks would take some time to do it because I feel that is where we find common sense lurking beneath the tree or hiding in the bushes.
Common sense
While common sense is becoming more difficult to find, I’m sure it still exists; it is just that there are not that many people searching for it . For example, let us take Alice Paul’s Equal Rights Amendment. In the late 60s and early 70s when this was being pushed around the nation, women were publicly standing up and speaking their thoughts like never before. They got so excited; they were ripping off their bras and waving them in the air like that somehow added accent to their own words.
I never knew that because I enjoyed my bra. During these years I was an impressionable young woman, finding my way as most do in their tweens and teens. I didn’t even know there something called inequality out there. I grew up in a house full of women so it was not widespread in my life. I never felt lesser than anybody else or I couldn’t be anything I decided I wanted to be, but apparently, there was that type of thing happening. I had been subjected to a lot of this when I was a part of the regional YWCA.
Take note
Much of what the”hippies” were doing has been revealed to us through the many programs offered and leaders accountable for Due to my involvement with these programs, I had been very much a part of the culture. I joined the reason for equal rights for women and engaged in much to advance it in my grand state of Maine. After all, why should not we get equal pay for equal place or be considered for the very same jobs as men. Who cares if it is a girl or a man in the work as long as the job is done well? And, why can’t a woman have a career and be a Mom? Who says our life needs to be limiting? God did not make us unequal; He simply assigned among us with the duty in the long run and what’s wrong with that? There’s one which sits at the peak of every company, institution and civilization on earth, so why would not there be one which sits on peak of every family, one which in the long run, makes the difficult decisions such as any CEO or president? Back to the reason for this blog post.
The equal rights for women’s movement was all about treating women as equals in position and pay. It was great for a woman to have a career and move up the corporate ladder. Many courageous women had the honorable privilege to be in several areas like corporate, political and entrepreneurial. These worlds, once dominated by men were being invaded by smart women everywhere and due to their courage; girls in America now are the freest in the world. Being a mom and having a full time job has become the standard and we applauded those who took this route. I’ve walked this route, though not very successfully at times and had decided long ago that it wasn’t for me. Working at home is what works best for me and that’s where I stand now. I feel the equal rights movement was great for our country in a variety of ways.
Keep in mind
A Woman can now make a career decision that is appropriate for her, or she can opt to stay home and raise her children the way she chooses. This is a fantastic thing. However, I also see the negative. Case in point, Sarah Palin. Here’s a self-made girl who has lived her entire life on her terms, chose to have a family and participate in the mud-slinging, dog-eat-dog, wheeling and dealing world of politics. She’s basically a fantastic role model for girls and women alike but the side she isn’t a part of is ripping her to shreds. I’d love to know where the girls are who were so involved with the equal rights movement.
Don’t they realize that it is in situations like this where they should generally support women and their achievements? Sarah Palin is a product of the equal rights movement! She’s made her path as a man would and sadly, she’s taking the exact same crap load that a guy would take. This is the bad side of the equal rights movement. I’m not saying that girls should not take the guff like a guy since they should. I’m saying that if a women is portraying the ideals of a motion as good as the equal rights movement was, then all women thinking in that motion should come to her help in certain general support. Instead we hear girls talking trash about this girl!
Let’s review
that the motion was all about getting girls into high places in order that they could influence the way things are done in this world. Their view is different than a person’s and has been believed to be needed globally. You might not agree with her politics, but she has guts enough to speak her mind, wing it if necessary on the national stage and take the guff. She’s paving the way for a few other girls to get up there and do what she wasn’t able to do. There’s disagreement among us and there’s not anything wrong with that. However, it would be nice if girls would recall from where they came and see the difference of where they are, enjoying how a woman stood as a vice presidential candidate for the second time in history and we even had a girl presidential candidate for the very first time. This is important and deserves the respect of ALL WOMEN in this country.
If we could exercise some of that respect when expressing our debate it would bring up the atmosphere a couple of notches. But the girls are behaving the worst in this story. They’re cutting Mrs. Palin up like she is the devil. I don’t find these girls up there on the national stage of politics, taking it on the chin. They’re cowards, hiding behind their pens as well as the comfort of the TV cameras. It’s important that they get to say whatever for the sake of controversy and ratings than measuring the content of what is coming out. Have girls dumbed the industry? Let’s face it. It requires a special kind of courage to run for ANY office in the present political scene, national or local, female or male. You may expect to be ridiculed and bombarded with crap as though you were back in the schoolyard. Just who will lead this barrage of mud and cow dung?
The media
Rather than an informative role, they have moved firmly to the judgmental role that’s ironic to me, because they stand on the side which has scolded the remainder that judging is a terrible thing. Could they’ve figured out that we make judgment calls every minute of every day? Well, that subject is for another article. My point here is that I’m ashamed of those women who held the equal rights amendment in such high esteem and from their recently polished nails tapping their computer keyboard and their plump, red lips come the worst attack of on this lady who has in my view, epitomized what I thought and thought was the objective of this movement.
Either this movement’s organizers misrepresented their intent to countless girls in this country, in which case I’m sterile, or women in general just do not appreciate what this motion did for us and now benefit from the norm. Here’s the big question: Was the intent of the Equal Rights movement to get all girls into every area of society or was it just to find those girls who viewed life in just a specific way into every area of society? If it’s the latter, what did we achieve? Wasn’t our wish to change the way things were done and perceived? Wasn’t our wish to bring new perspective and help in bringing about a stadium where all thoughts where shared and discussed, and where these thoughts were assigned equal weight and importance? Perhaps it is that we are not educated about this topic enough. Perhaps we’ve forgotten the street that led us here and if so, it’s time for a refresher.
Conclusion
We applaud women who do great things or we do not. We certainly can not applaud women who do great things in just 1 segment of ideology since there is more than just one. If we do, we’re no better than the good old boys that we fought so difficult to pal around with and pass by on the ladder. If we remain here we will have gained no identity of our own, but instead just have replicated a system which we hated and desired to change. We’ll have become”them.” I encourage your comments.