I know what you meant. When you said "We're all Africans" you were actually saying "If I prick her does she not bleed?" But making an argument in favour of recognizing the common humanity in us all is apparently a bad thing. When my Grandpa used to say things like "The world is going to hell in a handbasket," I would just roll my eyes. Well... I'm not rolling my eyes so much anymore. Hang in there, sister.
Sincerely,
PC
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Dear Everyone Contemplating Whether it's Time for a Female President,
In 2008, during the US Democratic leadership race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, I heard something I’ve never forgotten. A few male colleagues were in the office kitchen discussing the matter. As I approached the door, I heard one of them say “Black man before a woman.” I stopped in my tracks. I had caught members of the male species in an unguarded moment! Free from the presence of females or human resources representatives, these men were able to freely say what was on their minds. And they were thinking that a penis, even a black one, trumps a womb.
Did the term sexist pigs flash through my mind? No. Well, I mean, yes. But that had more to do with a Christmas party incident than any speculation about international politics. Besides, I basically agreed with them. At the very heart of it, Obama vs Clinton was about addressing injustices. It was about healing wounds. And if racial ones needed to be dealt with before gender ones, then I could accept that. Historically, in the United States, this has been the natural progression. African American men had the vote before women — often not in practice, of course, but constitutionally. And the civil rights movement occurred before the women’s liberation movement. So, a black President before a female one? Fine with me.
African American children needed their role model. They needed proof that they could soar as high as they wanted. And they got it. Or, at least, male black children got it. Now little girls need theirs. Other countries have had female leaders. Curiously, some of the nations with the worst human rights records have had women in the top role, including India and Pakistan. Here in Canada we had a female Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, although she essentially inherited the job and then, in the next general election, was soundly defeated. But still, Canada has the check mark. The United States doesn’t. And that matters. It’s still considered the most powerful nation on earth. Putting a female in the White House is necessary. Old scars demand their balm.
Let me qualify that. Putting the RIGHT female in the White House is necessary. The very notion that Sarah Palin could have been a heart attack away from the Oval Office still makes me want to come out of my skin. The lady who does earn the page in the history books must be capable of reasoned debate and rational thought. And I believe Hillary Clinton has earned that honor. She’s been vilified, condemned, scoffed, mocked, dismissed, pilloried, and scorned. She’s weathered tsunami after tsunami. And she’s still standing. Hillary has proven herself. She is capable and qualified. She has intimate knowledge of the White House. She was a damn fine Secretary of State. And she remains cool under pressure. Except during Benghazi trials. That’s when she indulges in a little fist-pounding schooling. She is a warrior.
Truth be told though, my first choice would have been Elizabeth Warren. In my mind, she’s the Messiah. Her cause is the middle class and she has waged holy war on the banking industry. Her tongue is like a whip, and her lashings of Wall Street bastards give me reason to live. Would I have relished the thought of all those retirement-savings plunderers squirming in their Lamborghinis if she was elected to the highest office in the land? You bet your ass. But it’s not meant to be. Not this round anyway.
As Bill O’Reilly and others have sagely surmised, there will undoubtedly be a downside to having a lady president. It’s very likely that in the immediate aftermath of Hillary’s election all hell will break loose. Arab leaders and Rush Limbaugh will refuse to recognize her authority. China will flex its might and Putin will flex his shirtless muscles. All to test the little female and see how she handles herself. It will be a trying time as everyone adjusts to the strange new world of having a woman in charge. But there’s some good news. Hillary is of an age where she’s likely stopped menstruating. So there won’t be any PMS or mood swings. And she won’t be attracting any bears onto the White House lawn. Which is great.
I’m not going to sugar coat it. Hillary comes with baggage. She’s too cozy with Wall Street. Her husband ushered in a period of financial deregulation greater than Ronald Reagan’s. Which is why I so dearly love Elizabeth Warren. But realistically, what would happen to Warren’s ideals if she did run and was elected? It’s no secret that big business pulls some, if not most, of the strings in Washington. Could Elizabeth really maintain her crusade against the financial industry from inside the White House when all the Remy Dantons and Raymond Tusks begin spreading their tentacles and doing their worst? Yes I’m referencing House of Cards. You don’t think there’s some truth steeped in that fiction? Please.
Speaking of the darkness that beats in the hearts of humans, let’s not forget that true equality requires the recognition that a woman can be every bit as disappointing as a man. Even, as it turns out, a black man. Obama promised hope and change. Instead Americans got an administration full of Wall Street cronies, a war on whistleblowers, heightened surveillance of ordinary citizens, and controversial drone strikes. Make no mistake. Hillary Clinton (and even Elizabeth Warren) would be just as capable of disillusioning her supporters. But she’d be letting everyone down from inside the Oval Office. And that’s all that matters.
So get ready everyone. The gentlemen said it themselves. Black man before a woman. It’s time.
Sincerely,
PC
Did the term sexist pigs flash through my mind? No. Well, I mean, yes. But that had more to do with a Christmas party incident than any speculation about international politics. Besides, I basically agreed with them. At the very heart of it, Obama vs Clinton was about addressing injustices. It was about healing wounds. And if racial ones needed to be dealt with before gender ones, then I could accept that. Historically, in the United States, this has been the natural progression. African American men had the vote before women — often not in practice, of course, but constitutionally. And the civil rights movement occurred before the women’s liberation movement. So, a black President before a female one? Fine with me.
African American children needed their role model. They needed proof that they could soar as high as they wanted. And they got it. Or, at least, male black children got it. Now little girls need theirs. Other countries have had female leaders. Curiously, some of the nations with the worst human rights records have had women in the top role, including India and Pakistan. Here in Canada we had a female Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, although she essentially inherited the job and then, in the next general election, was soundly defeated. But still, Canada has the check mark. The United States doesn’t. And that matters. It’s still considered the most powerful nation on earth. Putting a female in the White House is necessary. Old scars demand their balm.
Let me qualify that. Putting the RIGHT female in the White House is necessary. The very notion that Sarah Palin could have been a heart attack away from the Oval Office still makes me want to come out of my skin. The lady who does earn the page in the history books must be capable of reasoned debate and rational thought. And I believe Hillary Clinton has earned that honor. She’s been vilified, condemned, scoffed, mocked, dismissed, pilloried, and scorned. She’s weathered tsunami after tsunami. And she’s still standing. Hillary has proven herself. She is capable and qualified. She has intimate knowledge of the White House. She was a damn fine Secretary of State. And she remains cool under pressure. Except during Benghazi trials. That’s when she indulges in a little fist-pounding schooling. She is a warrior.
Truth be told though, my first choice would have been Elizabeth Warren. In my mind, she’s the Messiah. Her cause is the middle class and she has waged holy war on the banking industry. Her tongue is like a whip, and her lashings of Wall Street bastards give me reason to live. Would I have relished the thought of all those retirement-savings plunderers squirming in their Lamborghinis if she was elected to the highest office in the land? You bet your ass. But it’s not meant to be. Not this round anyway.
As Bill O’Reilly and others have sagely surmised, there will undoubtedly be a downside to having a lady president. It’s very likely that in the immediate aftermath of Hillary’s election all hell will break loose. Arab leaders and Rush Limbaugh will refuse to recognize her authority. China will flex its might and Putin will flex his shirtless muscles. All to test the little female and see how she handles herself. It will be a trying time as everyone adjusts to the strange new world of having a woman in charge. But there’s some good news. Hillary is of an age where she’s likely stopped menstruating. So there won’t be any PMS or mood swings. And she won’t be attracting any bears onto the White House lawn. Which is great.
I’m not going to sugar coat it. Hillary comes with baggage. She’s too cozy with Wall Street. Her husband ushered in a period of financial deregulation greater than Ronald Reagan’s. Which is why I so dearly love Elizabeth Warren. But realistically, what would happen to Warren’s ideals if she did run and was elected? It’s no secret that big business pulls some, if not most, of the strings in Washington. Could Elizabeth really maintain her crusade against the financial industry from inside the White House when all the Remy Dantons and Raymond Tusks begin spreading their tentacles and doing their worst? Yes I’m referencing House of Cards. You don’t think there’s some truth steeped in that fiction? Please.
Speaking of the darkness that beats in the hearts of humans, let’s not forget that true equality requires the recognition that a woman can be every bit as disappointing as a man. Even, as it turns out, a black man. Obama promised hope and change. Instead Americans got an administration full of Wall Street cronies, a war on whistleblowers, heightened surveillance of ordinary citizens, and controversial drone strikes. Make no mistake. Hillary Clinton (and even Elizabeth Warren) would be just as capable of disillusioning her supporters. But she’d be letting everyone down from inside the Oval Office. And that’s all that matters.
So get ready everyone. The gentlemen said it themselves. Black man before a woman. It’s time.
Sincerely,
PC
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