Mar 8, 2012 | Politics, Women |
Barefoot, pregnant and staying home. That’s where Republican men apparently want to see women of the 21st Century. They have begun their endgame by chipping away at women’s reproductive rights. Predominantly white male-dominated legislatures in 20 states have enacted onerous restrictions on women’s health, including Texas, which now forces women, who want an abortion, to submit to ultrasound probes of their vaginas. Cruel and unusual punishment for getting pregnant? I think so.
Didn’t we take care of all this in the 1960’s and ‘70’s? The birth control pill—approved for use in 1960—gave a woman, for the first time ever, the ability to control when she wanted to have a baby. It brought about major social change.
In the 1970’s, didn’t the Women’s Liberation Movement protest in streets across the nation calling for equal rights and reproductive freedom? In 1973, didn’t the Supreme Court rule in Roe v. Wade, that a woman’s right to privacy make the near nationwide ban on abortions unconstitutional? Didn’t Anita Hill put a human face on the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace, which led to new laws protecting women from being called “sluts” or “prostitutes?”
“It’s déjà vu all over again.” Yogi Berra’s famous line comes to mind as I watch this absurd drama, over a woman’s right to control her body, unfold on the national stage. Are the Republicans crazy? Do they believe they can win a presidential election by alienating the majority of voters inAmerica? That’s right. Women go to the polls in larger numbers than men. And they vote differently, too. A study byGallupshowed that 41 percent of voting age women say they are Democrats while only 32 percent of men say they are.
President Obama can thank women voters for his 2008 victory. While 49 percent of men cast ballots for him, 56 percent of women voted for Obama.
I can imagine the President and his staff chortling in the Oval Office about the Republicans’ stumbling efforts to wage a “war on women.” They are already working on a strategy for the fall campaign targeting women. As the President said in his first press conference of the year, “The Democrats have a better story to tell.”
You can bet that women will remember Rush Limbaugh’s hateful radio speak about Sandra Fluke, and the tepid responses from the Republican candidates. Mitt Romney brushed off Rush’s remarks as “inappropriate” instead of denouncing them in the strongest language, such as “gross and unacceptable.”
Women aren’t going to forget the Senators who voted in favor of the Blunt amendment, which would allow employers to opt out of providing certain health care benefits for their employees if they have religious objections. Viagra, yes. Contraceptives, no.
The amendment failed, but barely, 51 to 48, pretty much along party lines. The only Republican voting against it was Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, who a short time later announced her decision not to seek reelection. She couldn’t stand it anymore.
The Republican Party and its puppet master Rush Limbaugh have picked the wrong fight.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
Jan 28, 2012 | Ageism, Women |
Who would have thought 14 million viewers would tune in to NBC’s broadcast of the Betty White Special celebrating her 90th birthday. The endearing “Golden Girl” was feted by some of the most popular stars of the day, as well as the President of the United States.
It was suggested to me that older women perhaps are finally coming into their own. Actress Cloris Leachman was 82 when she danced the light fantastic on “Dancing With the Stars.” Barbara Walters continues to land the big interviews for her TV specials, still appears daily on “The View” while also hosting a satellite radio talk show. She’s in her 80’s and had open-heart surgery not long ago. Diane Sawyer, who anchors ABC’s “World News Tonight,” is nearing 70. Lesley Stahl, long time co-host of “60 Minutes,” is already 70. This all sounds pretty good considering the fact women in television were warned in the 1970’s, by men of course, that their careers would be over after they turned 40.
Betty White can attract an audience because people love her. She’s warm and funny and a little raunchy. The other women I mentioned are exceptional at their jobs. Does that mean elderly females are gaining acceptance in our society? Absolutely not. They are the least of us as a people.
Older women in America say they feel invisible. Ordinary people don’t respect them; men don’t seek their company, no body cares about their opinions. Their children are grown and gone. They are often widowed or divorced and living alone on meager incomes. In fact, they are among the poorest in the population. They suffer with the ailments of old age. They are fearful of being attacked. They slowly and quietly await death. There is nothing else to look forward to.
Old ladies long for the days gone by when men turned their heads to steal a glance at them. Then, their bodies were firm and curvaceous; their hair thick and lustrous; their faces smooth and free from imperfections.
How do I know, you ask? Because I am a septuagenarian. But like many of us at this age I am an exception, too. I have a full-time job. I teach college journalism. One of the courses I am now teaching is reporting on diverse and minority groups. Among those, is the aged. I told my senior and graduate students I was going to write a piece for CNN about older women. I went to the whiteboard with a marker and wrote down their answers to my question: “When you think of old women, what comes to mind?”
The answers from the twenty-something’s were what I expected. Here are just a few: “Wrinkles, whiskers on their face, too much makeup, smelly, tacky clothes, ugly shoes, walkers, lonely, repeat themselves, lots of cats, hot flashes, shrinking bodies, go to the bathroom all the time, knick knacks, don’t have sex, always complaining.”
If that’s what young people think of older women, is there any wonder they don’t want to spend time with them or respect them?
I have international students from India, China and Nigeria, who said that in their countries, young people had to bow and even kiss the feet of their elderly relatives. The women, they said, are always consulted for advice because they are viewed as wise in the ways of the world. People listen to what they have to say.
My sister passed away last summer at age 78. She lived in California so I didn’t see her often. She was Exhibit A, I’m sorry to say, of the plight of older women. She was a widow and never got over the death of her husband. She became clinically depressed. She lived alone with her four cats and lamented that her children and grandchildren, who lived nearby, didn’t call or visit. She “let herself go” and often needed money. I remember her telling me how rude people were to her and how a teenage girl pushed her out of the way and snarled, “Move it, grandma. You’re in the way.” My sister was so unhappy death was probably a blessing.
Our outlooks on age were vastly different. While she succumbed to it I have been fighting it all my life. As a broadcast journalist I had to work hard, sound good, and look good. I watched my weight and struggled to manage stress. I even had plastic surgery when the chin and eyes began to sag on camera.
Now that I am teaching, I am trying to change young people’s perception of what it is to be an older woman. I don’t leave the house without being dressed appropriately and made up with hair groomed. I laugh heartily at my students’ jokes and the YouTube videos they want me to see. I seek out fun and look for all the little joys in life like popcorn and Junior Mints at the movies. I try not to complain about every ache and pain that strikes. I mentor my students and now they seek me out for advice on matters professional and private.
I think there are growing numbers of older women of my generation who are turning outward instead of inward and showing society that we have value, wisdom, and a love of life. Maybe we will make the difference and achieve what has eluded elderly females for way too long: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Jun 22, 2011 | Politics, Republicans, Women |
So, we have two women in the Republican Party who have designs on the highest office in the land. I must admit I favored Hillary Clinton in the last presidential election. I have been waiting for the day a woman would become President of the United States. But could I vote for a Michelle Bachmann or a Sarah Palin? Duh. No.
Are these the most qualified women the Republicans can put forward? I don’t think even the Party believes that. There are some women and then there are some other women. Where are the other women? You know, the smart ones?
Bachmann and Palin seem to have good credentials when you read their bios. Both held elective office. They broke barriers for women. They are wives and mothers. They had careers before entering politics.
And for those that care, they are physically attractive and telegenic, so important in today’s TV-dominated political campaigns.
But then Michelle and Sarah speak. Out of the mouths of these “babes” come some of the most uninformed statements and backward political policy positions you hear from the radical right wing.
They are “card-carrying” members of the Tea Party Movement. Tea Partiers were protesting on the Capitol steps and spat on Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and shouted “nigger” again and again at civil rights icon, Georgia Rep. John Lewis. I did not hear Bachmann or Palin denounce the vile behavior.
I am really talking about their comments that are just laughable. Could Michelle Bachmann be this dumb?
Bachmann: “The Founding Fathers worked tirelessly until slavery was no more.” She is wrong and nearly 150 years off for when slavery really ended in the U.S.
Bachmann: Speaking in New Hampshire, the first primary state. “You’re the state where the shot was heard around the world in Lexington and Concord.” No, Michelle, that would be Massachusetts.
Bachmann: Told Minnesotans she wanted them “armed and dangerous” to fight an energy tax, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
She doesn’t know U.S. history and doesn’t believe scientific evidence and she thinks she can be President?
Sarah Palin has so many crazy quotations it was difficult to pick a few.
Palin: Talking about Paul Revere after taking a tour of his home. “He, who, warned, uh, the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells and making sure as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells…” Blah, blah. What is going on in her head? (I won’t answer that.)
Palin: At a motorcyle rally in Washington, DC, while riding a Harley. “I love the smell of emissions.”
Palin: About NATO bombing in Libya. “Do we use war? Do we use squirmish? What is it?” That statement should make many people squirm.
While both Representative Bachmann and former Governor Palin are wildly popular with some Americans, I don’t get it. They are embarrassing to the nation and especially to women.
I wish they’d quietly leave the political stage before doing damage to women who are really qualified to be President of the United States.
May 29, 2011 | The Media, Women |
Not speaking here of Elizabeth or Latifah, but Oprah.
At the risk of alienating millions of Americans, I am critical of Oprah Winfrey’s interminable, self-indulgent farewell to her fans over the past 25 years of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Did I miss the day she was appointed or anointed “Queen of America?”
Let me make clear I am not envious of Oprah Winfrey. I am as proud of her as anyone. I met her on several occasions and she was, in person, as warm and gracious as she appeared on television. She transcended a humble background, unfortunate family circumstances, and race and gender to become one of the most influential and wealthiest women in the United States and the world. A little black girl from Mississippi. Good for her. Good for us.
But after watching her two-day extravaganzas, “Oprah’s Surprise Spectacular” shows, I was uncomfortable with the latest incarnation of the talk show star. The productions were a descent into abhorrent self-indulgence. I have watched scores of major television productions: presidential inaugurals, presidential funerals, the Bicentennial celebration, the 100th birthday for the Statue of Liberty and the Millennium New Year productions. Few could compare with Oprah’s farewell shows from the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls.
As admirable a woman as she is, Oprah Winfrey didn’t cure cancer. She didn’t land a plane safely on the Hudson River. She didn’t rid the world of Osama bin Laden. She didn’t solve the economic crisis. She didn’t restore the levees in New Orleans. She was a consummate talk show host and noted philanthropist. But she was a television personality, and all she did was leave her long-running television show. A TV show.
The two days of “spectaculars” brought out some of the biggest stars in America: the Toms (Hanks and Cruise), Beyonce, Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Seinfeld, Stevie Wonder, who all gushed their love for Oprah, and she for them. A poem, called “Oprah,” that she had written, was delivered by the venerable poet, Dr. Maya Angelou.
There were choirs, and giant card displays among the audience, whose members also waved flashlights every time the arena was darkened for dramatic moments. Hundreds of young black college men paraded down the aisles carrying candles in honor of Oprah.
Oprah’s self-love began showing through in recent years. She started “O” magazine, on which she was the cover girl every month. Why would you do that? She even created “angels,” a network of them. And she fashioned herself as a spiritual guide. Who would be so bold? On finally, her final, final show, Oprah, while thanking her loyal fans, raised her arms in the air just like a preacher calling his flock.
I know. I know. She changed people’s lives. She spent her money well on projects to help disadvantaged people. But she spent a lot on herself, as well–like several multimillion dollars homes in some of the world’s most expensive locations. Again, that’s her right. She earned it.
She goes off now to try and build her new cable station, OWN, which stands for the Oprah Winfrey Network. (What else would you expect?) I wish her well and I will miss her omnipresence.
But folks, the time it took for her to leave her show consisted of weeks of tributes and flashbacks of previous shows, followed by three days of all Oprah, all the time.
Wasn’t it all just a bit too much? Over the top?
I think so.
Feb 21, 2011 | Journalism, LGBTQ, Women |
The announcement from CBS News was horrifying. Lara Logan, the network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, suffered “a brutal and sustained sexual assault” in Cairo. I turned the words around in my head: “brutal,” “sustained” and “sexual assault.” She was beaten, as well. I could only imagine that she had experienced the worst physical attack a woman could receive without being killed.
She was just trying to do her job, preparing a “60 Minutes” report on the overthrow of hated dictator, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In Cairo’s Tahrir Square hundreds of thousands of protestors could not contain their jubilation when they heard the news that Mubarak had stepped down.
In the midst of a frenzied mob of 200, mostly men, Logan got separated from her television crew and their security. A lone Western woman with long blond hair must have been too tempting to the thugs in the crowd. They didn’t know she was a star American reporter. She was just a woman. She was grabbed and subjected to unspeakable acts, which only ended when some Egyptian women and later a few soldiers came to her aid.
Reactions to Logan’s heinous assault have been sexist. “Women have no business covering war zones.” “Women are weak and vulnerable and should be protected from dangerous assignments.” “Women who are blond and pretty are more susceptible to attack.” “Women with children should stay home.”
Let’s not forget the number of male journalists, who have left families at home to do war reporting, or the number who have been beaten, wounded and sodomized. You haven’t heard arguments that men are not up to the job. Think of all the brave women, who serve in our armed forces, and have not only been sexually assaulted by the enemy, but by their fellow male soldiers. You don’t hear about them whining and complaining to be sent home. They know they have a job to do and like Logan, no matter the danger, they are determined to do it.
Over the past 10 years Logan has been reporting from nearly every “hot spot” in the world: Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, and elsewhere. She has been fearless and her reports have been distinguished.
It took many years for women reporters to prove to their male bosses that they could be war correspondents. In television, newswomen such as Christiane Amanpour and Sheila MacVicar proved their mettle, as well as countless female radio and newspaper reporters. It would be a shame if Logan’s experience in Egypt were used as an excuse to keep women from getting the risky assignments many of them are ready and willing to take on. Women journalists need no more excuses for male bosses to discriminate against their gender.
Lara Logan is out of the hospital and recuperating at home under the loving care of her family, which includes her two small children. It is my greatest hope that she heals physically and emotionally from her attacks. She’s still a woman but a damn brave one.
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