Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
You read the New York Times Sunday magazine, right? Now try this on for size..
Far better criticism than mine, I have to admit…
Take home:
“This distrust is further aggravated by the Western journalist’s reluctance to seek the expertise of local people. A common complaint of people of the developing world is that they only appear in Western stories as subjects — either as poor, hopeless victims, or as savage creatures in need of the West’s moral intervention. They are never considered vital ingredients in the problem-solving recipe.”
A Happy Anniversary
Today is the 89th anniversary of the certification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.
Another way of living…
I hope you have had a chance to see today’s New York Times Sunday Magazine. The entire issue is devoted to making the case (hurrah!) for the importance of women’s rights.
There are lots of great articles to read, including a wonderful follow-up piece on the Afghan girls who had acid sprayed in their faces as they walked to school.
There is also a fascinating piece on gender preference called The Daughter Deficit.
Interestingly, the print cover of the magazine looks like this:
Gorgeous, right? In case you can’t read the headline, it is “Why Women’s Rights Are the Cause of our Time.”
But the online version of the magazine carries this headline:
To which I say, “Bah!”
Women do not need to be saved.
Our planet needs to be saved.
Did you ever see the movie, Koyaanisqatsi? The title comes from a Hopi word which means, “crazy life, life in turmoil, life disintegrating, life out of balance or a state of life that calls for another way of living.”
We all pretty much agree, do we not, that our planet cannot sustain this way we have been living?
Women do not need to be saved.
Our species needs to be saved.
The imbalance of power between men and women is completely unnatural artifact of humankind. It doesn’t exist anywhere else in the natural world. Across species, males and females have different approaches to carrying out their evolutionary imperative to pass along their genes. But in no other species is the balance of power, the balance of influence, the balance of yin and yang, so completely and utterly out of whack.
No wonder we’re in such a profound mess.
The imbalance of power, rights and opportunity between boys and girls is at the deep heart of the larger imbalances on our planet.
It is time for another way of living.
Girls need to be educated, empowered and given their fair share of opportunity.
They can take it from there…
If you want to help create another way of living, please visit 5 for Fairness.
Out of the mouths of Elders…
“…this deep-rooted belief that women are worth less than men has infected every aspect of our societies.
It has led to women suffering brutal violence and mistreatment. It has denied girls and women fair access to education, health, employment, property and influence within their own communities.
It is not just women who are paying an enormous price for this cultural and religious prejudice. We all suffer when women and girls are abused and their needs are neglected. By denying them security and opportunity, we embed unfairness in our societies and fail to make the most of the talents of half the population. “
The Elders
Oh, yes!
The first women MPs were elected in Kuwait!
All four, yes, four, women were educated in the United States and hold doctorate degrees in either political science, economics or education.
From the Kuwait Times: “Of course I’m going to vote for women – and I really hope that women can make it this time,” said Bahja with a large smile on her face. The 70-year-old woman was stoic and uncomplaining, queuing in a long line of voters, all of whom were waiting to enter the voting booth in Salmiya yesterday.”
FromAl Jazeera: “Dashti said that their success, in spite of Kuwait’s male-dominated society and cultural social barriers was a cause for celebration.
“For the last three years we’ve ran and to move and do this historical [achievement] without a party, without a quota, I think it is history in Kuwait,” she said.
“I think it is history for women in politics all over the world.”
Relevant research:
Cracking the Marble Ceiling:Cultural Barriers Facing Women Leaders
Cultural Barriers to Women’s Leadership: A Worldwide Comparison
A step forward 503 years in the making…
It “could be possible” for women to join the Pontifical Swiss Guard.
Does this mean they are going to finally update those uniforms?
Good news: The only other person that has impressed John Stewart this much was Bruce Springsteen
Good News on the long march toward fairness…
And even the Boss can’t make Jon a King…
