On the upcoming election of the first woman president…
In many ways this has been a disheartening election. To see people make excuses for a candidate bragging about sexual assault (which was followed up by victims saying, “Yes he did.”) well, that’s almost sadder than the assault in the first instance. And all the racism, and xenophobia that preceded it was just as ugly.
I’ve never been a big fan of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and I have my concerns and doubts even to this day, but the misogyny she’s face in this election has been truly appalling. Still, I really didn’t have a moment of awe at the fact that we’ve managed to get a female at the top of a major political party ticket, but I’m starting to feel it now, and it’s about more than Hillary (although that is part of it). It’s about us, all of us, saying “HELL NO” to Trump, and those saying “HECK YEAH” to Hillary..
Someone added me to the Pantsuit Nation page of Facebook. At first I wasn’t sure about it, was it from the campaign or more organic> The stories were good, and I’ve enjoyed reading them. Seeing how excited other women are, some of whom are the only Democrat on their block/neighborhood/etc. Some of whom have always voted GOP, but coming slowly to the realization of a larger truth.
But, at the end, it’s about more than voting for Hillary. Another post that got me was written by a Facebook friend and ed tech guru shortly after the release of the Access Hollywood tape. The woman who wrote it is a true blue Republican, so much so that she named two of kids after the 37th and 40th Presidents. We share the same first name and used to joke at ed tech events that I was liberal Alice, and she was Republican Alice. She put up a post talking personally about how uncomfortable it feels to have unwanted words or actions forced on us as women. At the end she said the following:
When someone in a position of power says something or touches you, no one wants to believe it and it is laughed off by others. This is a dirty thing our society does and we should stop tolerating it.
I have no idea if she is crossing lines and voting for Hillary, but I think there is something more important here. It’s about what we share as and experience of being women in this time and place, and something that we both think needs to change, whatever we feel about trade policy, tax policy, or student loans.
I’ll leave with a quote another friend and fellow teacher posted on Facebook:
This election is about people. But it’s not about *those two* people. It’s about me, my family, my children, my friends, my colleagues, my students, my students’ parents… It’s about miners, farm workers, teachers, house painters, accountants, librarians, landscapers, mechanics, sales clerks, veterinarians and veterans. It’s about Americans.
Stronger Together. Let’s make it more than a campaign slogan. It’s up to us.Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » On the upcoming election of the first woman president…:
