Although I appreciated all of the work that my predecessors had done for me and my generation of women, I did not fully comprehend the extent of what they had gone through in order to lift me up onto their shoulders so that I might see further and reach higher than they were ever permitted. I also did not appreciate how incredibly dangerous it is for women to live in a world where sexism is alive and well, but people believe it to be dead. When people believe sexism to be dead, they become less vigilant about losing all of the gains we have made towards equality. When people believe sexism to be dead, women who are victims are made out to be liars. When people believe sexism to be dead just because it has become more subtle, women, like myself in those taxi rides, become silenced.Esther Jang has authored a persuasive essay that Hillary supporters may find useful in speaking to women of any age, but especially the young, who are either Bernie supporters or are fence sitters - the "I-don't-know girls." No matter who we are or how old, we all stand on shoulders of giants.
For women in particular, as we are about to embark on Women's History Month, a visit to the struggles of the past is more than useful and instructive. It is essential. As Esther Jang points out, there is deadly danger in the assumption that the work is complete.
One issue, recently, that highlights the urgency of a Hillary vote: Zika. When the Pope says OK to birth control, you have to know that we are dealing with a crisis of potentially monumental proportions.
In case you missed it last night, this.
Add Zika to the equation. News flash to young women: It is not your moms, aunts, and grandmas whose future is threatened by this crisis. It is yours.
One candidate has fought all of her adult life for women's rights. One candidate is experienced, qualified, and equipped to deal with this crisis as it grows.
Nothing is a done deal. The struggle remains. Esther Jang provides reasons to be on the right side - no matter whether or where you studied, hope to study, or what you do or plan to do. Please read this and share it widely - broadly, even!
When standing on shoulders of giants, please consider…
Dear Wellesley sisters,A few weeks ago, I got into a taxi and started chatting with my driver about politics. He asked me who I would be voting for, and when I replied, “Hillary,” his immediate reaction was, “Is it just because she’s a woman?” I wanted to say to him, “Are you supporting ____ just because you both have dicks?” but I refrained and continued my ride in silence.A few weeks before that, I got into a taxi and my driver asked me what I did. When I told him that I worked for Venmo, his immediate reaction was, “You do UX or Design, right?” I wanted to say to him, “No. Also, our Head of Engineering is a woman,” but again, I refrained and continued my ride in silence.Now that I have lived a handful of years outside of Wellesley, I find myself being silenced by the sheer exhaustion of having to deal with this type of subtle sexism every day.
Saying "some woman some day" is a cop out. There has never in our history been a candidate like this one. This woman. NOW!
Parenthetically: (Let's dispense with the notion that propaganda is, by definition, false and/or negative. There are many models of propaganda and a long history. The epistemic model assigns no positive/negative valences. This post, by the epistemic definition is propaganda. It is intended to persuade.)
