When I was a teen in the 70s the worse thing you could say to a hormone driven boy was, “you run like a girl.” Even with the progression of time men do not usually get better until we are pushed into confronting our stupidity. The phrase morphed into even more insulting and disparaging comparisons to girls, ‘you throw like…you walk like… 30 years later and at the height of male bewilderment, we moved from rude descriptions of girls to insolent descriptions of gays. Teen boys spent a decade immersed in the axiom, “that’s so gay.”
Politics is proving running like a girl is fine
Whether it was in flats, sneakers or high heels, women did not drag their feet they ran. They ran in ribbon shirts, they ran in skirts, they ran with and without a hijab, and yes, they ran in pantsuits. They ran to save healthcare, they ran to protect the bodies of women, and most importantly they ran because they are capable. We have a current President who denies the truth, destroys norms, and in the case of immigrants, demolishes families. Men have and continue to make a mess of the world but both sexes keep embracing the definition of insanity. America is the last great Democracy that has never been headed by a woman.
Thirty-one newly elected women will take their place in the United States House of Representatives, January 3rd, 2019 making the total number of women 96. As for me, I look forward to the hopeful change in civil discourse. Before I fall into a patronizing, pablum spewing, puff piece about the virtues of women, I think the biggest insult would be not to hold the latest influx of women in Congress accountable. Let me make it clear, I expect women to be tough, fight hard and be more effective. The effectiveness bar is a low hurdle to jump, but it will be nice to at least see someone make the attempt. Listening to Sharice Davids, Ilhan Omar, and Lucia “Lucy” McBath, mother of slain black teenager Jordan Davis, each of these women have a wealth of knowledge and a story to tell. Are we finally acknowledging and not ignoring their experiences, their pains, their triumphs, and their smarts? Instead of a Blue Wave what we got was a New Wave.
On election morning a few days ago, I woke up to the sounds of a pouring rainstorm. The predictions were the rain would stop sometime around 4 pm, but I wanted to get to the polls early, hopefully avoiding a crowd. My patriotism and excitement to vote kicked in and I decided to brave the rain. I put on my hat, my hooded raincoat, my rain proofed boots and started walking the six blocks to my designated voting station. After about ten minutes of walking, and a half block away, I saw an elderly woman get out on the passenger side of a car and slowly make her way up the 15 steps to enter the building. I quickened my pace so I could grab the door for her, she thanked me turned and yelled to the driver of the car, “when I’m done, I’ll come out and watch the car and you can vote.”
Both women appeared to be in their seventies. They were not deterred by the rain or the struggle up the long stairs. As I held the door, I thought to myself, I hope I can live up to voting like a woman.
Vote in 2020 for Change.
